AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About that,” she began, not looking up from where she was frowning at the tic-tac-toe board. “I thought we’d talk later when you were better but…”
“But…what?”
“Max, this is apretendmarriage,” she whispered, her voice full of regret. “I think you are incredibly sweet and attractive, but I have no intention of staying in Wyoming. There isn’t going to be any ‘bedroom’ stuff. I want to travel the world and see…”
“No problem,” he interrupted, causing her to look up in surprise.
“What?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t want to travel with you?”
“It’s just that…”
“Is it my leg?” he said flatly.
“No!” she replied a little quickly and winced. “It’s not your leg – and I don’t care about it, but I never imagined myself as married. It’s not you. I think you are really nice, and if I was to settle down, then you are about as close to perfect as I could imagine…but it’s just not me.”
“Is it because you aren’t attracted to me?”
“No.”
“So, youareattracted to me?”
“Max – it doesn’t matter…”
“Are you attracted to me – yes or no?”
“Yes. Are you happy? That really doesn’t change anything or…”
“Do you want to travel?”
“I just told you that,” she said in exasperation.
“Then what could be better than traveling the world with someone you trust and enjoy spending time with?” he asked softly, a little stunned at the conversation’s turn of direction, but this was part of who she was. His little bride was an adventurer – and he was glad.
That urge to travel was what put him in Ghazni to begin with. His options had been limited for orders, and he didn’t want to end up in El Paso or Killeen, Texas. No, he wanted to see the world, and the Army decided that his adventure would start in Afghanistan.
“We could try new places, sample different foods, admire the cultural differences, and have someone we care for and trust to share our thoughts, plans, and ideas with… behind closed doors.”
“Max…”
“Think about it,” he said softly, his eyes holding hers. “I would take you anywhere you wanted, Daphne. We could watch the sunrise in a pod on the side of a cliff in Peru, swim in the waters off the coast of Thailand, or navigate the streets of Japan together.”
Her eyes were wide and full of regret as he realized that she might actually say ‘No’ to his offer. He laid down his pen, no longer caring about the game, and reached for her hand… half expecting her to pull away. Instead, she didn’t move.
“I’m not asking you to love me,” Max whispered painfully, the lie feeling so bitter on his tongue and his voice full of emotion. He knew asking something so personal of her would immediately shut down his skittish girl. “I know we barely know each other, but I am asking for a chance to get to know you better during an adventure that we could share – and would be our own.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she breathed, and he could see tears in her eyes, making his chest ache painfully. “You are a sweet person who’s been through a lot…”
“I’m a guy who just wants a chance,” he interrupted softly. “If it’s my leg then…”
“It’snotyour leg,” she bit out in frustration, surprising him as she pulled her hand away quickly. “You think it’s your leg – but it’sme. I don’t want the white picket fence or to settle down. There’s something in me that’s broken because I don’t want the same things as other women. I don’t need a husband, and it’s not because ofyour leg. It’s because I don’t want to have to justify what I do, ask permission, or check with someone before I make a change. I want to live my life and go wherever I please.”
“You’re not broken,” he breathed in awareness and comprehension as he stared at her. “You are not broken at all, Daphne… I think you were waiting for me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t want a woman who wants a boring, sedate, normal life,” Max began, the words just pouring out of him as he stared at her eyes, the windows to her soul, needing to communicate and share his deepest feelings with her. “Ichoseto be stationed in Afghanistan because I wanted to explore the world, the culture, and the people. I don’t want a wife who’s going to nag me, to hound me when my next paycheck is coming, or talk about going to the grocery store because she’s going to try a new recipe to make boring suburban life exciting,” he paused, feeling a smile touch his lips as her dark eyes widened in awareness.
