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"Is that dear girl okay?" she asks, concern written all over her face.
"She's going to be fine, but backing off isn't an option. Once she's back on her feet, she will be assigned to another duty station. I'm going to follow her, Mom."
"Are you sure this isn't just some leftover teenage crush that you want to fulfill?" she asks so softly that I know she's not accusing me of anything.
"When she was dating Caden, the only feeling I had for her was like a little sister. I enjoyed hanging out with her, but that was it. I thought they were good together, but I hardly noticed her. My head sometimes still has problems reconciling that she's the same girl as back then."
Mom nods, but I can tell she's lost in thought.
"You have to talk to Caden, and no matter what, you know this is not going to go over well. Had you talked to him before something started, I don't think he would have cared. But this far down the road?" She blows out her breath.
I know she won't pick sides because she's on both our sides. Even though she wants me to be happy and be fiercely in love, she also understands how this will affect Caden and she doesn't want him hurt either.
"Tonight, I’ll try to call him again and leave him a voicemail that I need to speak to him. Hopefully, he will call because I can't wait until he gets back from deployment. Hell, if I can get Kassi to agree, by the time he comes back from deployment, we will be married."
"Jake! How are you already talking about marriage?" Mom asks.
"Because I know she's the one. I never quite understood what Granddad meant when he said by the end of the first date, Grandma was the one. But I get it now. It's one of those things that you can't get until it happens." I tell her.
"The men on my dad's side of the family always fell fast and hard," Mom says, shaking her head with a smile on her face.
We both stand, and she pulls me into her for another one of her special hugs.
"I'm very happy for you. As soon as you talk to your brother, you will have my full support." She kisses me on the cheek.
"Thanks, Mom," I say, holding her tight for a bit longer.
"Now, shoo, I have a Zumba class to get to," she says, a smile lighting up her face. She might not admit it openly, but she really does love it here.
Once I’m in my car, I sit there staring at my phone for a minute before calling Caden again. It goes to voicemail, so, I leave him a voice message.
"Hey man, it's Jake. Listen, I need you to call me. I'm fine, everyone is fine, but I have something important to talk to you about and it can't wait. Hope you are doing well. Talk soon. Love you."
Hopefully, he will call as soon as he turns his phone on. The problem is I have no idea when that will be.
Killing more time before heading back to Oakside, I call my buddy Thorne. We ran a few Seal missions together and have kept in touch. He recently met his girl at a Bluebonnet festival in his buddy's hometown of all places.
"Hey, Jake," he answers, and I can tell he's got a smile on his face. I'm glad he's happy. He deserves it after everything he's been through.
Taking a moment to catch up with him before I tell him what is going on with Kassi, including the conversation I just had with my mom.
He lets out a long whistle.
"I wish I had better advice, but until you can reach your brother, you are in a bad place." He tells me what I already know.
"Yeah, I figured as much. I’d go to him if I thought it would do any good. But he's at training, according to my mom."
"So, it's just a hurry up and wait scenario," he says, chuckling. "Looks like Cupid is hitting the Seal Team guys hard this year."
Now I know the two of us aren't the only ones who have fallen in love lately.
Chapter 10
Kassi
I'm staring out at the backyard of Oakside, completely numb. I was getting better. I was talking and was doing everything the military asked of me. But that wasn't good enough.
What was the point of it all?
