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His eyes snap to mine, and he studies my face before speaking again.
"You're that serious about her?"
"Yes, I am. If Mom hadn't told me you were in training because you were getting ready to deploy, I would have shown up on your doorstep since you weren't answering your phone."
"Kassi’s a great person. When we broke up, it was because we were going in different directions and wanted different things. There were never any ill feelings, and we stayed friends until we graduated."
"I know she told me," I tell him. My tone's softer now.
"Bottom line, I want both of you to be happy. While I never thought I'd see you with her, you deserve happiness after everything you've been through. And so does she. That said, you hurt her, and I'll kick your ass on her behalf. For the record," he says, pausing. "She didn't tell me what happened to her, and I'm not going to ask, and it's not my place. But I know it's not good if she's being medically discharged."
"She told you about that?" I ask, shocked.
"She showed me the letter."
“I found her on the back porch, completely zoned out. She had just received the letter today and was in shock. When she started to cry, I couldn't take it, so I held her. That's how you found us. Right before you showed up, she had finally stopped crying."
"Yeah, I always had impeccable timing and the ability to make everything better," he says with a cocky smile, and I laugh, shaking my head.
Looking down, I see Atticus sitting on guard beside me, and he keeps looking between me and Caden. He knows Caden is family, and he knows Caden is the one to throw a ball with him when he’s home. But right now, he also senses the tension.
Sighing, I take his vest off, signaling to him that he's done working for now and he can go play. He runs over to Caden and sits down, wagging his tail.
Laughing, Caden leans down and pets him, scratching behind Atticus’s ears before the dog is distracted by a butterfly. Suddenly, Atticus takes off running, chasing the butterfly.
"I'm not going to stop you guys from being happy. Is it going to be weird? Yeah, probably for a while. Just bear with me. And if the path leads you guys to marriage, I would be honored to have her as part of the family."
"Not if, when. She is becoming part of the family because her saying no is not an option. If she's not ready now, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait as long as it takes." I say it with way conviction.
"Noted. I was going to see if I could stay at your place while I was here..."
"You never have to ask, and you're always welcome. You have a key. For God's sake, use it," I say, stopping short of rolling my eyes. Even though we could be fighting and arguing, I'd be even more pissed if he didn't stay with me.
"Good, because I already dropped my shit off in the guest room, and I really didn't want to repack it," he says, laughing. "It's been a long few days. I'm going to head back to the house and take a nap. You need to go get your girl, because I'm pretty sure she's worried about the outcome of this."
Watching Caden walk towards the parking lot, I call Atticus over and put his vest back on. But before we leave the garden, I take a minute to stare at the front of Oakside. There's a nice breeze today, and the American flag is blowing in the wind.
In one way or another, all of us here are fighting for that flag. And all of us are fighting for the American dream, whatever that means to us.
Since I entered boot camp, I've learned over my time that the dream changes. But right now, the dream I want is a wife and kids, and the white picket fence. I'm ready to go in and fight for it.
Walking into Oakside, I go straight to Kassi's room. She's reading on her tablet, but I know by the way she is chewing on her lips, she isn't reading, and her mind is elsewhere.
I lean against the door frame and watch her for a minute, enjoying the view. When she looks up, she drops the tablet in her lap.
"Jake," she sighs, as if my being here just makes everything better.
"What did you and Caden talk about?" I ask her, not trusting myself to even enter the room.
"You. Us. He wasn't mad. What did you talk about?" she asks.
"You. Us." I smile at her and step into the room.
"He wants us both happy, and he gave me his blessing," I tell her.
She smiles at me with a sparkle in her gorgeous eyes.
That smile does me in. Walking to her, I drop to my knees in front of her.
