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CHAPTER26
- DAX -
One year and five months later
I stand not too far from the circle at the end of Tybrisa Street, which has come alive today despite the chill and the calendar that says Tybee Island should still be in its winter hibernation.
It’s the day of the half marathon, so every beach, every street, every cul-de-sac is buzzing with energy, especially where I am, waiting for my girlfriend to pass that finish line.
I missed seeing this, the first time she ran.
Then, I was still on the other side of the world when she raced under that massive blue banner that announces the word “Finish.”
Last year, I could only picture it in my mind—a welcome distraction for me during a mission. The kind of distraction that I’m discovering, ironically, makes me a better Soldier. A better Ranger. Because even though I hate to leave her behind, I know she’s surrounded by a good team now, the kind who will support her no matter what. And just the thought of her and all that I want to share with her is like dangling a carrot in front of me to do my job well and then get back to the States.
Because this country—this way of life that I protect—means even more to me now that I get to share it all with her.
Since that night on the beach when I left her, we were torn from each other for six long months, one of the longer black ops missions I’ve had. There were a few points during it when I was able to Skype with her. But otherwise, silence.
A silence that she filled on her end with a ton of activity—renovating the diner, experimenting with the menu, and transforming it into a place that is busy during every meal, every season of the year. It’s like she brushed off that MBA she’d metaphorically tucked away and utilized every trick she’d learned at Stanford and in those consulting years in Atlanta.
She’s already talking about opening another diner down in Charleston in the next five to ten years.
I like how she makes long-term plans.
I like even more, knowing I’m a part of them.
Her brother came home long before I did from that mission. As I had suspected, he was laying the groundwork. And once it got underway, he headed back. And I think seeing the reunion of him and Ava, which she got to witness first-hand on a quick trip up the coast to Annapolis, gave Millie even more strength to stick it out with me. Because, just like Mason had once reminded me, the reunions really are epic.
In fact, those reunions are so damn epic that I’m feeling some serious pressure right now, trying to create a moment that surpasses them. I want this moment to stand above all others, to give her a memory that will give her chills. I might have even tapped into Freya’s brain a bit with Mason’s help because I’m coming to respect their shared knowledge of romance.
I’m just a guy, after all. I need help in this department.
In fact, it was Freya who said I need to do this in my Class A uniform, which is why I stick out like a sore thumb right now, standing here by myself in this crowd as they cheer runners.
I track her on my phone, as she said I could, to see her progress toward the finish line.
Toward me.
Toward the ring I’ve got hidden in my pocket. The ring she probably doesn’t expect since I was just in a t-shirt and jeans when I cheered her at the start of this race—not exactly dressed for a marriage proposal.
She’s just a block away when I next spot her on the app. I swallow, ridiculously nervous right now. Not just because of the question I’ll be asking her, but because of the people gathered here on the sidelines clapping. I’ve never been one to make a spectacle of myself.
And yet, here I go.
I step past the crowd into the street just past the finish line. The street is pretty clear of runners now. They spread out over the course of the race, trickling in at the end.
I half expect someone to stop me from standing in the middle of the road reserved just for the runners as they approach. But in my Class A uniform, no one stops me. I think everyone kind of guesses what I’m about to do.
I see her running toward me, and I get a lump in my throat that I’d deny to my fellow Rangers. But I can’t help it as I see her, a proud smile on her face then transforming into curiosity when she spots me in the middle of the road in my uniform like this. As she crosses the finish line, the crowd cheers, and their volume doubles when they see me drop to one knee.
She stops in front of me, slack-jawed, and raises her hand to her lips.
“Whhhat—?”
I hear her breathe out, despite the noise around us.
But it’s like everything else has disappeared. It’s just Millie and me.
