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“You don’t need to say anything else.” I wrap her in as much strength and love as I can manage.
Because yes, I fucking love this woman. It doesn’t matter that she was a stranger yesterday. She’s given me so much of herself today, and eased open the door for me to share shit I’ve kept so locked I thought nobody would ever find out.
“I’m coming to your base next month,” she whispers.
For the unveiling of the Admiral Forrest Special Warfare Leadership School. Of course she is. “For a dedication ceremony?”
Another shaky nod.
“And more weirdness and people being lovely?”
She puffs out her cheeks. “I know it’s not something to complain about.”
“Hey, none of that. You’re allowed whatever reaction you want.” I swallow hard. “My parents are deceased, too.”
She gives me the fiercest hug. “I’m sorry.”
I kiss her forehead. “Me, too. But you know, me and my siblings had grief counseling after my mom died. It was a long time ago now. And we learned that grief needs to be selfish, that we can’t force it into a shape it doesn’t want to be. So you can have whatever reaction you want. Forever. My mom’s been gone for twenty years, and it’s still hard sometimes.”
“You were a teenager?” Her voice is so little.
“Yeah,” I say gruffly. “Cancer.”
“And your dad?”
“He died four years ago. Heart attack. He was golfing, so he went out happy.” It’s what we’ve always said, but it sounds more hollow tonight than it ever has before. I suck in a sharp breath, then let it out slowly. “I miss my parents, and it’s always hard, even as we heal around that feeling.”
“I miss mine, too.”
“Of course you do.”
“Nobody has ever said that to me.”
All her wealth, and nobody ever thought to get her some fucking therapy? I’m livid on her behalf.
She snuggles into me and changes the subject. “When you ask what adventures are next… I mean, the convenience store was pretty exciting. Just doing normal things sounds pretty exotic.”
“There’s a farmer’s market at the community center on Tuesday,” I tell her softly. “Want to go to that? It’s almost like a grocery store.”
“It sounds even better,” she whispers, her voice catching on a sea of emotions I can’t even begin to properly understand.
I hold her until her breathing evens out, then we go inside to find a couple of bottles of beer and the chips. Then I check the fire rating for the mountain, and when I see that it’s safe, I light a fire.
Abby has her first taste of beer perched on my lap. She doesn’t love it, but then she has a few chips—which she adores—and she pronounces beer as a delicious thing to haveafterpotato chips.
And beer-tinged kisses with a sweetly innocent girl perched on my lap? That’s my new favorite flavor.
We make love again before falling asleep that night, as gentle as can be this time.
Two condoms used up, one more to go. She curls up in my arms, her blond curls spread on my pillow again. This time, I breathe in her sunny scent from the source, and something heady unspools in my chest.
One of my last thoughts before I fall asleep is,I’m going to marry this girl.
Followed immediately by,what the fuck?
And then a shit-eating grin. Because yeah, I am going to marry her. As soon as she’ll let me.
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