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“My husband,” Emily smiled. “Go! Be safe! John – this is my dorky older brother, Chase. Chase, meet your new brother-in-law, John Masden. Consider your record broken… feel free to rag on me next time I see you.”
“WHAT?”her brother laughed noisily, echoing in his helmet as he looked away. “Shoot… I gotta go, Emily. Welcome to the fam, John!”
Her brother abruptly ended the call – and both sighed audibly.
“It’s out there,” Emily said quietly. “I’ll handle most of the…”
“No, this is a ‘we’ sort of thing… I’ll email your parents from Ghazni, send your mother some flowers to butter her up, and copy you on everything. There is no more ‘I’… we are a team now.”
Emily smiled nervously at him and nodded.
“Your bath is ready… and I think I’m going to go down to the sports bar and get us something for dinner,” John offered gently. “That will give you some privacy, allow you to relax, and we can just unwind a bit tonight, because it’s been quite a hectic twenty-four hours. Take your time and I’ll be back in an hour, okay?”
“Do you mind?”
“Do I mind starting out my marriage by doing the right thing and taking care of my wife?” John said tenderly. “Not in the slightest. You come first above everything, and we have,” he hesitated and grinned playfully. “… We have our whole lives to have ‘mad-monkey-sex’, Em.”
They both laughed nervously as Emily buried her face against his shoulder as he hugged her, both a little unnerved at the painful and awkward start to their marriage.
“Things can only go up from here, my love…” John said gently. “Get your bath, and I’ll be back in an hour.”
CHAPTER24
X-RAY
John sat downstairsin the sports bar, giving Emily as much time and privacy as she needed. Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly composed an email to the only person he could think of that remained in his life, at that moment outside of his ‘brothers’ in the Air Force.
Jana.
John just needed someone to talk to, someone to unload to, and wished with all his heart that he could talk to his mother once again… if nothing else, for five minutes to ask for advice, because he was floundering.
He loved Emily.
It was all just quite overwhelming at how fast everything was happening, how unexpected it all was, and where things went from here. If he hadn’t had that massive drink? He probably wouldn’t have made the leap to marriage for at least a year or two… but that is what comforted him and kept him from completely losing his cool.
Hecouldsee Emily as his wife, despite everything else.
* * *
Dear Jana,
I’m playing the ‘friend’ card and just need to ramble for a few minutes to clear my thoughts, unburdening my soul. I did something that has me both happy and scared at the same time… and sincerely wish I could talk to someone – which is why I’m emailing you.
I married Emily.
I’ll save the details of how it all happened, but I’m stupidly happy right now, and a little afraid something will go wrong. I guess because something has always gone wrong for me in the past.
My mind keeps thinking that I’m building up my tower of cards, reaching for the sky, only to have it collapse around me. Is that fear what every new couple goes through? Is that normal? I’m struggling, because I’m scared to disappoint her or hurt her feelings.
I never imagined getting married…
Well, maybe I did, but I would be much older and much more mature… instead, I feel like a seventeen-year-old boy trapped in a thirty-two-year-old man’s body. I don’t feel my age, and I certainly don’t feel confident right now… and I guess that is why I’m panicking.
I’m responsible for another person… and she’s the most important thing in the world to me – besides my pen pal.
I had no one, and now I’m finding that I have in-laws who aren’t too happy right now, a sister-in-law who is chomping at the bit to tell your brother… and a brother-in-law that I know nothing about...
A family… and I don’t have a great track record with family.
