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Rhett is the best person that I’ve ever met. He’s caring and sweet, patient, funny, generous, and smart.
“How the hell are you still single?” I blurt out, and he laughs.
“Well, we were deploying like every nine months or so. Being gone for so long wasn’t the best for starting a new relationship.”
“Still,” I say, and he smiles.
“Okay, the truth?”
“Please.”
“My parents weren’t the best role models for lasting love. I spent my entire childhood protecting Lottie and myself from them when they were on one of their tears. As soon as we got out, I joined the military with Anson, and things have kind of been a whirlwind since then. I just haven’t given dating much thought until recently.”
My heart skips when he says those last two words, and I look away from him so that he can’t see the hope and longing shining in my eyes.
“What about you?” He asks when I don’t say anything.
“Well, going to an all-girls boarding school limits the number of boys to date,” I try to joke, and he smiles. “Then, I don’t know. No one ever really interested me when I was in college.”
I want to tell him that no one has ever interested me before now, but what if I’m reading this wrong? I don’t want to make it awkward between us, and the truth is that I’m just not confident or bold enough to come right out and admit that I want him.
“Did you always want to join the military?” I ask him, trying to get us back into safer territory.
“No, not always. There weren’t a ton of options for us, though. Anson and I both grew up with next to nothing. We’ve been scraping by our entire life, and the military was just the best option to change that.”
Here I am, always bringing up my boarding school and fancy art college, and he had to risk his life just to make a living.
“So, you hated it?” I ask, swallowing hard.
“No, not at all. I made a lot of great friends, and it got me here. I have the skills to start my own company. I’m still here with my best friend. It’s all good.”
That makes me feel a little bit better, and I take another lick of my ice cream.
“What was your favorite thing about the military?”
“The routine. There was no guessing or really that many decisions to be made. There was a chain of command, and everyone knew to follow it. I knew what I was doing every day. I woke up at the same time and ate at the same time. It was the structure that I needed, especially after my childhood.”
“Why the Navy?”
“I always liked swimming. There was this community pool by our house, and Anson, Lottie, and I used to break in some nights and go swimming. It was some of our happiest times.”
“And then being in the Navy wasn’t enough, so you decided to be a SEAL?”
He laughs at that, and I smile.
“Something like that. It was more that I wanted the challenge. Anson and I did it just to see if we could, but having him there is what got me through. I wasn’t quitting if he wasn’t.”
“I’m envious that you have that kind of friend. I always kept to myself, but it would have been nice to have someone who always had my back like that.”
“Lottie really likes you,” he says, and I smile.
“She was so sweet. She and Anson are adorable together.”
“Yeah, they always were. I’m just sorry it took them so long to get together.”
Lottie told me all about how she and Anson were scared that Rhett would be mad that they were seeing each other. I remember thinking that was weird. Rhett loves both of them so much, and I know that as long as they’re happy, so is he.
“Can I see some of your pictures?” Rhett asks, and I hesitate but nod.
