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“I guess so,” he replied easily, shrugging.
“Merry Christmas,” she acknowledged, remembering his greeting… and looked at him, her head angled slightly to the side almost in silent question, but of ‘what,’ she didn’t know.
Michael looked away and nodded slightly, drawing her eyes upwards.
“They decorated nice this year.”
“We were on the ladders for hours hanging lights…”
“You were?”
“I volunteered,” she said simply, shrugging.
“Oh,” he began quietly. “It looks really nice.”
“Thank you,” she replied, a little surprised at this side of him as he looked at her again.
“Don’t let it go to your head,” he began, his voice cracking, as he glanced up and a flicker of alarm touched his face. Ruby turned to see her father standing in the distance, his arms crossed, and he raised a few fingers to silently wave ‘hello’ to her.
“Oh it… won’t?” she trailed off – and saw that Michael was already gone once more in the crowd. She saw his dark blond hair in the distance as he looked back over his shoulder, meeting her eyes, and waved slightly.
She raised a hand awkwardly, feeling suddenly unsure of what had just transpired and this feeling inside of her.
“Everything okay, Ruby?” her father asked.
“Yes, sir,” she replied distractedly before looking up at him, and saw his knowing stare. “He’s hard to figure out sometimes,” she admitted openly, because most of the time her father was already on top of things and waited for them to mention it to him.
It was so much better just to be open than to think you pulled a fast one. You just did not do that in the Merrick household – nor were you disrespectful. Two major rules that were never to be broken…ever.
“Things are changing,” her father replied simply. “For both of you.”
“But do they have to change?”
“Change is a part of life,” he shrugged. “It makes you who you are, makes you value memories, and look forward to what is coming.”
She didn’t say anything, instead watching Michael move through the crowd before disappearing once more.
“Change also makes you see things that weren’t there before, makes you value what you never thought was important before, and reveals growth in the most unexpected ways…” he finished softly, laying a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him in surprise. “I’m glad you are still young because sometimes change is hard to watch, even though you know it's coming. Just try not to grow up too fast, for me?”
“I love you, Daddy…” she said, hugging him – and sneaking a quick glance at Michael once more in the distance.
CHAPTER2
MICHAEL
Three years later
West Point, New York
Michael swallowed hard,feeling extremely anxious and alone in a room full of other young men. Their families had left the night before for visitation and he never felt so overwhelmed than he had at this moment. Everything he knew, every iota of who he was, things he had done… it was all being left behind.
He was a cadet.
Army.
He was quite literally… theirs.
Standing there in uniform, among the ‘best of the best,’ he felt like a charlatan. Back in Tyler, he was the top of his class, graduated valedictorian, was in track, marching band, participated in plays, and always had friends around him.
