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Finally, she swallowed hard, frowning. Her lips moved, and I had to lean in close to hear her words. Even so, I missed the first part. “… work things out. I can get used to deployments. Eventually.”
Wait. What?
I stopped her there. “No, darling.” I kissed her hand again and smiled, trying to show in my eyes all the love and joy and regret and hope I was feeling. “No. I want you to know that I’ve already made up my mind on that front. I’m going to put in for retirement after this last mission.” At her confused look, I added, “Hell, I’d retire now, if they’d let me, but the team needs me one last time. There’s no guarantee the government will let me out of my contract early anyway, but at least I can try. Or maybe I can get a reassignment to a desk job. We’ll see.”
Charlotte blinked up at me, her eyes huge and dark in the artificial light, her expression shocked.
“Hey.” I bent and kissed her again just because it felt so good, then laughed. “Seriously. Don’t be so surprised. What you said the other night got me thinking. And you were right. You put down roots here. Now I think it’s time I put down some of my own. So I’m all yours. If you want me.” A niggle of old fear ate into my joy before I could squash it down. Now it was my turn to clear my clogged throat. After the way I’d screwed up the other night, and so many times since I’d been here, maybe things had changed. Charlotte loved me, but was that enough? I looked away. “I hope you still want me.”
The ache in my chest, the yearning, threatened to take me down faster than any punch. It scared the shit out of me to say those words, to be so vulnerable, but that was what love was all about, right?
Being open, laying it all on the line. It was time to stop running. I took a deep breath. “I really do hope you still want me, Charlotte, because I’m not sure I can live without you now. I’d be lost. Savannah would be lost too. You’re the glue that holds us together.”
Her eyes filled, and she shook her head. “No,” she croaked. “I don’t want you to do that for me, Gabe. You love being a SEAL.” She paused and swallowed hard, which must have been painful, judging by her wince. “You’ll resent me for it. If we’re going to be together, we should both sacrifice.”
“What?” I was the one surprised now. “It’s no sacrifice. I’m ready. Ready to retire and start the next phase of my life with you and Charlotte. It’s time.” At her incredulous stare, I said, “Okay. Fine. If you’d asked me months ago, or I guess even a week ago, my answer would have been different. But that’s just it. Things are different now. I’m different now, because of you. So, yeah. I’m ready to start a new phase in my life. Wherever you want to be. We can stay here in Harpers Ferry and rebuild the tavern, if you want, and be a real family.” I squeezed her hand and held her gaze. “And that’s something I’ll never regret or resent. Not in a million years. Or we can still be a family and move somewhere else, somewhere new for both of us. Once this last deployment is over, the sky’s the limit for us.”
She still didn’t seem completely convinced. I wanted her to know, needed her to know, how true this was for me. “Look. You were correct the other night. I went into the SEALs because my family had disappeared in the blink of an eye. And I love the guys on my team. They’re like brothers to me and always will be. But now I have a new family, and I want to do what’s best for them. What’s best for us. Okay?”
Finally, Charlotte smiled, her eyes wet and warm with love. “Okay.”
“Okay.” I bent for another kiss as the EMTs climbed on board.
“Ready to head to the hospital, folks?” the EMT who’d worked on me asked before hooking Charlotte up to a blood pressure monitor and checking her pulse. “ETA five minutes.”
“Ready,” Charlotte croaked, squeezing my hand.
The cop who’d been watching Savannah handed her to me through the back doors of the rig, then shut us in. Soon we were rumbling down the road, Savannah gurgling and gnawing on the bill of her duck, Charlotte lying still while the EMT examined her, and me holding my daughter in my arms and feeling like I’d just gone ten rounds with Ali. We were all a little bruised and battered and still beautiful in our own way.
It wasn’t quite the romantic reunion I’d pictured, but then life was weird that way.
Weird and wonderful and so very worth it, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
THIRTY
Six months later…
Iset my tub of dirty dishes atop the bar and grinned, looking around at the packed house. I was even more proud of Rhodes Tavern than I’d been the first time around, if that was possible.
It had taken me six months to rebuild what I’d lost in the fire. Using the payout from the insurance company, plus funds from a GoFundMe page we started for donations, there was enough to get the place up and running again. There’d been plenty of days—and sleepless nights—when I was sure it wasn’t going to happen, but here we were! It was real, and it felt great.
I’d opened the doors hours earlier to find a crowd waiting to get in, my bartenders and wait staff eager to get back to work and serve the lovely people of Harpers Ferry—and beyond—the best food and drink in Jefferson County. The kitchen had been hopping from the start, and now that we were nearing closing time, the cooks were still putting out hot apps and sandwiches for our guests.
But all good things had to come to an end, and after a sigh, I whistled to get everyone’s attention, then announced the call for final orders. A collective groan issued from the crowd, and I laughed. “Hey, y’all can come back tomorrow night too, remember.”
People cheered and clapped, and one of my bartenders called out, “Speech!”
Damn. I didn’t want to rush the end of what had been an awesome night. I’d never had a shift run so smoothly, truth be told… but I also needed to get home to relieve my mom, who was babysitting Savannah.
Soon, though, the word became a chant, until the new walls of the tavern practically reverberated with the word. “Speech! Speech! Speech!”
Okay. Fine. It seemed I didn’t have a choice. I climbed atop a nearby stool and took the glass of champagne one of the bartenders handed me, then raised it in a toast. “Thank you all so much for coming tonight and showing us your support. As most of you know, the Rhodes Tavern means the world to me, and I’m so glad my community showed up after six months of our doors being shuttered.” I waited for the cheers and applause to die down before continuing. “And a huge thank-you also to my wonderful kitchen staff, bartenders, and wait staff for all their hard work and patience tonight and all through this difficult time. I couldn’t do it without each and every one of you. Thank you!”
More applause and cheers rang out. I drained my glass, the bubbles tickling my nose, then started to climb down but froze when I saw a familiar form in the crowd.
It wasn’t possible. Not yet, at least. But there he was.
Gabe.
