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“Thank you, sir,” Eric choked out, and shook his hand several times before turning to Madison to hug her… and that was when it truly hit her.
“Oh my gosh,” she breathed, hugging him tightly. “It’s done, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he acknowledged, holding her close, his voice warbling slightly with emotion as he looked at her. His precious eyes were glassy with unshed tears as he touched her face tenderly. “I love you – and our life.”
“I love you too,” she smiled tremulously at him, before hugging him again. She treasured the feel of his cheek resting on her head, needing to just ‘ground’ her emotions and herself, because a part of it still didn’t feel real… only to feel a tap on her shoulder.
“I don’t believe we’ve met, but Lily tells me all about you two. I’m John Griffin – and I used to be stationed with Logan over in Ghazni,” the man said quietly in a hushed voice. “I can’t let Eugene know this is the first time we’re meeting, Morrison.”
Madison pulled away slightly as Eric shook the other man’s hand openly and nodded.
“I’m actually gonna need that job in a few months,” Eric said, and glanced at Madison. “I’m not re-enlisting when my contract is up, and I have a family to provide for.”
“Then let me introduce you to the other fellas – who were all stationed with me. Luka, Watson, Martinez, Lawson, Clark, and…”
“Oh my gosh,Reed?” Eric said, looking stunned. “Land sakes, man!You’re alive?Clark’s here, too?”
Her husband pulled away and moved to hug the other man – only to have him smile nervously.
“I’m the dispatcher at the station,” the man nodded. “I couldn’t go into the field because of nerve damage after the incident. I don’t trust myself enough, but I still have a lot to give and some fight left in me.”
“Yeah, you do, buddy,” Luka grinned, messing up his hair. “We all do, but we also love coming home at night to our wives and families.”
“Amen to that,” John said openly. “You’re gonna fit right in.”
Eric looked almost as stunned as she was feeling as her mother walked over to join them, carrying Max. She scooped up her son, kissing his cheek and murmuring ‘Thank you’to her mother.
“Watson,” Eric began, rubbing the back of his neck. “What a small world. I don’t suppose you are missing a very abused Rubik’s cube, are you?”
The officer that helped her that evening just cracked a smile.
“Leave it when you go,” Watson said easily. “It was a gift from my pen pal, who I married, and I lost it. If you found it and it brought you some entertainment – maybe we can pass it along to another guy who needs something to occupy his time.”
“Sounds good,” Eric said, shaking his hand easily.
She watched silently as he was practically pulled into the group of men, who were all talking and giving him all sorts of advice.
“Tell Logan you are coming to work for Griffin.”
“Don’t tell him that – he’ll blow his top.”
“Awww, they’re buddies. He’ll be fine.”
“Don’t do that to my friend. We’re close – but he would like to punch me sometimes for stealing his soldiers every time he turns around. He never says a word to my wife, Lily… and never will.”
“You’re ‘that’guy – and Lily is your wife?” Eric laughed, shaking his head. “Oh yeah, I’ve definitely heard of you two. Oh wow, what a really freakin’ small world.”
“Yep. Growing by leaps and bounds,” John smiled at his wife, who was standing beside Madison now.
“I told you to relax,” Lily smiled softly. “John has a lot of friends because he’s a good man. He gets a lot of respect for being fair, honest, and trust-worthy. As for the judge, Eugene and Martha live down the street from us, and their son has a lemonade stand every summer that we make it a point to visit,” Lily explained, as Madison chuckled in awareness of what had happened and how fortunate she was to be a part of this world.
“It was once a small town but getting larger all the time,” Lily smiled proudly at her husband, who was talking to Eric. “We’ve got to hang onto that feeling of community – and John’s trying to do it all on his own by inviting his former teammates and other soldiers to find a haven here.”
“I had no idea this was what you saw in the long run when you asked me to write a soldier,” Madison whispered in stunned comprehension. “Watson had a pen pal, too?”
Lily smiled, nodding.
“Watson’s wife is Marigold and was his pen pal. Remember the gossip? I was John’s pen pal. Each man here had a pen pal given to them when he decided it was the right time to fall in love. It only works if both people are ready and willing to give it a chance – and once you do? You find a really good person on the other side of the envelope. It doesn’t matter if they have blue eyes or brown,” her voice sounded so distant as she stared at her husband with obvious love shining brightly from her eyes.
