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“Yes,” she whispered, and saw him scratch his name just above hers on the first highlighted yellow blank, just before he leaned to kiss her softly.
“There’s the first signature,” he murmured, signed in another spot, and kissed her again. “The second…” and kissed her once more. “The third…”
He punctuated each signature with a quick, soft kiss that had her smiling and laughing gently at this remarkably sweet man who left her reeling at every interaction.
“… And the final one,” he smiled, leaning over to kiss her – hesitated – and then pulled back slightly. “I think that last kiss should be a special one, don’t you?”
“I agree.”
“Then come with me,” he asked, his eyes searching hers, and she nodded.
15
JUNE
As they walkedto the car, he immediately tugged her towards his car without a word – and she acquiesced without argument. Something was on Ian’s mind, and she couldn’t imagine what it was, but that same unsettling expression was there in his beautiful blue eyes as well… and it bothered her.
This wasn’t like him.
Parking on the street, she watched as he put money in the meter and opened her door within moments. That was weird. He had the coins ready to go, she thought… and saw he looked even more erratic.
“Ian, you can talk to me if something’s wrong…” she began, seeing him turn and give her a nervous smile as he clasped her hand in his.
“Wrong? No. I’m just crossing my ‘T’ and trying to dot a whole lotta ‘I’s…”
Giving a little tug, he started down the sidewalk downtown and walked past several little shops, a few that caught her attention, because of the adorable window displays, and one had flyers of houses for sale in the glass. What a clever idea, she mused, and felt Ian turn as he started climbing the steps to an old building.
“Where are we…”
“Shhhh… we’re sneaking in.”
“Ian! You can’t keep sneaking into all these…” she began, and grew silent as he slipped into a large wooden door, and her eyes landed on the vaulted ceiling. Soaring rafters, engraved wood, and beautiful beams crisscrossed the expanse of the… church, she realized.
“What are we doing in a church? And why aren’t you on fire?”
He started laughing nervously and put her hand on his arm, patting it.
“Oh look? An aisle?!... and we’re walking, we’re talking, we’re not going to kill Ian in a church right now, because you were warned ahead of time. Remember, I said we were going to do this right?”
“Do…this?”
He stopped in the middle of the aisle, smiling nervously at her, and hesitated. Just his nervousness was making her feel jittery. This wasn’t him. He was normally confident, outgoing, and…
Her eyes widened as she looked at him in wonder.
“Now, before you say ‘No’ or get mad at me? Hear me out,” he stammered. “I promised I’d walk you down the aisle, and it dawned on me that I’m going back to a warzone. I’ve had shrapnel dug out of my hide and dodged a bullet or two – literally. I want to make you happy, to see you smile, and to know that you are safe or taken care of before I leave… and I want you to have my name.”
“Ian…”
“If something happens to me, you’ll automatically get everything,” he said softly, his arm trembling as they stood there beside each other in the middle of the empty church. “The house, my money, a payment from Uncle Sam, and…”
“Can you quit talking about death for a moment, so I don’t run out of here screaming,” she said angrily. “I buried one husband, and I’m not about to entertain the idea of marrying someone who’s so negative or poking at my biggest trigger button. You are not going to die – do you hear me? You are going to go, do your duty, and then come home…”
“Home,” he smiled at her tearfully as he swallowed.
“Home to me,” she whispered, seeing the yearning in his gaze.
“I don’t mean to be negative,” he replied quietly. “It’s just bad sometimes and…”
