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Ian felt a hand pat him on the shoulder, looking up to see Morrison’s understanding gaze.
“I’m happy for you, brother,” the man said simply, a smile on his face.
“I love her so much,” Ian croaked quietly, not caring if the other guys made fun of him or not.
He was the lucky one that had his wife mail him satin panties – and well, they could all just go suck a rotten egg. He wouldn’t change any of the last few minutes for the world, but it was scary at how intense he felt for his girl.
“I feel like I’ve been clobbered with a ton of bricks… in the best way possible.”
“That’s pretty accurate,” Morrison laughed openly, taking a seat on his bunk as his dog, Trigger, jumped in his lap like some fifty-pound baby. The dog rolled her head against the soldier’s chest as if to say ‘Pet me’… and his buddy did.
Ian looked at the duo – and then back at his hand clutching the precious gift from his wife, knowing he was going to sleep with that scrap of underwear hidden beneath his pillow every night from here on out. His world, his dreams and wishes, and even his future, were coming sharply into focus with a stunning clarity, like a hunter focusing on a target.
He would do anything to make his wife smile at him, to make her love him, and to make sure she never regretted a moment at his side. If he wasn’t head-over-heels in love with her already?
This sweet, unexpected glimpse of his bride was earthshattering and encompassing. Oh, he’d certainly hit the jackpot marrying her… and wasn’t about to let another minute slip past him.
He was going home.
18
SELKIRK
Ian kepthis head down the last few weeks and focused on trying to make sure that June felt special. He looked forward to calling his girl, sharing a few laughs with her, and falling even deeper in love with his amazing being that he’d crossed paths with. He slept with her gift under his pillow every single night, and stuffed it under the straps of his helmet, beneath the protective shield, just so he felt she was close.
The guys knew it too.
They gave him a few envious glances. Peña seemed to be getting more and more annoyed… and even Keyes, the man that thrived on rules and regulations, seemed to be lost. Pendergast was getting more and more vocal about wanting a pen pal, annoying Captain Logan to no end. Mitchell was almost congenial since his last visit back home. It was the weirdest thing, how they were all settling into their settings… or at least the ones that had embraced what it was to have a new pen pal.
Mitchell had married, and so had Morrison. In fact, Ian was talking in hushed tones with Morrison, away from the others.
“I’m gonna go talk to Logan,” Ian whispered. “I’m trying to figure out how to broach the subject, because I heard through the grapevine that he gets really angry – loses his cookies. I’ve had the man yell at me before, so I’d rather not run laps in the heat or have to clean the floors.”
“Logan isn’t so bad,” Morrison began, and hesitated. “But I’ve got to talk to him too.”
“Both of us?”
“Yeah. It’s not going to go so well if both of us fail to renew our enlistments.”
“Whoever goes second will get totally reamed by Captain Crotchety…” Ian muttered, and winced as several of the others in the barracks started laughing. Talbot was chuckling openly after having just run laps yesterday, and Mitchell sat there quietly, smirking.
“You know,” Mitchell began. “Everyone is entitled to have a bad day – and there’s a lot riding on that man’s shoulders.”
“Agreed,” Keyes chimed in quietly. “I think if I was responsible for almost two hundred soldiers, having to answer to others, writing eulogy letters to families when we kick it, trying to keep up morale, and dealing with a bunch of rejects like us…? Yeah, I think Logan’s entitled to have a bad day.”
“Quiet, ya’ big suck-up. Do you need Chapstick for all the butt-kissing you do?”
“Don’t be a hater. Keyes is a good guy – and he’s right…”
“Logan is responsible for almost two hundred men – yes,” Mitchell began, and looked at Keyes. “Someday I am going to be taking that man’s place, and hope I am half the leader he is. You grow, you learn, and you adapt, by learning how to handle a smaller group first… such as this one.”
No one said a word – including Keyes. He just sat there and swallowed stoically.
Ian turned back to Morrison.
“I think we should both go at once and talk to Logan at once.”
“I agree. Don’t give him time to get worked up. Drop the bomb and run.”
