AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Whoa man… have I been missing out or what?” he’d uttered openly in amazement – causing the two of them to share a laugh before things turned serious between them.
No, these precious moments between them just cemented the bond that she already knew was there between them, brilliant and tangible.
June rolled over and met his tender gaze in the shadows, marveling as a soft smile touched his face. She was so grateful in that moment for the moonlight streaming into her bedroom through the skylight above, and this singular memory would be one etched in her heart for all time.
“Hey, Minx… did I wake you up?”
“No,” she smiled softly. “But Miss Helicopter-butt did…” as the two of them shared a soft laugh as he held open his arms, silently inviting her to cuddle with him. She slid over and put her head on his shoulder, so she could look at him.
“I love you,” he breathed tenderly, touching a finger from her forehead down to her temple. “You are truly a miracle to me… and I will be forever grateful for your heart.”
“I had no idea you were such a romantic charmer.”
“I warned you long ago in my first email…”
“So you did,” she smiled, as he kissed her brow. “Are you tired? Hungry? When did you get into town?”
“Yes, yes, and not soon enough?” he smiled playfully, chuckling softly once more. “You know, I think that is the one thing that I adore about you.”
“What’s that?”
“That somehow, someway, we just flow together,” he murmured, still touching her brow and tracing her cheekbone, like he couldn’t get enough of her. “I make jokes and you laugh, we talk about anything, and you are right there with me, and if I do something crazy… you humor me. I love that you accept me as I am, because we just fit together in more ways than one.”
She chuckled softly and saw his smile widen.
“See? Another coarse joke and you got it…”
“Because my beloved husband has a one-track mind now that he’s home…”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Ian said playfully, rolling over and pinning her. “Forget the food and sleep. I think I want to hold my miracle close again.”
She looked up at him, marveling at his engaging smile as his dog tags hung between them… only to see him hesitate. He propped himself up on one arm, and she couldn’t help but admire the way his bicep flexed as he pulled his dog tags over his head, dropping them on the nightstand close by noisily.
“No more?” she whispered curiously. “I was getting used to seeing them on you.”
“They’ve been a part of me since I was eighteen… but I’m ready to put them away. I’m thinking I would rather have a few little ones playing and hanging off my neck, my wife’s smiles every day for the rest of my life, while enjoying the daily grind of civilian life… if that’s okay with you?”
She blinked tearfully, staring up at him as she touched his beloved cheek.
“I love you so much, Mrs. Selkirk. Bear with me a second while I get poetic for a moment,” he joked softly, but there was something in his expression that kept her from commenting as she listened, fascinated. “Words seem to not be enough for what I feel in my chest when I look at you. There’s no life without the sunlight, the moon has existed for ages even though it’s been through a storm that left its scars… and yet they both still exist, forever, unchanging, simply beautiful in this ethereal way that is indescribable – and that is what is housed within me - for you,” he breathed emotionally in a whispered voice, his eyes holding hers.
“This feeling is timeless, endless, and I am so blessedly grateful to have this chance when I know I could have run you off so many times. You are my other half,” he whispered, emotionally. “You are everything soft, gentle, beautiful, and loving… I am humbled to be here at your side months ago, now, and always, my sweet wife.”
“Ian…” she breathed tenderly as he leaned down to kiss her, silencing the words that were not needed between them, as he wrapped his arms around her.
“I will love you always, Minx...” he uttered raggedly, kissing her again.
“Always, Ian.”
22
SELKIRK
Six months later…
Ian feltlike a brand-new cadet fresh out of boot camp, and knew he was grinning like an idiot as he was being assigned his partner for the next several months that he was on patrol as a police officer. Walking into the station, he recognized several faces that were getting ready to head out for the day… and they all circled around the chief.
This was the man that had hired him – the one that Captain Logan told he and Morrison to contact. Ian saw Morrison was walking over to join them in a rush.
