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“Okay,” I whisper, the first of the tears spilling onto my cheeks.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” I say with a laugh.
I wipe the stray tears away as he shifts closer to me on the couch.
“I wanted you to ask me to stay. I don’t want a new client. I can’t leave you. Not without breaking my heart.”
“It would break mine too,” he tells me.
His hand wraps around mine and I lean forward until our knees touch.
“I love you,” he says quietly and my heart feels like it’s going to burst with happiness.
“I love you too,” I tell him shyly.
“Are you really staying?” he asks me and I grin at him.
“Yeah, I’m really staying. I’ll have to find a new job here, but at least I already have the housing situation figured out,” I joke.
“I can help with that. We can look over the help wanted ads and stuff tomorrow,” he promises.
“What should we do in the meantime?” I ask, my voice turning suggestive.
“I’ve got a few ideas.”
I giggle as he leads me down the hallway and into his bedroom.
And then he shows me just how much he loves me for the rest of the night.
THIRTEEN
Heath
Five Years Later…
I smileat my wife as she passes me the bowl of mashed potatoes to add to the spread already on the table.
“Is that everything?” she asks, her hands moving to rest on her pregnant belly.
“I think so.”
We’re having Patrick, Brennan, Cate, Elijah, Hartley, and their new baby over for dinner tonight. It’s become a bi-weekly tradition and this time it’s our week.
“He’s kicking,” Corrine says and she smiles as she guides my hand to her stomach, and together, we feel as our son kicks at our hands.
“He’s active today,” I say with a proud smile.
Corrine and I got married three years ago right here in Honey Peak. It was a small ceremony with just our family and friends, but it was perfect.
We waited to start our family. Corrine decided to go to college and I was more than happy to support her while she pursued her degree. She graduated last year with a degree in early childhood education.
She’s taught at the local preschool this year and she’s planning on going back next year and taking our son with her. We’re lucky that she’s able to bring him along for free when she’s working.
I started working at the gym in town about four years ago. There were a lot of young kids who were eager to learn what it took to be a Navy SEAL and I started teaching a few classes and some one-on-one sessions there. It doesn’t pay a ton, but it covers our bills and lets me arrange my schedule so that I can spend time with Corrine and still make it to my therapy appointments.
I’m still seeing Dr. Armstrong, though only once every other month now. He’s helped me work through so much. From my brother’s death to my time in the military, to the accident that brought me to Honey Peak. I owe a lot to him.
