“I thought Heather and Wynn would be married with a baby by now,” Lauren mused.
“Well, they did everything a little backwards.”
Lauren looked over at him, her brows creased. “You mean? They have a baby?”
“A boy. Just a few weeks old.”
“Oh my goodness.” Lauren’s eyes sparkled. “That’s such wonderful news.”
Rad moved his chair even closer. “So anyway, want to go to the wedding with me? It’s next week.”
“Do you think they’d mind?”
“Are you kidding me? They’d be ecstatic.”
“Then I’d love to.”
Rad was quiet for a moment. “Want to make it a double?”
Lauren looked at him questioningly, and then apparently understood he meant a double wedding. “No, I want my own.” She kind of smiled and stared into the distance. “I mean, if anyone would ask or anything.”
Rad got down on one knee beside her chair and held her hand. “Lauren Cantrell, will you marry me.”
Lauren frowned, but her eyes were warm and tender. “That’s not my name anymore. I had to change it and get a new identity.”
“Okay, whatever-your-name-is, will you marry me?”
That made Lauren put her head back and gurgle with amusement. “Seriously? You’re making the biggest commitment of your life to a girl whose name you don’t even know?”
“I don’t know the name.” He smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “But I know the girl.”
“Barely.” Lauren’s expression and her tone turned serious. “You may not know what you’re getting into.”
“I know what I’m getting into.” He leaned forward and looked deep into her eyes. “And I know whatever-her-name-is well enough to want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
When she still hesitated, he reached into his back pocket and pulled a well-worn piece of paper from his wallet. “Remember this?”
He watched her eyes grow wide as she read the words: When you pull a card and draw a heart, you and your beloved will never part.
She raised her gaze to meet his. “You kept that?”
“Of course. I kinda thought ‘ol Zoltar might know something we didn’t.”
“I guess he kind of did,” Lauren said as if to herself. “It’s like it was all meant to be.”
“Is that a yes?”
She wrapped her hands around his neck, and he pulled her to her feet. “That’s a yes,” she murmured. “That’s an absolute yes.”
When Rad at last released her, Lauren stood staring toward the ocean with a pained expression on her face, blinking repeatedly. Rad lifted a finger to her cheek and wiped away a tear. “Thinking about your parents?”
Lauren nodded, her chin trembling. “They’d be very happy.”
“They’d be very proud, too.”
At that moment the sun broke the fog and clouds, sending a shaft of dazzling light over the water. They both gazed at the spectacle in amazement and then at each other. No words were necessary to express the sparkling light in Lauren’s eyes.
Rad took her hand in his as the sun dipped back behind a cloud. “I think I’m the happiest man in the world right now.”
Lauren nodded and sighed as if she were now completely at peace with her past and could accept and embrace her future. “And I’m the happiest woman.” She turned to face him. “…Unless you’re going to be deployed soon.”
Rad took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Funny thing about that,” he said, his voice grave. “I only have one more day.”
She looked up at him, her eyes full of alarm. “One day?”
He smiled. “I mean one day to make a decision. I’ve been thinking about calling it quits on active duty. They want me to instruct.”
Lauren leaned into him, resting her cheek on his chest. “You think you’ll be happy? That’s a big change.”
“Before, I wasn’t sure. Now, I’m thinking I will be.” Rad paused a moment, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the sand and feeling her heart beat against his. He’d always told himself he was going to find her, but now, even with her in his arms, he couldn’t believe it.
“What about you?” He finally relinquished his tight hold and held her at arm’s length. “You’re back in the States to stay?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” Lauren’s gaze drifted to somewhere over his shoulder. “I’m still getting used to this new pace.” She glanced down at the walker beside the chair with an expression so agonizing Rad pulled her into him again. He could only imagine the pain that still coursed through her body. For the most part she showed no outward sign of it.
“You have me to lean on now.” He tightened his grasp even more as he thought about how hard it had been for both him and Wynn to recover, even when surrounded by family and friends. What she must have gone through, alone, was unfathomable. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you sooner.”
“I knew you’d come,” she said, obviously making an effort to sound upbeat. “The worst is behind me.”
She pulled away then, seeming not to want to think any more about the past. “When do we leave?”
Rad laughed. “We make a great team. I don’t know you’re name, and you don’t know where we’re going.”
“I know it’s in Virginia somewhere.”
“Pretty much due south. Virginia Beach.”
Lauren looked up at him. “Near the beach? The water?”
“Not too far away. It’s small though. Made for a bachelor. Don’t get your hopes up.”
“But you’ll be there every night, right?”
“Yeah. If I don’t re-enlist.”
“Then I love it already.” She leaned over and patted Tara on the head. “Think she’ll accept another woman in your life?”
“Appears she already has.” Rad stared at his dog sitting dutifully on her left instead of his. “Looks like it was love at first sight.”
“Funny how that works.” Lauren wrapped her arms around his neck again, and they were both silent, enjoying the closeness of the moment.
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Lauren finally murmured. She wrapped her arms around Rad even tighter. “I’m afraid I’ll wake up and you won’t be here.”
“I’m not going anywhere, baby. Except home. With you.”
Lauren nodded against his chest. “Somehow it feels like we’re already there.”
The End
About The Author
Jessica James is an award-winning author of multiple fiction and non-fiction works ranging from the Revolutionary War era to modern day. She is the only two-time winner of the coveted John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction, and was featured in “50 Authors You Should Be Reading,” published in 2010. Her books have been used in schools to teach visualization techniques and can be found in more than one hundred libraries, including at Harvard and the U.S. Naval Academy.
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Other Books by Jessica James
DEADLINE: NEW RELEASE!
“An engaging read. Hard to put down.” – Billy Allmon, Retired Navy SEAL
A homicide detective and a reporter work together to solve a string of highly suspicious murders. Will the answers they find and the dangers they encounter draw them together? Or tear them apart?
(Order DEADLINE from April 9 through 19, 2016, and receive a free book of your choice from the author).
FINE LINE: Coming July 30, 2016
A retired U.S. Navy SEAL with a new private security company must save his wife from the hands of a violent rival from his past in this edge-of-your seat suspense novel.
Above and Beyond
Noble Cause
(An alternative ending to Shades of Gray)
Shades of Gray
The Gray Ghost of Civil War Virginia
Liberty and Destiny
From the Heart: Love Stories and Letters from the Civil War
Books and Awards
Jessica James
MEANT TO BE (2015)
Foreword Magazine Finalist for BOOK OF THE YEAR
NJ Romance Writers Golden Leaf Award
Liberty and Destiny (2014)
Valley Forge Romance Writers Sheila Award Finalist
Above and Beyond (2013)
2014 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction
2014 Reader’s Crown Award Finalist
2014 Next Generation Indie Award Finalist in Fiction/Religious
2013 USA “Best Books 2013” Finalist in Fiction/Religious
Noble Cause Awards (2011)
2012 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year (Bronze) in Romance
2011 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern Fiction
2011 USA “Best Books 2011” Finalist in Historical Fiction
2011 Next Generation Indie Award for Best Regional Fiction
2011 Next Generation Indie Finalist in Romance
2011 Next Generation Indie Finalist in Historical Fiction
2011 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award
Shades of Gray Awards (2008)
2010 Stars and Flags Book Award in Historical Fiction
2009 HOLT Medallion Finalist for Best Southern Theme
2009 Nominated for the Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction
2008 Indie Next Generation Award for Best Regional Fiction
2008 Indie Next Generation Finalist for Best Historical Fiction
2008 IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction
2008 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist in Romance
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