by Lexi Hart
I run my fingers down the scars on his back, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “Six months.”
A smile twitches at his lips. “How fast can your brother build us a house? We can’t live in this barn.”
The butterflies increase as I grip him tighter. “Us?”
He smiles. “We need to live somewhere after we get married.”
Married? Married to a Marine? What does that entail? And I only just got divorced and he’s thinking about marriage?
I must be taking too long because he swallows, jaw tight, face twisted in doubt and I see how much he’s been hiding but I’ve made the mistake of falling too fast before.
I inwardly wince at having to remind him of reality. “We’d live here, I’d write and you’d?”
He drops his gaze and in that single moment, I see all the things he’s sacrificed, all the pain he’s endured and the punishment he’s heaped on himself.
“You mean can I support you?”
I try to shrug. “I know that sounds awful. But after Kent...”
I don’t want to compare him to my ex, they’re as different as chalk and cheese, so I wince but he doesn’t seem upset, if anything he seems unperturbed. “No, it’s a fair question.”
He pauses, face creased with emotion, I start to worry he’s going to tell me something truly horrible.
But the next words out of his mouth are completely unexpected. “What do you know about Cryptocurrency?”
I blink. “Nothing. The entire concept is weird.”
He chuckles. “Delta talked me and another few guys into investing. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but...”
An unsure smile flickers at his lips. “I’m technically a millionaire. I don’t need to work.”
I stare at him, not sure what he’s saying. Millionaire? “Um, but that’s not real money?”
He shrugs. “You have to use a middle man to purchase things. But that’s the way global currency is headed.”
I’m still not sure I believe him, and he seems to know it, so he points to the lamp beside his bed. “I get it. You want tangible. I bought the lamp with it. I filled my truck with gas, got groceries. You just go online buy a gift card at the companies that accept Cryptocurrency, then use it pretty much anywhere gift cards are accepted.”
It’s so much information, given so freely, I start to laugh and wish I’d not been so dismissive of him. “Okay. I believe you.”
Holy shit, he’s really a millionaire!
He looks so relieved I kiss him, he responds, making me wonder if he’s ready for round two, but when he eases back, I can see new doubt flickering on his face.
“It’s unlikely I’d get called up. But if I had to go, you’d be by yourself for months at a time, maybe longer, can you handle that?”
At his words, I tense and wait for the familiar anxiety to grow, expecting it, so used to it, it’s the oddest sensation when my heartrate stays even and my breathing is regular.
I look into his eyes, see the pain he’s been hiding for so long, the grief, the loss and I have my answer. “I’ll be fine.”
And for the first time in my life, I really believe I can be fine on my own.
A tentative smile grows on his face. “I love you.”
Tears sting in my eyes as I whisper my reply. “I love you too.”
He smiles so wide I see the dimples I never noticed before. I run a finger over his cheek. “Jarhead?”
He grins even harder and a wicked look flashes over his face. “I’ll answer to Jarhead, Leatherneck, Devil Dog...”
Warmth settles in, smothering the uncertainty I’m making a mistake and I kiss him so hard, I’m not so sure we’re going to make it time for dinner with my brother.
If I have my way, we won’t make it for breakfast either.
Because regardless of whether we marry or whether he goes back to active duty or stays by my side, Luther is, and always will be, my hero.
THE END
