“I still can’t believe you’re here in my arms. I thought…” She sobbed.
“I know, baby. But I made you a promise, and a soldier never breaks his promise.”
Sniffling, she looked up at him, and said, “Yes, yes you did keep it, didn’t you?”
Mason looked into her beautiful brown eyes and saw himself within them. In that moment, he saw everything that he wanted and more. His buttercup was what brought him home. His love for her had given him the strength to continue on when he could have so easily given up.
“Marry me, Annabelle?” Mason asked softly. “Spend the rest of your life with me. Let me love you and Andrew, as a husband, a father, a friend. Marry me, and say you’ll be mine forever, and I promise you will never regret it.”
* * * *
Staring at the man who had opened her eyes to life, Annabelle saw that he was pleading with her. Never in her life had she seen a man so open, so unguarded. She knew if she looked closely, she would see his soul. He opened himself to her, letting her see all of him. Mason Harold Armstrong wasn’t perfect by any means. He was quiet, and at times moody. He preferred his space to sharing with others. Instead of family time, he liked fishing out at his pond, alone. However, she also knew that more than anything, he loved her and he adored her son.
Life was an adjustment. If anyone knew that, it was she, and bringing Mason into her life and the life of her son would take compromise and a lot of understanding on everyone’s part. However, her mother raised her to take challenges head-on and to never run away from anything because it got a little rough. If she wanted it, she would have to fight for it, and she did everyday with her son. Figuring if she could fight for her son, she could definitely fight for the man she loves, Annabelle simply replied, “And I promise I will love you forever. Yes, Mason. I’ll marry you.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rebecca Joyce is your typical housewife and mother. The daughter of a retired military service member, Rebecca tries to incorporate the sights, smells, and adventures of her travels, but mainly she writes of the buff, gorgeous men she drooled after in her teen years! There is just somethin’ about a man in uniform…WOW!
Growing up in the military, Rebecca Joyce, along with her family, moved from state to state, enjoying the never-ending game of “where are we moving to next?”…which happened every two to three years! After high school, Rebecca met and married her own military service member and now devotes her time to her husband and children.
Her “spawns,” as she lovingly calls them, demand and expect a lot of her attention. When she is not catering to the whims of her family, Rebecca spends her quiet time reading or writing.
As an avid reader from an early age, Rebecca decided to try her hand at writing while her husband was away on a deployment to pass the time. Since then, she finds time in her hectic day to scribble her hopes, wishes, and dreams.
Though her real life sometimes interferes with her imaginative life, Rebecca tries to balance each with wit, sarcasm, and humor…“Screwing up takes practice…I think I’m well rehearsed!”
Rebecca Joyce currently lives in the United States with her husband of nineteen years and their three children.
For all titles by Rebecca Joyce, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/rebecca-joyce
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
A Soldier's Promise [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 22
