“Today?”
She blinked, stunned. “Today?”
Another grin. “I ship out on Monday.”
“Oh.”
“And I don’t want to do it without making you mine. I know that I’m asking you to give up a wedding and cake and guests and gifts and—”
She threw her arms around his neck, then pressed her lips in her favorite spot beneath his ear and breathed him in. “Do you think any of that matters to me, you fool? I get you. I win.”
He chuckled against her. “You might not think I’m such a prize after we’re married. I hear that happens.”
Winnie drew back and looked at him through her tears. Those bright sea eyes were alight with happiness and triumph. The idea that he loved her, that he wanted her forever spilled into every cell in her body, making her rejoice with utter contentment.
“I win,” she repeated. “And you have always been and will always be my prize.”
His gaze softened and he bent forward and kissed her. “You’re too good for me.”
“I know,” she teased. “But why let a little thing like that keep us apart?”
Adam grinned. “Why, indeed.”
Epilogue
Two months later…
BECAUSE HE KNEW BETTER than to expect that his wife would be home, Adam went immediately to the bakery and dropped his duffel bag onto the floor.
Jeanette squealed with delight and Lizzie whooped for joy. “You’re back early! Winnie didn’t say—”
“She doesn’t know.” This was supposed to be a surprise. He glanced around, peered into the kitchen and frowned when he didn’t see her. “Where is she?”
Jeanette and Lizzie shared a look.
“What?” he asked, growing alarmed.
“She’s in the bathroom,” Lizzie said, but there was something in her tone that gave Adam pause.
He frowned. “Is she sick?”
Their lips quivered. “Nothing she won’t get over in a couple of months.”
Still worried and puzzled over their enigmatic behavior, Adam strolled into the hall and waited patiently for Winnie to come out of the bathroom. He heard an ominous noise, one he recognized and worry descended on him. She was sick? Throwing up? A moment later, the toilet flushed, then the faucet ran and he detected the unmistakable sound of her brushing her teeth.
After what felt like an eternity, his wife—his wife, he thought, amazed at how proud that made him feel—opened the door and stepped into the narrow hall. She gasped and squealed when she saw him, then launched herself into his arms.
“Adam! What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t getting in until tomorrow. I was going to come and get you,” she chided softly.
“I caught an earlier flight,” he told her, feeling the peace of finally being with her again wash through him, settle around him, anchor him home once more. He drew back. “Are you okay? It sounded like you were sick in there.”
She blinked, then a small secret smile slid over her lips. “I’m completely fine. In fact, I’ve never been better.”
He didn’t understand. He knew she’d just thrown up. He’d heard her.
“Actually, I need to amend that statement. We’ve never been better.”
Adam felt his heart skip a beat as he quickly put the odd behavior, her sudden malaise and the euphoric look on Winnie’s face together in his mind to form the most logical answer. “We?”
She nodded once, her face alight with joy. “Yes, our twins and I.”
Adam felt his eyes widen and joy bolted through him. “Twins? You’re sure?”
She smiled. “Turns out I wasn’t as protected as I thought I was. My birth control failed. I went to the doctor when I didn’t start and he did an ultrasound to confirm.”
“Twins,” Adam breathed. He shook his head. “You know, I didn’t think that I could be any happier than when I just saw you…but I am.”
Winnie smiled. “So where are we going next?” she asked. “New orders yet?”
Ah. His good news. And it was good news. While he would have never chosen this new opportunity in the past, he couldn’t imagine his life taking a different direction now. He was still a soldier the same as he’d always been, but he had a different purpose now, one that he was even more passionate about. Granted there were many things about his new life he didn’t fully understand—and he still had a few kinks in his head—but he could help people. He’d lived their nightmare and could relate. In short, he could help.
“Nowhere,” he told her, smiling. “How would you feel if I told you I’d been offered that mobile position I’d told you about?”
She gasped. “The mentoring opportunity? You’d be able to commute?”
He nodded. “The longest I would ever be away is two weeks at a stretch.”
Her eyes lit up and a slow smile dawned over her unbelievably beautiful mouth. She snorted. “Two weeks is a walk in the park compared to the last two months. I’ve missed you.”
He hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you, too.”
Winnie drew back. “Are you sure about this, Adam? We’ll do whatever makes you happy, because I’m happy where you are.”
He knew that and he appreciated it. But he was certain. He’d proved to himself that he hadn’t lost anything, absolutely nothing at all. In fact, he’d gained everything his heart ever desired.
“I’m sure,” he said. He nuzzled her neck. “You know what I’ve been craving?”
“A cupcake?”
“Hmm. That, too, but it can wait. I’ve actually been having the oddest craving for…powdered sugar. Think you can hook me up?”
Winnie leaped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her sexy mouth found his and her arms tightened possessively around his neck, making him feel more complete than he ever had in his life. Desire burned through his blood, pooled in his groin and caught fire. “I’ve got your fix,” she breathed against his lips.
And she did.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3547-6
THE SOLDIER
Copyright © 2009 by Rhonda Nelson.
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The Soldier Page 14
