by Dahlia Rose
The next day she ran across the street in the early morning and unlocked the door to his house. The silence was deafening and the emptiness was as palpable as the space in her heart. She walked upstairs slowly to the master bedroom and looked at some of the chaos he left. It included one of his uniform shirts that was thrown on the bed. She was so tempted to lay down on the soft down comforter and hold on to his shirt as if it was a lifeline. Instead she used the big suitcase she used to bring her clothes over to pack them up.
By the time she started moving things to back to her house, some of their neighbors were up and watched as she worked in silence. She was amazed that instead of coming over to gossip and find out why they broke up, the ones that did come by offered to help and carried a few boxes. They were all sad that he left again for another tour in the war. They also expressed their sadness at their ended relationship. The kindness almost drove her to tears again and Sapphire did her best to hold her composure while they begged her not to move away.
* * * *
Realization hit Eric like a punch in the gut. He was sitting next to Neil Stanton, a Gunny sergeant and his second in command, on military aircraft heading out from Lawton en route to Afghanistan. I’ve lost the one woman I have only ever truly loved. Mrs. Waverly’s words came back to him to haunt him as well and Eric knew he made a mistake. This was not where we was meant to be. He was meant to be in Paradise with Sapphire in his arms. He unbuckled the straps quickly and stood, grabbing his pack from the overhead. Luckily the flight had not even taken off yet if not they would have to turn around and take him back, he thought grimly.
“Where are you going, Sarge?” Neil asked. “We’re getting ready to head out.”
Eric shook his head. “You are. I’m not. I got a girl waiting for me I should’a never left.”
“Well then, get your ass gone and email me all about it.”Neil grinned. “I don’t know why you brought your ass back here. I thought you were crazy to take this on again.”
“I thought a lot of things, I thought you guys needed me and… Well, I was wrong,” Eric explained
“You taught us well, Master Sergeant.” Neil gave him a salute. “You go home and get that girl.”
Eric nodded and went up to the front of the plane to talk to the pilot. Within minutes, the back of the carrier was being lowered and he was going down it in a dead run before the metal back even hit the tarmac. This was purely optional and he knew he could refuse at anytime. Why it took him so long to see past the hurt of her ultimatum was beyond him. His war was over and it was time for his life to begin. His car was parked in base extended stay parking lot and he threw his duffel in the back and hauled ass out of Lawton. As he drove, he called Mrs. Waverly. She had given him her number the same day he had left.
The older lady answered on the first ring. “Boy, it’s too soon for you to be in the dessert.”
“I’m on my way back,” he replied. “Is Sapphie back in town? I’m coming back for her.”
Mrs. Waverly laughed out loud. “It’s about time your common sense kicked in. You’d better put the pedal to the metal, boy. She has been clearing her stuff out of your place since yesterday. A moving truck came this morning and picked up a bunch of stuff and she is loading the rest in her pick up now to head out to Tulsa.”
“Shit!”
“Don’t you cuss in my ear, Eric Dawson. I will slap the taste out of your mouth.”
“Sorry ma’am,” he apologized. “Is there any way you can stop her? I am on my way from Lawton now. I can make it there in two hours.”
She whistled. “Now you will be flying at that rate. I’ll do what I can, Eric. I can’t promise she will be here when you get in.”
“I’ll stop her on the damn highway if I have to. There is no way I’m letting her go,” Eric said grimly.
“Good to know. I’ll try to do my part,” she said and hung up.
Eric pressed his foot against the gas and sent the car flying down the highway. If they even tried to pull him over, they would have to chase him all the way into Paradise because there was no way he was stopping. In one hour and fifty seven minutes he hit the city limits of his hometown and when he threw the car around the corner he heard the tires squeal. On their street he saw her truck coming down the asphalt and he drove directly into her path and stopped. Her tires screeched as she came only inches from hitting his car. Their eyes met and hers widened in surprise.
She got out and yelled, “Are you crazy?”
Eric slammed the door of his car and strode over to where she stood. He plucked her from where she stood and lifted her into his arms before taking her lips in a fiery kiss.
“Yes, I’m crazy for you. I’m also stupid. Please forgive me and I will never leave you again,” he whispered. “You’re my world, Sapphie, my all, my everything.”
She framed his face in her hands and whispered wonderingly, “You came back for me.”
He gazed into her soft, chocolate brown eyes and smiled. “I was an idiot to leave.”
“I moved all my stuff to Tulsa already.”
“I’ll chase it down and get them to turn it around.”
“They gave me their cell phone number for the drive down. I can call them.”
“Will you marry me?”
“You betcha, hot stuff.”
Eric grinned and her smile was just as wide. He swung her around in his arms and happiness filled him once again. Their lips met in a sweet kiss while their neighbors who stood watching the exchange cheered and whistled. Eric could care less about the people around them because when Sapphire Payton was in his arms, he found his paradise in more ways than one.
The End
About the Author
Dahlia Rose is the best-selling author of contemporary and paranormal romance with a hint of Caribbean spice. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her five kids, who she affectionately nicknamed “The Children of the Corn,” and her biggest supporter and longtime love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, sci-fi, and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing are her biggest passions, and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.
Sugar and Spice Press
Where romance is everything nice.
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