On the Edge: The Edge - Book 2
Page 14
“Sun’s almost down.”
He was correct. The sky was turning deep orange at the horizon.
“I don’t want a fight.”
He looked me in the eye. I was afraid he’d want to get scrappy all over again. Leave a trail of evidence behind to prove his ownership of me. I feared we’d gotten nowhere, and I’d just succumbed to my desires out of weakness.
“Let’s put everything in its place then,” he said, getting up.
He held his hand out to me, and I took it. We got dressed as if my parents were pulling into the driveway. I was leaning on the chair again when he tucked in his shirt.
“Thank you, Greyson.”
“My pleasure.”
As the sun disappeared, he picked up the envelope and blew into it, changing with a breath.
Every day, it was amazing how fast it happened, how subtly, and how definitively. He stood still with the envelope in one hand as he steadied himself with the other.
“Welcome back,” I said, turning on the lamp.
“Hi. How are you?”
“Fine.” I walked to the standing lamp and turned on that one too. “Busy.”
“What did we decide?” He opened the letter. “About Hawaii?”
Had we been talking about the vacation? Maybe. I distinctly remembered putting him off, but the Damon side had his own way of being tenacious. He had a pit bull’s tenacity and a dachshund’s bite.
“How about Christmas break?”
He read the letter and tossed it in a pile. “Sounds good.”
I snapped my head around so hard I thought I’d break. He was out the door with his back to me. He stood straight and tall, with an arrogant hauteur a man can acquire when he’s beautiful and brilliant.
“What did you say?” I asked.
He went upstairs with a deliberate, precise footfall on each step.
I didn’t chase him. Instead, I picked up the letter. My eyes blurred, and my hand shook as if my body wanted to defend me against what was on that paper.
—United States Army—
—report for duty—
—immediate deployment—
—rank of O-4 pay grade MAJOR—
“I knew it,” I hissed, dropping to my knees. “You fuckers.” My voice got louder. “I knew you’d do this.”
I yelled upward, to the blue-eyed sky, “Caden!” extending the E in a long scream. I called him again, letting the vowels run to every corner and crowd there, until he came to me.
Not sweet, misguided, impulsive Damon who would get crushed in the military.
Caden came. The surgeon looked down at me with his emotions signed, sealed, and sent away.
I called as if he was still far away. “Caden!”
The last sound ended in a sob, and still, he stood over me.
“Why are you shouting?”
“They can’t.”
“Oh, but they can. And they have.”
I leaned on his legs, letting my tears fall on his trousers. “We have to fight it,” I sobbed.
Finally, he got down on his knees with me. “Greyson.” He took my hands, and we looked together at where we touched, at the glimmering gem his love had broken away and purchased. “I can handle it.”
“No. No, you can’t. It broke you. They broke you, and they’re going to keep breaking you.”
“I have to pack, Grey. I leave tomorrow.”
“And if we tell them. If we explain. If we tell them about Damon.”
“He’s gone.”
“They don’t want you like this. Do you understand?”
“I do understand, Major.” He caressed my cheek. “They want me exactly like this.”
His eyes were distant and cool, yet there was compassion in them. The sky was the same color no matter who cried under it.
“I can’t…” I was barely coherent through my blubbering. I couldn’t lose him. Not again. Not ever. “I can’t do this. I can’t do it.”
“Hush.”
“I won’t. I. Won’t.”
He shook his head and looked me in the eye with unimpeachable steadiness, taking my face in his hands to share his balance. “It’s time to stop crying.”
“No,” I whispered, laying my hands over his.
“Wipe your tears.” He spoke with kindness. “It’s time to grow up.”
“I won’t let this happen to you.”
“I love you, Greyson. I love you more than I love anything—but this isn’t about what you want.”
My husband walked out and back up the stairs with deliberate, almost-surgical precision.
TO BE CONTINUED in BROKEN EDGE
Make sure you read the FREE prequel before book 3!
—— CUTTING EDGE ——
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The Edge Series is four books.
Rough Edge | On The Edge | Broken Edge | Over the Edge
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