My breath came quicker as I tried to process my brother’s words. “He told you he loved me?”
Hunter nodded.
“And you never told me?”
My brother swallowed hard. “He asked me not to, and I agreed. Willa, you wouldn’t have been happy being a military wife, sitting there for months on end, wondering and worrying if he’d be coming back home. Think of how you felt seeing those gunshot wounds; now imagine seeing them when they happened.”
A feeling of nausea built up inside of me, and I had to place my hand over my stomach to keep it down. “Oh my gosh. I understand the reasoning, I do, Hunter. But at the same time, I wish he told me he loved me back then.”
“Your dream was the orchard. Aiden knew that. He had his dreams, and he wasn’t going to ask you to give up yours.”
“I would have waited for him!” I said as I jerked my hand away from my brother’s. “I would never have married Brian. I would have waited!”
“For how long, Willa? How long would you have put your life on hold while Aiden served? You do know that if he hadn’t gotten shot, he’d still be there, right? He’d still be in the Navy right now as we speak.”
I turned away and wrapped my arms tightly around my body as I stared up at the trees. They swayed back and forth in the wind, a low rustling sound that instantly calmed me. Every now and then a stray leaf would make its descent to the ground below as I watched.
“I would have waited,” I said softly as I wiped a tear away.
Hunter walked up and wrapped his arms around me. “He didn’t want you to wait. He wanted you to have a life, Willa.”
I shook my head as my chin trembled. “It’s not fair.” Turning, I faced my brother. “It’s not fair that he didn’t give me that option. What if things had worked out with me and Brian? Aiden would have come back home…and what?”
Hunter shrugged. “Found someone to marry? Settled down? I don’t know.”
I slumped my shoulders and dropped my head back as I let out a disbelieving grunt. “Men. I don’t think I’ll ever understand any of you.”
“Same goes for women,” Hunter replied.
I gave him a lighthearted push, and he reached for my hand, motioning for me to sit back down.
“Listen, if Aiden is suffering from PTSD, we have to help him.”
Nodding, I wiped away another errant tear. “I agree. But he isn’t going to open up and talk about it, so how do we help him?”
“Let me talk to Mitch, see what I can find out from him. If anyone can relate to Aiden, it’s Mitch. And I know he’s talked to someone about his PTSD before.”
“I have an idea. Do you think you could have a poker night or something? Invite Aiden and Mitch? From what I read on the Internet today, SEALs stick together. It’s like a brotherhood, like you and the guys you serve with on the police force. They have this connection with one another.”
Hunter smiled. “Of course. Poker night is on Wednesday, and I already invited Aiden.”
“Good. Good,” I said. “I’m going to do a bit more research into this. You wouldn’t happen to know if Aiden had any head injuries, would you?”
Hunter’s body went still. “Are you thinking TBI?”
I shrugged. “It seems like a common thing in SEALs, but I’m only scratching the surface of all of this. I’m not going to stop until I help him, Hunter. I…I love him.”
My brother nodded. “He was a door-kicker, not a pipe-hitter, so that’s one good thing.”
“Okay, that means nothing to me, Hunter.”
For a moment, my brother seemed lost in thought. “He didn’t rig the bombs and such. I’m positive over the years he’s come into contact with IEDs, but I’m not sure how often, if ever, he would have had any brain trauma.”
I brought my hand to my chest to rub away the sudden tightness there. “Well, let’s hope never.”
Hunter stood. “I need to get back. Listen, after training, Jack and I’ll stop by and help with the harvest.”
Reaching up onto my toes, I kissed my brother on the cheek. “Thank you, Hunter. For everything.”
He smiled and tapped my nose with his fingertip. “He’s like a brother to me, Willa. Always has been, always will be. But if he hurts you…”
I pressed my finger to his lips and shook my head. “He won’t.”
When I dropped my hand away, Hunter put Jack’s leash on him. “I wish I had your confidence, baby sis. I don’t think you honestly know what you’re getting into.”
With my chin held high, I looked my brother directly in the eyes. “I do know, and I’m doing it because I love him. I’ve always loved him, Hunter.”