I’m fucking lucky that it’s only going to be a few months; at least, I hope it’s only a few months. Truth be told, I could be out there for six months or longer, it’s all details that I’ll find out when I get debriefed. But hell, sometimes shit happens and quite often, it never goes to plan.
I stayed up all fucking night, watching as Tully slept in my arms. She was trying to be strong, she was trying to show me that she’s going to be alright, but I saw her breaking inside. It’s like the past coming back to haunt her, only this time, I have every intention of coming back to my girl.
Nothing will stand in my way when it comes to getting back here and picking up where we left off. I mean, fuck. It was only twelve hours ago that I was looking at house listings and picturing Tully and I truly starting our lives together and now we have this set back to deal with.
We’re going to be ok. We have to be ok.
I don’t know if I could handle coming home again to find my girl with another man, but I know she’ll wait. I feel it in my gut and from the way she’s allowed herself to open up to me over the past few weeks, she knows this is the real deal. She knows I’m coming home to her and she knows that not a damn thing will stop me.
I don’t care what happens to me over there or what kind of mission they’re sending me on, as long as I know that I have Tully’s heart, I’m going to be just fine. The military can’t put me through anything worse than what I’ve already suffered at my father’s hands. I’m going to be ok.
I’ve trained for this and I’ve been on many missions over the past few years, each one drastically different from the last. I’m ready to face down anything, especially with the wallet-sized photo I have on my girl that will remain in my chest pocket day in and day out until I’m standing before her again.
I look down at Tully as we stand at my boarding gate, surrounded by friends and family, yet all I see is her.
I hear my flight being called and watch as all the people around me begin to get up and start making their way over to get their boarding passes checked, but there’s still time. There has to be. I don’t care if I’m the very last person to get on that plane. I’m not wasting a single second.
I draw Tully into my arms and she nuzzles her face into my chest, willing herself not to cry, but I see the pain etched on her face. It’s been there since the second I received that phone call.
Henley steps into my side, wrapping her arms around both me and Tully. “Be safe, big brother. I only just got you back. I’m going to be pissed if I don’t see you again for ages.”
“Oh, I’ll be back,” I tell her with a wide grin, tightening my hold on Tully. “I can’t possibly leave you guys to look after my girl. Last time you threw her into the arms of another man. I can’t let that happen again.”
Henley rolls her eyes. “Blame us all you want, jackass, but you know just as well as we do that all that Spencer bullshit is on you. Do I need to remind you that you’re the dickhead who never came back in the first place?”
Gina shakes her head. “All these years I was devastated that you two never got the chance to develop a close sibling relationship. You know, the one where you can’t possibly go two minutes without getting on the other’s nerves? But it seems I had nothing to worry about.”
“I can’t help it,” Henley grins. “Someone has to help deflate his ego every now and then, otherwise he’ll be strutting around here thinking he’s king shit when we all know that role has already been claimed by Noah.”
“Hey. How did I get dragged into this?” Noah grunts, pulling Henley out of his way to step into my side. Noah wraps an arm around my back and claps me between my shoulder blades. “Don’t be a fucking hero, alright? Henley’s right. We’re going to be fucking pissed if you don’t come home.”
Tully scoffs into my chest. “He’s coming home even if it means that I have to go over there and drag his ass back.”
“Damn straight, babe,” I laugh, running my hand down the back of her hair before looking to her brother. “You have my word. I’m coming home. I’ve already wasted so much time and I don’t intend on fucking things up like that again.” I pull against her. “This girl is my fucking world and the second I get back, I’m going to make all her dreams come true. Just keep an eye on her until I get back.”