Page 59 of My Forever Soldier

“Do you mean it, Luke?” she asked as she leaned back in his arms. “Do you promise you’ll be that man? Do you promise you’ll never, ever leave us like that again? That we’ll be a family this time?”

“I promise, honey,” he said into her ear. “I’ve never meant something so much in all my life.I love you.”

“It was never about you fighting for what you believed in, Luke. I would never ask you to stop being a soldier. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know, baby. I know.”

Charlie hurtled full steam into them, throwing his arms around their legs before Luke even had a chance to kiss her. He bent to grab him, pulling him up onto his hip.

“You said yes?” Charlie asked.

Ollie nodded and Luke squeezed him tightly.

“My second-chance soldier,” she said, her voice still choked with tears as she held them both.

“Believe me when I say we won’t need any more chances,” Luke said, kissing first his wife, then his son.

His family.

EPILOGUE

THE BAR WAS QUIET, filled with a few off-duty soldiers and a handful of civilians. Luke smiled as he ordered a round and then stepped back over to his table. They were so full of enthusiasm, so young, that he almost felt guilty. The feeling passed, but his affection for them didn’t.

The young men he trained had become his family, his de facto sons for the period of time he spent with them. His superiors would say he became far too attached to them, too fond of them for anyone’s good, but Luke disagreed. He’d heard the same thing said about police dog handlers, and he didn’t believe in staying detached, not for a moment.

These guys sitting before him, crowded into a booth, were ready to ship out at any moment, to defend their country at all costs. He didn’t know where they’d end up, but he wanted them to leave knowing what was important, and knowing how proud they should be of themselves.

Luke placed the beers on the table.

“You staying around tonight, sir?”

Luke laughed. He hated them calling him sir, but that was one army rule he wasn’t brave enough to flout.

“No, fellas, I’ve got someone waiting for me.”

“Ooh,” they all chorused, erupting into laughter.

Luke shook his head and let them laugh. He didn’t care if they wanted to make fun of him. He probably would have, too, at the same age.

“You know what, boys?”

They looked back at him, most of them grinning.

“Don’t forget about what’s important when you get posted. Call your parents, your girlfriends, your wives. Write letters. Don’t forget that those people are what pull you through the tough times.”

That seemed to get their attention. None of the boys here tonight had come from the kind of background he’d had, so they probably didn’t have the issues he’d been burdened with as a rookie soldier. But he bet they had days where they didn’t realize how much their families meant to them. And he wanted to change that.

“I learned the hard way, and I wish I’d had someone around to tell me that before I left. To tell me how precious those people are, and that no matter how scared you are about what you’re going through, you can’t block them out.”

He saw a few of them look up, their attention distracted. One of them whistled. Luke grinned, turning in his seat. He would bet the next round of drinks he knew who they were looking at.

Olivia stood in the doorway, half concealed by the darkness. Her long, dark hair hung around her shoulders; and her slender figure was encased in tight jeans and a simple cotton top. When she saw Luke she smiled and made her way over. He rose, winking at the boys.

He reached for his wife when she neared them, pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips. Ollie half heartedly tried to slap at him, before laughing and resting her forehead against his.

“Don’t forget what I said,” he called over his shoulder. “Never forget what you’re fighting for.”

They walked out to the sound of whoops behind them. Luke put his hand on Ollie’s bottom, but she pushed it off just as fast and swatted at him again.

“I love you, baby,” he said into her ear.

“I know,” she replied, smiling over at him. “I love you, too.”

Luke pulled open the door and followed her out. He was proud of being a soldier, and he was proud of being a dad, but what he loved most of all was being a husband.

Pity it had taken him so darn long to figure it out.

The End.