Chapter Ten

Time flew by. Silas and I spent most of our time in bed, while Kayla handled the store. I cried a lot, feeling the pain of him leaving even before it happened, but I knew we had two weeks before we had to say goodbye, and I planned to make the best of every second.

“What if we don’t survive the distance?” I asked, snuggled under his arm with my head on his chest.

His hand moved to my face, brushing the long, auburn locks away from my brow. “What if we do?” he asked.

I smiled. I loved that he was so positive.

“There’s no one else in the world I would want more to be waiting for me when I get home,” he said softly.

I sighed, letting the warm air of my breath tickle the hairs on his chest. He squirmed, I giggled, and he quickly pounced onto me, pinning me to the mattress.

“Let’s get a shower, and go have lunch,” he said cheerfully.

I stretched upward, pushing my lips into his. I could taste the mixture of our juices on his tongue from our love making.

He jumped up, pulling away from my kiss. His body was so delicious. I hated to get out of bed. “Do we have to?” I pouted.

“Woman, you’re gonna kill me,” he laughed.

He extended his hand to me and pulled me from the bed as I took it. He gripped my ass cheeks tightly, guiding me into the bathroom as he kissed on the back of my neck.

The shower washed away my tears so he couldn’t see them as he gently washed me with my pink loofah. I was going to miss him so badly. It tore my heart out just thinking about our time being up soon.

“How will we see each other when you get back?” I asked.

“This is home. I’ll work, and then I’ll come home,” he said, making it sound so simple.

It wasn’t like a nine-to-five job. He would be at work for months at a time, and only home for a few days in between. “We’ll figure it out,” he whispered softly.

My hands roamed through the mounds of muscles on his body, exploring every inch. I wanted to memorize his form, suck in his scent so it would last a lifetime, and stare into his eyes so intensely that I could imprint my love onto his soul.

He slapped my ass as I stepped out of the shower, causing me to jump. “No fussing to get ready; you’re beautiful just the way you are,” he insisted.

I stood, cocking my hip to the side and placing my hand on my waist. “So, I should go like this?” I teased.

He stepped out of the shower, gripped my hips, and pulled me in close. “Yes,” he growled.

“I think I may have a problem getting served,” I laughed.

“Oh, baby. There’s no one in their right mind that wouldn’t serve you,” he said.

His phone rang in the bedroom, echoing through the loft like a warning siren of impending doom. My heart sank, knowing he hadn’t received any contact since he’d been there, with the exception of Brenda’s text.

He looked distressed as he rushed from the bathroom and toward the sound. I wrapped a towel around me and entered the room carefully, hoping to hear who the mystery caller was on the other end of his phone.

“Yes, sir. I’ll be there. No. Not a problem at all, sir. Thank you, sir,” he said in a very military-style tone.

“Who was that?” I asked, already knowing it was work related.

His face was pale, his eyes filled with sadness and worry, and with every second I looked at him, my heart broke.

“The mission’s been pushed up. I leave for Turkey Tuesday morning. I have to leave today to get back and prepped.”

My knees weakened beneath me, and I felt as though I’d faint right there. I managed to keep my legs sturdy, and my mind focused as I took in his words.

He quickly moved toward me, wrapping me in his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s not your fault. It’s a noble sacrifice,” I sulked. “I just don’t know if I can handle this,” I added.

“You can,” he assured me.

“You’ll always be leaving,” I gasped.

“But I’ll always be coming home,” he replied.

His hand stroked the hair from my face and wiped the single tear that escaped my eye.

“We can do this,” he said.

I looked up into his eyes. I knew we could. There was no one on this earth that I’d rather be waiting for. He was worth it. We were worth it.

“Okay. Let’s get you packed,” I said, trying my best to be diplomatic.

He winked at me, and then leaned in and kissed me softly on the cheek before grabbing his phone to make the flight arrangements.

The only flight available leaving Minnesota and landing in Wichita Falls, Texas that day was for four o’clock, giving us barely time to get packed and to the airport. Maybe it was best that we didn’t have time to say a long goodbye.

Silas packed his clothes while I gathered anything that belonged to him around the loft. I bagged up the body wash, the lip balm, and the shampoo that he’d helped me to create for my men’s line, and shoved it in his suitcase.

Silas pushed my back into the side of the car for a long passionate kiss in the airport drop-off lane. People stared at us as we embraced each other so tightly that it hurt. Some were envious, while others looked disgusted by our public display of affection. I didn’t care.

“I’ll be home soon,” Silas said, grabbing his bags and rushing into the airport.

“I’ll be waiting,” I promised.

I watched him disappear into the crowd and then got back in my car. I stopped in the parking lot before leaving, watching the planes take off. I know I sat there over an hour, watching each one, wondering if it was his.

There hadn’t been time for goodbyes, so he’d made me promise to apologize to Kayla and my mom. I knew as soon as I saw them, I would fall apart. They would have to be my support system now, keeping me strong until Silas came home.