“This is my last day here,” I say as I rub small circles around his belly button. He took the day off, and we’ve spent most of it in bed together. I’m still sore from our sexcapade in the shower yesterday, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

He climbs out of bed, putting his boxers on. I see the red lines down his back from where I scratched him. “Where are you going?”

“It’s your last day here. Let’s go exploring.” He pulls a t-shirt over his head.

“Can we go to another castle?” I hustle out of bed all excited.

“Whatever you want, baby.”

I love when he calls me that. I pull on a pair of jeans and a black blouse. In no time at all, we’re racing down the road in his truck. We had time for two castles. We could have made a third, but we were both starving. He takes me to this stone restaurant built into the side of a hill. Vines cover the front. You would easily miss it if you didn’t know it was here.

“This is one of my favorite places. They have the best food.” He opens the door for me.

It’s quaint, decorated in pops of red. A lady comes from behind the bar and smiles at him. She obviously knows him. A tinge of jealousy hits me. She’s a little older than him and very striking with dark skin tones.

“It’s good to see you again, Decklan.” She kisses his cheek. “Come, I have the perfect table for the two of you.

He pulls out my chair for me, then takes the chair next to me.

“The answer is no,” he says.

“I didn’t ask you anything?” I say, confused.

“I could hear you thinking it.” He laughs. “I have not slept with her.”

“How did…”

“It was in your body language.”

A waitress comes by, and he orders our food without even asking me. “Trust me. You’ll love it.”

“Okay, mister mind reader, I do have something I want to talk about. Can you guess what it is?”

“You want to know what happens after tomorrow.”

My mouth gapes open.

He taps his temple with his finger. “I know all sorts of things.” He chuckles.

“So, what’s the answer?”

He leans back in his chair. “What do you see happening?”

“I want it all. I want the fairy tale.”

He rests on his elbows. “I don’t know how to make that happen with me here and you back in the United States. I’m career Army, and I go wherever they send me. So, unless you’re ready to give up your life and follow me around, I guess it ends tomorrow. I can’t do long-distance relationships.”

“At least you’re honest.” I scoot my chair closer to the table. “Can I go home and think about it? All of this has happened so quickly. I’m a planner. I’ve planned out my life since my father left, and it’s worked well for me, up until now.”

“The only thing I’ve been able to plan is my career since I joined the army, and yes, you are totally unexpected for me too.”

We have a wonderful dinner; the food was delicious. We’ve talked about so many things, touching each other as much as possible. We sip wine, and I listen to him tell me stories about the trouble he and his brothers used to get into. I soak in everything about him. His laugh, his facial expressions, his body movements. I want to memorize him. I smile on the inside when I think about how he isn’t cocky now He’s only cocky when it comes to sex and that I enjoy. I like that he takes control, but he lets me explore. I’m thankful to my crazy best friend now for making me watch porn with her. Even though I didn’t like watching it, I at least had some idea of what to do. Decklan hasn’t complained about my lack of experience. I think he rather enjoyed my nurse costume with the high heels. He’s had me wear it two more times since then. My heels did look rather sexy wrapped around his neck.

“What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?” His hand squeezes mine.

“How much I’ve enjoyed being with you. I never would have thought that from the first time we met.”

“I had high hopes when I picked your condoms off the ground,” he teases me.

“I bet you did. Do you mind if I step outside and call Grace? It’s morning her time, and I really need to talk to her.”

“Sure, go ahead, I’ll order us dessert.” He stands when I stand.

“I won’t be but a minute.”

The night rushes against my face as tears start to form. My lip quivers as I call her.

“Hey, Kenna, I sure have missed you,” she says.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

“Oh, sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“I’m not ready to leave. I want to spend more time with him. I’m afraid if I go, I’ll never see him again.”

“Then stay longer.”

“I can’t. The longer I stay, the more I’ll want to be with him. Our lives are so far apart. He is true-blue military, and he would die before he would leave it. I’m not sure I can handle that kind of life.”

“Are you in love with him?”

“I don’t know. We haven’t known each other that long. I really love being around him and how he makes me feel.”

“This coming from someone who believes in fairy tales. You don’t think you’re in love with him because you haven’t known him very long? I think you need to trust your heart.”

“I did that with Luke, and look what it got me.”

“You weren’t in love with Luke, and yeah look where it got you. In a roundabout way, you need to be thanking him. You kicked the toad to the street and found your prince charming. I don’t understand the problem.”

“I’m not like you, taking life by the horns. You’re the one that told me to think of Decklan as having no strings attached.”

“Well, sometimes I just say things that sound good. You’re the one that fell for him. Now you need to decide what you’re going to do.”

“Can’t you just tell me? Isn’t that what best friends do?”

“No. Best friends support you no matter what you do. I know you. You will overthink this to death. So what if it wasn’t in your plans. You have a hot guy that is totally into you. I think you should make him your plan.”

“I don’t know. It’s too much too fast. I’m getting on that plane tomorrow. I can always change my mind and come back.”

“I’ll be here for you.”

“I love you, Grace.”

“I love you, too. Now go have some down and dirty sex with that man of yours. Oh yeah— send me some pics. I’d love to see him naked since you won’t tell me about his junk.”

“I’m not sending you pictures.” She always makes me laugh.

I wipe the tears from my face and walk back inside. A variety of desserts are covering our table. Decklan shrugs his shoulder. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered them all.”

We finish our evening with a carriage ride through the quaint little German town. Decklan didn’t want our last night together to be at the base, so he made us reservations at a swanky hotel. Swanky as this small town has anyway.

The carriage ride stops at the top of a bridge. “This is called Lovers Bridge,” the driver tells us. We climb out holding hands and strolling around the water’s edge. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in for a kiss. “Do you want to make out?” he asks.

“Make out like with bases and everything?” I can’t help but laugh at him.

“We could skip first, second, and third and go for a home run.”

“Someone might see us.”

“Take your shoes off.”

I slip them off, and he does the same, leaving them behind. We wade through the water until we are under the bridge. The moon is so full that it shines off the water. He pulls me against him as his back hits the cold stone behind him. “Nobody can see us now.”

I want to be bold for him. I turn for him to unzip my black dress, and I let it fall to the ground. I’m naked underneath. I turn around and face him.

“God, you’re beautiful.”

I can feel my skin flush under his gaze. “Your turn.”

He peels off his shirt and unzips his pants. His boxers come off with them.

I look around. “Now what?”

He takes my hand, leading me into the cold water until we are waist deep. I shiver but not from the cold. I wrap my arms and legs around him, and we make love by the moonlight underneath a bridge.