Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“It’s my dream job.”
“Hell yes,” he says, releasing me, and taking a step back.
“It sucks I have to turn it down.” My shoulders drop as my excitement deflates.
“What? Why would you turn it down? Faith, this is what you’ve been waiting for. You’ve been on a ton of interviews, and not once have I heard you this excited.”
“I just—you’re leaving, Chad. I’d be here all alone. I don’t have a place to live. The only person I know is Hannah, and we just met. It’s crazy. I can’t uproot my life just because I selfishly want this job.”
“You can. Be selfish, Faith. Put yourself first. This is your dream job. Baby, you haven’t stopped smiling since I walked through the door.” He steps closer and cradles my face in the palm of his hands. “I’m coming home to you. Four to six months, and then it’s you and me.”
My eyes well with tears. “You and me?”
“Yes.”
“What does that mean?” I whisper the words, afraid of his reply. The way he’s looking at me makes me think it’s more, but it’s too risky to let my heart take the lead. I need to use my head, and it’s better if we clear the air, even if the question has panic building in my chest.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.” It’s the truth. I trust this man with my life.
“I’ll take care of everything. Just take the job, Faith.”
“How are you going to take care of everything? You won’t be here!” I yell and instantly regret it. “You won’t be here,” I say again, this time with no anger, just pain and sorrow because he’s standing right in front of me and I already miss him. “You’re leaving me.”
“Listen to me.” He tilts my head so that we’re eye to eye. “I don’t give a damn where I am in this world. I’m always with you. Do you hear me? Always. I don’t care about the miles between us. I’m still right here.” He takes my hand and places it over his heart. “You’re right here with me. Always.”
I can’t stop the tears. “I can’t do this on my own.”
“Then let me help you.”
“How? How can you help me when you’re leaving? I know it’s your job, and I’m not trying to be a brat, but how? I don’t understand how this is going to work.”
He presses my hand harder against his chest, and I can feel his heart racing beneath my palm. He studies me for several heartbeats before dropping to one knee. “Marry me.”
Time freezes, and everything around me blurs. Everything except for this incredible man on one knee asking me to be his.
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Chad
Faith looks at me like I’ve grown a second head.
“What?” she whisper-yells, her eyes as wide as the plates we ate off of last night.
I can’t help but smile. “Marry me. I know I don’t have a ring, but I’ll get you one. Me too.”
She shakes her head as a bubble of nervous laughter spills from her lips. There’s also a slight tremble to her hand as I take it in my own. “You’re nuts.”
“Maybe, but it’s one of my most endearing qualities,” I tease, flashing a charismatic grin her way. “In all seriousness, I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, Faith. Everything. This is the perfect solution. You can take your dream job, and I’ll be able to apply for married housing. Since I’m being sent away, I’m sure they’ll grant it immediately. I know you’ll be safe here. You’ll have Hannah, and I’m certain making more friends in no time.”
My heart is trying to beat out of my chest, because all I want to do is tell her how much I love her, but that’s not what we agreed to. Friends. Okay, friends who get a little intimate from time to time, but our relationship is based on a solid foundation of friendship. I will do everything in my power to make her happy, and that includes marrying her.
It’s definitely not a hardship.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it feels right,” I confess, a small smile curling my lips. “We can get married by the chaplain on base tomorrow, and I’ll make sure all of the paperwork is taken care of. You’ll be added to my insurance, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’ll receive death benefits if something happens to me.”
She whimpers, her eyes filling with tears.
“It’s the best way I can both protect and honor you, Faith. Don’t be scared, sweetheart. Marry me.”
There’s a mixture of hope and fear swirling in the depths of her eyes. “This is crazy,” she whispers, the faintest grin on her lush lips, and I know I have her.
“Maybe, but I think it’s right. It feels that way here,” I tell her, tapping my chest where my heart pounds like a drum.