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)
Until he met Shayne.
Call me Cupid, because it was my invitation for him to come home with me for a week during leave, which resulted in him meeting Shayne. And the rest, as they say, is history. They’re engaged to be married, living in their dream house, and are living happily ever after.
That’s also how I met Faith. I’d heard all about her over the three years Ford and I were friends before I finally got to meet her. From the moment I saw her, I knew she was special. Different from any woman I had ever met before.
And I knew almost instantly, if we could overcome a little distance and time, we could have something great. I’ve felt it in my heart since that first night and every night after. Having her here is a blessing and a curse, because it’s a reminder that I’m going to have to let her go again.
Soon.
“You good there, Corp?” Erik asks, pulling me out of my own head.
“Yeah, why?” I ask, getting into position to spot his next ten reps.
He just grins. “You just had a serious look on your face with a cheesy grin,” he teases, clearly knowing where my mind had wandered.
“I was thinking about all the running I’m going to make you do once we’re done here.”
Erik laughs and reaches for the bar. “Sure you were,” he quips, before lifting the bar and pounding out ten bench presses.
We switch places and I do the same, only with a little more weight. Erik might be a few inches taller than me, but he’s a little on the leaner side. Don’t get me wrong, he’s strong as fuck, and I’d trust him to carry my ass out of any situation that arose without breaking a sweat. I feel the same about most of the guys in my new unit. Sure, there’s still a couple I’m on the fence about, but for the most part, these are good teammates and soldiers.
That brings my mind back around to Faith. Ever since we met, she’s been my biggest cheerleader and close friend. Yes, I still consider her twin brother my best friend, but there’s something different about talking to Faith. We’re connected on a deeper level; one I suspect is reserved for the one you love forever.
Do I love Faith?
Yes, of course I do. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, inside and out. She’s caring, witty, and kind, which is why I know she’s destined for great things as a kindergarten teacher. Even though the amount of time we’ve physically seen each other face-to-face is small, I’ve gotten to know the real her through hours and hours of phone, text, and video conversations over the last year.
Wherever I was, she was there too. In my head and my heart, right there beside me, even when she wasn’t.
Clearing my throat, I push away all the emotions Faith brings to the surface. Now isn’t the time to get into all that.
“All right, fellas. It’s time to get ready for our run,” I announce, grabbing everyone’s attention and getting a mix of groans in return. No one particularly likes running in this kind of heat, but it’s necessary. “Rehydrate and meet outside in fifteen.”
I chug the bottle of water I brought and toss it in the trash.
Time to put thoughts about Faith aside and get back to work.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Faith
The GPS on my phone takes me straight to the Healing Hands Day Spa. I can’t keep the smile off my face when I think about Chad setting this up for me. He’s making it harder and harder not to fall even more in love with him.
I’m already dreading next week when I have to get on that plane and head back to Ohio. At home, I’m uneasy and confused about the future. When I’m here with him, none of that holds the same level of concern. When I’m with him, everything else pales in comparison. It will all work out. It always does. I just wish I had that mindset when I’m thousands of miles away from him.
I grab the keys from the ignition of the rental, something else he did to make sure I was taken care of. My purse sits on the passenger seat, where I snatch it up, toss my phone inside, and climb out of the car.
The spa is a renovated house. It’s a two-story Victorian home with a wraparound porch. Making my way up the steps, I pull open the door and step inside. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t to feel as though I was stepping into a family home. It instantly puts me at ease. I can admit that I was a little nervous. I’m not an extravagant kind of girl, and spa day screamed fancy and expensive in my mind.