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)
I didn’t want to think about it, but I signed my name where necessary and shoved my shiny new Faith Anthony debit card into my purse for safekeeping.
“You okay, wife?”
I turn to glance at him. A swarm of butterflies are flapping their wings in my belly. I’m a wife. Not just a wife, but his. “I’m going to miss you.” My voice breaks, and tears start to form in my eyes.
“I’ll miss you too. I hate that you’re finally mine, and I have to leave you.”
“What do I do? While you’re gone?”
“You start your new job. You’ll be so busy setting up your classroom and settling in that you won’t have time to miss me.”
“Don’t say that. You know that’s not true.”
“I know, but I want you to enjoy this. It’s what you’ve always wanted. Your dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher is here. I want to hear about it. Every day, emails, letters, and I’ll call when I can.”
“Do you know how often that will be?”
“No, but I’m hoping pretty often.” He rests his hand against my cheek. “I wish I were going to be here to see you live your dream.”
“You won’t miss it. I’ll make sure you hear about every minute. You’re going to get tired of my letters, emails, and text messages.”
“Never, wife. Never will I get tired of anything that involves you.”
I lean into his touch, his words making my heart feel like a gooey mess of love. “How will I get your things to move them to the house?”
“I’m already packed. Everything that I’m not taking with me is in the hotel room.”
“That’s all you have?”
He shrugs. “I’m a simple man. Living in the barracks doesn’t offer a lot of space. Not like a house I’ll be sharing with my wife.”
“You keep saying that. Calling me your wife.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No.”
“Good. Wife.” He grins. “I have a lot of money saved up. They give us everything we need here, so use the account for the car and rent, and whatever else we need to make our house a home.”
“Don’t you want to pick out what you’re going to be living with once you get home?”
“Come on, baby, you know what they say, happy wife, happy life.” He smiles.
“Stop.” I shake my head. My smile rivals his. So much has happened in a short amount of time, and I already know I’ll never grow tired of hearing him refer to me as his wife.
“I’m being serious. I want to return to a home. Not just a house. I want you to be there, and I want it to be everything you dreamed it would be.”
“What about what you want?”
“I got the girl, Faith. There isn’t a single thing I can think of that I want more.”
My heart swells, but I ignore it. I can’t let myself fall into the belief that this is anything more than convenience. “But once you’re home—” I start, but can’t seem to find the words to bring up the fact that we’re doing this just for while he’s deployed. I don’t want to remind myself or him that this isn’t real.
“I’ll be coming back to the home my wife built for us. Now, we have family who’s waiting to celebrate with us. I love them all, but I really want this meal to be over with so I can spend some time with my wife, just you and me, before I have to leave in the morning.” He leans over the console and softly presses his lips to mine. “You ready?”
I suck in a deep breath and square my shoulders. I’m not ready, but I have to be. I have to be strong for him. That’s my job as a military wife, right? I need to be his anchor in the storm, and I want to be that person for Chad more than anything in the world. “I’m ready.” Fake it till you make it, right? I can lose my composure once he’s gone.
Hand in hand, we make our way into the hotel restaurant. Our friends and family are there, smiling and cheering. Chad pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to my temple. We take the only two open seats that were saved for us and visit with those who are most important to us. We enjoy a nice meal, and to my surprise, everyone tells me they’re sticking around for a few days to help me get settled. I smile and nod at this new information because words escape me.
I came to California to visit the man I gave my heart to, my best friend, and here I am—not two weeks later—his wife and getting ready to make a home for us. I’m also getting ready to send the man, my best friend and my husband, off for deployment.