He had hoped Graham would see that it was out of character, and to put two and two together to see that he was up to something.
Was that too much to ask?
Only, shockingly, Graham didn’t figure it out.
Instead, Michael had been raged at in anger, as if he’d ruined the man’s plans. Words had been thrown around like honor and duty.
Oh, D’Artangnan understood duty. He’d served for a very long time, making sure he put Constitution and country over everything.
And now, he was losing the one thing he loved most.
It broke his heart to find out there was no way Graham would follow him back to the US when his tour was over.
Truthfully, it confused him.
Had D’Artangnan not signed up, already, he would have stayed with Graham and let that duty and money go.
He’d be poor for the man.
Hell!
He would have lived in a foxhole in Mogadishu all over again just to be with him.
That was how much he loved him.
But Graham clearly didn’t feel the same about him since he’d given him an ultimatum and not questioned why he’d said he was going home.
Yeah, he never understood that.
Not.
At.
All.
How could he lie with him at night, promising him their future, but then not want to follow when his tour was up?
How did he not suspect something was up?
How?
The day he told him as he was packed to head out, the words still haunted him.
Every.
Damn.
Day.
‘If you leave, it’s over. If you leave, we’re done. Don’t come back.’
Those words haunted him in ways that Graham would never understand.
How could he love him that little to say those words? That befuddled him.
He thought about what he’d given up for duty and honor, and it was always the one thing that made him question his service.
It was the one thing he questioned about his choices.
