Even when Ron had told her she could either have kids now or kiss him goodbye forever, she hadn’t been lonely.
But tonight, she wished Lance were here.
Well, notLance. Maybe someone just like him who would listen to her talk about whathad happened between them today. Who wouldn’t judge her for how terrified she’d been when she’d realized the propeller on the plane was sputtering. Who would laugh with her over her unbelievable good luck in actually hitting him in the back with a mud ball. Who would tell her that he forgave her for pitching a hissy fit and calling him names and being a general pain in the ass.
Okay, yes.
She wanted Lance here.
She wasn’t sure he wanted much more than to just get her naked a few more times and then be done with her.
But he never made her feel as though he wanted her only for sex.
He made her feel funny. Unique. Worthy.
Human. Fallible but forgivable.
Lovable.
But he’d made one thing very clear today: First and foremost, he was a military man,committed to Uncle Sam.
“He’s going to break my heart, Miss Higgs.”
The cat slumbered on. Kaci untangled herself to flip the light off, then crawled under the covers and wrapped her body around her sleeping cat.
Lance was probably still out with his friends. Having a good time with a group of guys who hated her. And why shouldn’t they?
Look what she’d done to their pig. And their keg. And she’d put a stain of cheating accusations on their pumpkin-chucking trophy. Even if she’d been trying to protect her girls, she’d smeared their good names.
But she’d fix it.
She’d make everything right.
And then, maybe, she’d be worthy of having a friend like Lance for real.
Or maybe, just maybe, she’d be worthy of something more.
16
Lance was ready to crawl up the walls.
It had been a week, and he hadn’t heard from Kaci.
He deployed in just over two weeks.
She’d probably written him off. And he shouldn’t care. But the woman who had taken him out to show off her potato gun wasn’t the same woman who had bought Pony a new keg.
And the difference was that Lance had almost crashed a plane he’d promised her was safe.
She’d asked for space. He could give her space.
But he needed to know she was okay.
Sunday morning, he hit the pavement in his neighborhood for a long run in the crisp November morning. And while he put the miles behind him, he made up his mind.
He’d given her plenty of space. If she never wanted to see him again after today, he’d accept that. Probably he should be grateful. But first, he’d go make sure she was doing okay.
So he could deploy with a clear conscience.
