I rake both hands through my hair and groan. “Sorry. I’m sorry, Alice.”
She narrows her eyes, stepping closer, her expression shifting. “What happened?”
I hesitate for a second too long. Then: “I have to leave at dawn.”
Her face crumbles. “Oh no… Nathan, no.”
I can barely breathe past the lump forming in my throat. “I know. I didn’t ask for this.”
She grips my arm, squeezing gently. “Don’t tell her now. Not today. Get married. Let this be perfect—for both of you. Talk about it tonight. Please.”
My heart protests with every beat. It feels wrong to keep this from Izzy, but I know Alice is right. If I tell her now, I’ll rip the joy out of her eyes. And I can’t do that. She deserves this moment. She deserves more than me, honestly—but I’m selfish. I want to be her husband before the storm hits.
“May I see her?” I ask, quietly this time. “Just one minute. I swear. One minute. I just... I need her.”
She eyes me carefully, her gaze scanning my face. “Only if you promise she won’t see that sadness all over you.” She gestures toward my expression.
I force a smile. It’s shaky, but it’s the best I’ve got. “Scout’s honor,” I say again, and when she finally steps aside, I kiss her cheek and rush back.
This time, I knock.
“Isabel?” I say through the door, praying I don’t break the second I see her.
“I’m here,” she calls back, her voice soft and sweet like a balm to my soul.
I step into the room, and for a moment, I forget everything—deployment, duty, the countdown ticking in my head.
She’s standing near the mirror in her bridal corset, her bare back exposed, hair cascading in waves. Perfection. Every damn inch of her. My fingers find the ties of her corset, and I start fastening them while my lips find the smooth curve of her shoulder.
“This image,” I whisper against her skin, “will haunt me all day.”
“Nate…” Her voice is a low hum, a purr of contentment that curls around my heart.
“I have one minute,” I say, and when she turns to look at me, her smile makes me melt like I’m nothing but a man made of wax in her sun.
I cup her face and kiss her like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do. Maybe it is.
“I love you,” I breathe against her lips, watching her eyes well up. “I love you, baby. I want you forever. Mine.”
She opens her mouth to say something, but Alice claps loudly behind us.
“Time out! Out now,” she calls, amused but firm.
“Alice—”
“No. Alice says get out!” She grins, but her eyes still hold that edge of protectiveness. It’s comforting. She loves Izzy too.
I steal one last kiss from Isabel—just a taste to carry with me—then step back, forcing myself to leave even though every cell in my body screams to stay.
Chapter 17
Isabel
“I love you.”
The words echo in my chest like a sacred vow I never thought I'd hear—not like this. Not from him. Not on this day.
I grip the edge of the sink, staring into my reflection, the fog of the shower still clinging to the mirror. My skin feels too tight, my breath shallow.
