"I don't want to appear too..."
"Too what?" She chuckled. "Smitten?"
Damon squirmed then laughed along with her. "I was going to say overzealous."
"She must be some girl if she's got you considering leaving the Army."
"It's not just her."
"It's not?" Mom arched a brow, waiting patiently for him to elaborate.
"Each time I come home, it's harder to leave." He shrugged one shoulder.
Did he dare admit—even to himself—that maybe Grace had something to do with it this time? He felt an almost magnetic pull towards her, but it sounded crazy to voice it after only knowing her a couple of days.
Mom gave him a wide smile. "That's how it's supposed to be. This ishomeafter all. It's where the people who love you most are." She nodded toward his phone. "So why are you so nervous about calling Grace?"
"I feel like we connect every time we're together, but she seems guarded." Damon looked at his phone again. The screen had gone dark. "I'm not sure if it's because of her mom or something else in her past."
"Only one way to find out." Mom barely glanced at her hands as they worked the yarn into what looked like it would be a baby blanket. "Call her. Or at least text her."
Unable to believe what he was hearing, Damon chuckled and shook his head. "Friday evening, you told me to tread lightly and not toy with Grace's emotions."
"That was before I knew she's got you rethinking your future. You must be serious about her if you're considering leaving the Army."
"I know it sounds crazy, because I just met her, but..." Damon's heart thumped a little harder in his chest. "I can totally see myself spending the rest of my life with her."
He thought about all the things he liked about Grace. Besides finding her attractive, he admired her willingness to try new things, and her boldness in putting him in his place.
I can relax with her. I don’t feel the need to be hyper vigilant all the time.
“You’ve always thrown your whole heart into everything you do. I wouldn’t expect this to be any different. But you won't get to spend the rest of your life with her if you don't call her." Mom put down her crocheting and gave him a pointed look. “I know you don't want to appear too eager, but you've got less than two weeks to win her heart."
She's right.
His time here was going to fly by. He turned on his phone and found Grace's number again. His thumb hovered over the phone icon for a long moment before he chickened out and opened a text box. He wanted to ask her if she'd like to go for a drive this evening to watch the sunset, but decided that was probably too much.
When can I take you 4-wheeling and teach you to shoot?
He stared at his screen, waiting for her response. Finally, a small check mark appeared, signaling she'd read his text, but nodots appeared to let him know she was responding. Fighting the urge to fidget, he continued to stare at his phone.
"Well?"
He looked up to see his mom watching him again, her hands still.
"I invited her to go four-wheeling and shooting. She read my text, but she hasn't responded yet." He looked down at his phone again.
Three little dots appeared, then disappeared.
Damon's stomach dropped. He resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. He hadn't been this anxious about a girl's response since high school.
A few minutes later, Mom asked, "Anything yet?"
He shook his head. "Yesterday, she was worried about leaving her mom alone while I took her horseback riding. She might be worried about that again." He gave his mom an earnest look. "Would you be willing to check in on Marisol if Grace agrees to go out with me?"
"I'd love to. In fact, I have a new recipe for butternut squash soup that I've been thinking about making for her. I know she has a hard time eating much with the tumor in her stomach."
Damon's heart skipped a beat when his phone vibrated in his hand.
