Damon raked his fingers through his hair that almost reached his collar. He'd planned to do that before leaving Washington, but spending time with Grace had taken precedence.
"I'd better before Captain Kerns sees me, huh?" He returned to the barracks to finish putting his clothes away then wandered down to the Barber Shop near the Base Exchange.
His mind bounced back and forth between Grace and Flores' broken heart while he waited for his turn to get buzzed. He thought Flores and Rachel were a sure thing, just like he thought he and Grace were a sure thing. But Grace was right; it had all happened so fast.
Will she change her mind? And what is she keeping from me?
He still had no clue why she shut down yesterday at the lake. Even though he spent almost every day of the last two weeks with her, there were still things he didn't know about her. If three years wasn't long enough to truly get to know someone, then two weeks definitely weren't.
Stop it.
He shook his head to clear the doubt as his name was called. It wouldn't be easy, but he and Grace would be fine. They had the rest of their lives to get to know each other.
He tried not to think about how much he loved having Grace play with the hair at the nape of his neck as it fell to the floor. His phone vibrated with what he hoped was a text from Grace, distracting him. He pulled it from his pocket the moment he stepped outside.
Grace:I didn't wake up until noon. Lol. I slept right through church services. I felt bad for sleeping so late, thinking my mom might have needed me, but she was still asleep too. I managed to get her to eat a few bites of toast and a few swallows of tea, but then she insisted on going back to bed.
Damon's stomach clenched. That didn’t sound like the Marisol he knew.
Damon:Sounds like it's going to take her a while to bounce back.
Grace:I just hope she recovers.
Damon:Me too.
They texted a bit more, then Damon asked if he could call her.
Grace:Call me tonight. Your Aunt Faith invited me over for lunch, and I'm having dinner with your family this evening. I'm going to put on weight if they keep this up.
Damon thought of Grace's figure. A few pounds wouldn't hurt her. They would just add to her already alluring curves.
Oh boy, do I have it bad.
He sent her a thumbs up and attempted to push her from his mind as he talked with his buddies who returned to the barracks one by one. The same old camaraderie was there but it felt different to Damon.Hefelt different.
He didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be with Grace.
Hours later, they were taking a water break after playing soccer on the quad when Romero picked up Damon's phone off the bench. "Yo Lancelot.” He tossed it to Damon. “Someone named Grace is calling you."
"Who's Grace?" Howie and Chevy asked in unison.
"No one." A surge of regret hit him as soon as the words left his mouth.
Grace wasnotno one. She waseverything.
"I'm out guys. You'll have to play without me." He headed to the shade of a nearby tree.
"You can't leave us now," Chevy said in a whiny voice. "We were about to win."
Damon waved a hand as he continued to walk away. He was aware of the glances and stares aimed his way as he talked to Grace. They didn't discuss anything of great importance, but just hearing her voice soothed the unrest inside of him.
It was growing dark by the time he ended the call and entered the barracks. Most of the guys lounged on their bunks, some half clothed, others dressed for bed.
Howie jumped to his feet. "So, who's Grace?"
Damon clenched his jaw and drew in a deep breath. "She's...my cousin's new sister-in-law."
"Judging by the smile she put on your face and the way you hid yourself away to talk to her, I'd say she's a lot more than that." Howie's brows lifted as he smirked.
