"Yes, but I keep second-guessing myself. Am I trying to become something that's not in my nature?"
"I know you went through a lot in high school and that has followed you ever since, but you don't need to hide parts of yourself here. You don't owe anyone an explanation." Mom tilted her head. "Except Damon. You need to tell himeverything." She gave Grace a wry smile. "Do I need to give you a lecture about how you can be anything you want to be?"
"No, I just need you to tell me I'm not crazy for wanting to get my doctorate." Grace's lips lifted as her chest swelled with conviction.
"You're not crazy, Mija. Just be yourself. It's enough."
CHAPTER 17
Grace:New bucket list item: Get a dog.
Damon:Great idea! What made you decide that?
Grace:This hospital isn't as big or as busy as the one in Richland, so I don't get much exercise. I need to get out more, but it's cold, so I keep talking myself out of it. If I had a dog, I'd be forced to get some exercise.
Damon:What breed would you get?
Grace:Undecided. One that doesn't shed much and is hypoallergenic.
Damon:Big or small?
Grace:Medium or small, but not the little ones that bark a lot.
Damon:I have a new bucket list item too: Dance with Grace in the rain.
Grace:Sounds fun, but the rain in Washington is cold.
Damon:I'll take you to the South then. It's not cold when it rains there.
Grace:But they have tornadoes in the South and the Midwest.
Damon:The beach then. We can dance in the rain on the beach.
Damon:Grace + Beach + Rain = <3
Grace:Rain on a beach usually means a hurricane is coming.
Damon:Stop trying to rain (pun intended) on my daydream.
Grace:I thought it was a bucket list item, not a daydream. There is a difference.
Damon:I wish we were having this conversation in person, so I could kiss your smart mouth to shut you up.
"Areyou still thinking about getting out of the Army?" Grace had been on a video chat with Damon for almost twenty minutes and she was trying to work up the courage to tell him she loved him.
She knew it clear to her bones—had known for a week—so why was it so hard to tell him?
Because he might not want anything to do with me when I tell him about my baby.
"It depends." He gave her a serious look.
It was a little unnerving to have him look at her so intently, but she loved that he gave her his full attention when they talked.
"I don't want to push you, Grace, I hope you know that. But I need to know if there is a future for us before I change the direction of my life."
Grace tamped down her reservation and gave him her biggest grin. "I hope there's a future for us, otherwise my only other options are Zack Hastings or Travis Brooks." She giggled when he scowled and let out a growl. She loved that he was jealouseven though there was nothing to worry about. "You should know your mom turned your room into her sewing room. You'll get Faith's old room when you return."
"WhenI return..." He placed heavy emphasis on the word when. "It won't be because I plan on living with my mom." His stare grew more intense, warming Grace's cheeks.
