Shiloh frowned. “Yeah.”
“I’m in San Diego for another year or so. And then I’ll get new orders—a new assignment. I’m guessing you can’t move away from your ex...”
Shiloh shook her head.
“That’s okay, that’s good.”
“That’s good?”
Cary cocked his head. “Well, for the kids, right?”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“Okay, well...” He was sitting very straight. His chin was perfectly level. “That means a year of long distance, at the minimum. But you can come see me in San Diego, maybe one weekend a month? Sometimes two? When you’re not on duty? I’m burning through my leave right now, but I could come back some weekends, here and there.” He was being very businesslike. Like he’d worked up a spreadsheet. “And I can talk on the phone. Have you heard of Skype? We could Skype.”
Shiloh nodded. “We could Skype.”
Cary bolted down another bite. “And then, I can list preferences formy next duty station—that just means where they put me. And there are jobs here, at STRATCOM.”
“In Bellevue?” There was a military base in the Omaha suburbs, fifteen minutes away. “Isn’t that an Air Force base?”
“It’s Strategic Command. It’s a little bit of everybody. And people aren’t tripping over each other to get stationed in Omaha—there’s a good chance I’d get my request.”
“There’s a chance you’d behere?” Shiloh was crying all of a sudden.
“Hey...” Cary said gently. “Come here.”
He pulled her back onto his lap. Shiloh sat sideways, it was still awkward.
She put her hands on his cheeks. “I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Well, we haven’t talked about it.”
“We haven’t talked aboutanything,Cary! You proposed to me before we even went on a date! This iscrazy!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I just want to be with you.” He kissed her. “I’m tired of not being with you, Shiloh.” He kissed her again. “I’m exhausted. I need to turn my sail into the wind.” He kissed her until she pulled away.
“So you might livehere?” she asked.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“With me?” Her voice broke.
“With you. I’ll try.”
Cary wiped her eyes with his thumb. His hands smelled like marinara.
“Well, that would be great,” Shiloh said.
He laughed. “I agree. But... worst-case scenario, five years of weekends. Thirty days of leave a year. Maybe another six-to-nine-month deployment at sea. I mean”—he kissed her quickly—“worst-case scenario, if it’s just not working, I leave the Navy.”
“That would be dumb, right?”
He shrugged. “Well, yeah, but... we’ll just take it as it comes. That’s what I’m proposing.”
“And in five years?”
“I move home. Not here. I gotta be honest, I don’t even wantyouto live here. This neighborhood depresses the crap out of me.”
