She read on. Her husband was a good storyteller. He never mentioned anything grisly in his letters or calls. He mostly just told her about the pranks the guys played on each other or funny anecdotes about things that happened on base.
And in the more recent letters he talked about the baby. She remembered the video call when she’d told him they were having a girl. He was so happy that his eyes teared up and a big goofy grin spread across his face. In the email she was now reading, he suggested the nameZoey. Maggie had loved it but later they’d tossed other ideas back and forth. She didn’t decide to use his favorite until after she’d gotten word of his death.
“Hey, Mags...” Josh said from across the room. “How about if I order pizza? The cupboards are pretty bare.”
“Great idea.”
“Cheese for Zoey, deluxe for us?”
“Perfect.”
She resumed reading, getting caught up once again in Ethan’s words. Before she knew it, the pizza arrived and she took a break forthe first time since she’d begun reading. Zoey chattered endlessly and insisted Uncle Josh cut her pizza, not Mommy. Maggie was so grateful they had him in their lives. Besides Zoey’s papaw, he was her only male role model.
After Maggie finished her second slice, she stretched her neck, feeling a pull on her tight shoulder muscles. Josh turned from helping Zoey wash up at the sink. Seconds later his large hands kneaded her shoulders.
She gave a low moan. “That feels so good.”
“You’ve been hunched over those letters for hours.”
Zoey sang as she played in the kitchen sink, probably making a mess. But Maggie couldn’t bring herself to care, what with Josh’s hands working magic.
“How are you holding up?” He wasn’t referring to her muscles.
“Reading those letters makes me miss him more. I’d forgotten about his expansive vocabulary.”
Josh chuckled. “He did know how to throw around those fancy words.”
“He was so smart.”
“But he read the most boring books.”
Maggie laughed because Josh was right. Ethan hadn’t read fiction like she and Josh did. He fancied hefty nonfiction tomes he found in secondhand bookstores. The remembered detail opened up an ache in her chest. What else had she forgotten about him? She wanted to remember everything so she could relay every detail to Zoey as she grew older.
Then again, was there any chance at all Zoey could know him personally? Dare Maggie even hope for that? She glanced over her shoulder at Josh. “Is there any way it could be him?”
His hands stilled and a silent pause followed. “I honestly don’tknow what to think. No matter how many times I work it around in my brain, I can’t make sense of it.”
“I don’t want to hope.” Her eyes stung. “Losing him hurt so much the first time. I’m not sure I could bear that kind of disappointment.”
He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “You’re stronger than you think. You’re the strongest person I know. And I’m right here with you, honey. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together. I promise you that.”
The words comforted her, as did his gentle touch. At the thought she eased away from him, grabbed her plate, and stood. “Thanks, Josh. I should get back to the letters.”
She joined Zoey at the sink and helped her with the words to “Show Yourself” as she soaped up her own hands. When they heard Pokey barking outside, Maggie helped her dry off so Josh could take her outside to play.
Maggie retired to the living room and dug back into the letters. But she had trouble focusing on the words. She could still feel Josh’s hands kneading her shoulders with such care. He’d been such a comfort to her. A warm, steady presence in her life.
He was such a good guy. But so different from Ethan. Not as handsome in the traditional sense. Though Josh had nice thick dark hair and a physique he worked at, his face was rather average with its symmetrical features. There was nothing particularly memorable about his eyes or nose or mouth. But when his face broke into a grin, his left eyebrow did this little involuntary bounce. Something was so alluring and mesmerizing about that quirk. Something so endearing.
But it wasn’t his looks that had women beating down his doors—and they did. It was his irrefutable charm. And with so much attention from the ladies, who could blame the guy formoving from woman to woman the way he always had? The bigger surprise was that he’d ever settled down at all.
Of course, his marriage to Samantha had eventually gone down in flames. Maggie had never faulted him for that failure, though. Not Josh, who was so devoted to those he loved. So good at making everyone feel special.
But the truth was, Josh was the special one.
Maggie gave her head a shake and redoubled her efforts to concentrate on the words before her. Because if she wasn’t careful, her thoughts just might veer back to that night two and a half years ago when Josh had kissed her.
Chapter 7
