“Are you okay?” he asked looking up at her concerned face.
“You’ll have to forgive me.I’ve never had a bad-ass Navy SEAL as a boyfriend, or fiancé before,” she grinned.He cleared his throat and smiled at her.
“I’m a Green Beret.”
“Isn’t it the same?” she asked.
“Uh.Nope.We tease one another about that very thing,” he smiled.“The truth is we’re all trained above and beyond regular sailors, soldiers, or Marines.We all do special trainings on land, sea, water, air, all of it and we frequently cross paths on missions.My father was also a Green Beret.My grandfather was SOG, the Swedish Special Forces.”
“I can see him as being very, very intimidating,” she said with a small grin.“Not that you and your father aren’t.I guess I see the softer side of both of you.I don’t see that much in your grandfather other than when he told me about speaking to my sister.”
“I think if you asked my grandmother she would tell you he’s a big old softy.I wouldn’t tell him that,” he laughed, “but he’s the best of men.”
“From what I’ve been able to see, every man and woman here is the best of men and women.I don’t understand how so much talent, courage, intelligence, and beauty can be located in one small community.”
“We’re hardly small,” laughed Logan.He zipped the duffel and looked up at her.Taking her hand, he pulled her toward the living room and sat beside her on the sofa.“When I was little my grandfather scared me just a little bit because he was so big.I only saw him really smile when he was around my grandmother.”
“Did he have a bad upbringing?” she asked.
“No.No, to the contrary.His parents were wonderful, loving people.He was an only child and because of his size he was often made fun of.But he’s also quite brilliant.An engineer.”
“Wow!You’re kidding me?”
“Nope.I think his SOG training made him more stoic, I guess.I’m not sure I have the right words.He didn’t show emotion very well until after he and my grandmother got married.But he was my hero when I was little, Blythe.I knew that if I were scared, worried, anything, he would be there for me.Some of my greatest memories were of the two of us fishing.”
“That’s wonderful,” she smiled.“I don’t have any memories of my grandparents.My father said I met them once when I was very little but I don’t recall that.It was just my parents and my sister and I.”She was very quiet for a moment, staring down at her own hands.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“I will be,” she smiled.“I miss them.Especially my sister.I mean, I miss my parents as well but Olive and I were very close in spite of our age difference.I promised her that when I found a full-time role, she could live with me.My parents were okay with that.They knew I would watch out for her and make sure that she went to school, got good grades, all the things a parent should do.”
“You’re going to make a great mother,” he smiled.
“I think so,” she nodded.“I want to be a mother, Logan.I know that I don’t carry any of the concerns as some of those people from my parents village, so I don’t worry about that.I worry about, well, the world.”
“You’re going to have to narrow that down for me, honey.The world is an awfully big place.”
“It’s all of it.All of this.Men who would murder children for their own gain.People who think it’s okay to marry their children to other children.Children, Logan.As we know all too well, children who are intimately related.What makes men do those things?And why are there so many good men here, on this property, willing to risk their lives to stop it?”
“Oh, baby,” he said pulling her close.“I wish I had a good answer for that but I’m not sure that I do.”He stood and took her hand, grabbing the duffel and walking out onto the porch.His heart nearly stopped seeing Matthew standing there with a grin.
“Hello, Logan.Hello, Blythe,” he smiled.
“You’re Irene’s husband, right?” she asked.
“That’s me.”
“Matthew, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” said Logan.
“Sorry.Sometimes I get a sense, hear something that needs my attention.Take a seat for just a moment.The boys will wait for you,” he said to Logan and Blythe.They sat on the double porch swing, respectfully waiting for the man to speak.
“You asked how men could do such horrible things,” he said to Blythe.She nodded.“It’s quite simple.Of all the beautiful gifts God gave us, free will was one that perhaps he regrets.You see, we all have the free will to do what feels right or what feels good, often confused with whatisright.”
“I see,” she said thoughtfully.
“Most men, good men, live by one code.Good Values – Good Character – Good Deeds.”
“Plato?” frowned Logan.
