Page 11 of Reunited with the Soldier

I finally dare to look up at him, and his face is full of anger. He’s red in the face and it looks like he wants to punch something.

I step away from him. I don’t need to be near someone when they explode. I’ve seen enough of that to last me a lifetime.

“Lo, don’t move away from me. I would never lay a hand on you in anger.”

When I look up, I see he has tears in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry he did all those things to you. I know that I can never make up for what he did and for the fact that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I let you down and I’m so sorry for that.” He hangs his head in shame.

“You didn’t know. But you can’t blame me for not telling you, Kash, when you left, you made it clear that you weren’t going to contact me again. What else was I supposed to think?”

“I know, baby, and I’m so sorry.” He moves closer to me and gently puts his hand on my cheek. I flinch slightly. I’ll never get over Frank beating me and it affects me when someone is close to me and they move suddenly.

“Lo, baby. Please. I won’t hurt you.” He pulls me into his chest and I sob. I sob for the last nine years of my life and what could have been.

“I understand why you left and I will be forever grateful for Bailey helping you and looking after our son. Fuck, our son. I can’t believe we have a son.” He shakes his head. “It’s going to take a bit of getting used to. When can I meet him?”

I pull away from him. Staring at him, I say, “Not yet. He doesn’t know about his father. I told him that his father is in the military and he doesn’t know anymore than that. I don’t want him to be brokenhearted until I can trust you. You can’t meet him.”

“You know you can trust me with your life and his. I’m not walking away this time, Lo. I’m staying here in town and I’m going to be there for Elijah.”

I notice he doesn’t say anything about me. Can I have a friendship with Kash? Every time I see him I know that I’m going to be wishing I could have more. I’ve never stopped loving him, even though he broke my heart. He’s always been the one for me, but I’m not going to give in that easily.

Can I see this man with our son and not want more? I don’t think I can answer that truthfully right now because my emotions are all over the place. I don’t know what is going to happen, but it looks like Kash is all in and wants to meet Elijah soon.

SIX

KASH

"Tomorrow," she says, her eyes still filled with tears. "Tomorrow you can meet Elijah and we'll go from there."

I blow out a breath as relief washes over me. "Thank you."

She gives me a tight smile. "Don't hurt him, Kash. I can deal with you breaking my heart, but not his."

I step forward, this time she doesn't back away. I pull her into my arms, she's tense, but it's progress. "No matter what, Lo, I'm not going anywhere."

She nods. "I hope so," she whispers as she takes a step backward and I instantly miss her being close. "Tomorrow you can spend time with him. I don't know how to go about telling him about you. Do you want me to explain who you are, or would you like to spend time with him first?" She's so nervous, wringing her hands together and glancing at the floor. "I don't know what to do."

Christ. She's gutting me. "Whatever you want to do, Lo, I'll follow your lead." She knows him best and will do whatever is right for our son.

God, I have a son. Leaving Lo was the hardest decision that I ever made, but back then I thought it was the right one. I was wrong and because of my actions; I lost the woman I love along with the birth of my child. Christ. I can't believe how much I missed.

"I'll tell him who you are before you meet," she says with a smile. "I want to be open and honest with him. I think if the tables were turned, it's what I would want."

"Thank you," I say, unable to keep the grin off my face.

I'm going to meet my son and I can't fucking wait.

"I'll text you a time and a place, is that okay?" She glances at her watch and then sighs. "I'm sorry, but Elijah and Bailey will be home soon and I'd like to explain it to Elijah before he sees you."

That's something that I understand. It's going to be a tough conversation. I can wait twenty-four hours. It also gives me time to find out everything I can about her asshole step father. I don't give a fuck if the bastard is in jail. He put hands on her and had been for years. He almost killed her and my son. That's not something that I'm going to forgive or forget.

"Text me, Lo," I say as I press a kiss against the corner of her mouth, feeling her tremble beneath me. "I'll see you tomorrow," I promise her.

"Tomorrow," she repeats softly. "Bye, Kash."

I flash her a smile as I walk out of her house, my footsteps lighter than before. I have a lot to work on, not only building a relationship with my son, but repairing the one that I have with Lo. I want my family and I'm not a man that gives up easily.

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