Page 58 of Sweet Somethings

"Am I wrong?"

He shrugged. "There was a lot going on that day."

She knew he wasn't going to give her any more information than that. "Well, I don't know how any of you do what you do. It takes an incredible amount of bravery to face that kind of danger to keep our country safe."

"When I joined up, my interest didn't really come from a place of patriotism," he said candidly. "It was more about having no other real options that I could see. But once I got in it, traveled the world, saw what I was fighting for, I knew I'd made the right decision. I was proud. First time in my life."

She smiled. "So your friends...are they all in it for the long term? I don't know much about the Marine Corps. Do they kick you out after a certain age?"

"No, but you usually move on to less action-filled roles as you get older. Not everyone wants that. And even before that, sometimes you just get tired of the fighting, the deployments, being away from your family. It's a lot easier when you're single, when there's no one waiting at home for you."

"Are any of the guys you just mentioned married?"

"No, Jimmy just got engaged, but he gets engaged every other year and never seems to make it down the aisle. Henry will probably actually get married. He's been dating a woman he met in the first grade. I think things are getting serious."

"If he gets married, will you all be in the wedding?"

"Hard to say where anyone will be, but we'd certainly try to get there for him."

"What I do seems so trivial in comparison to your job. I make cake. The world really doesn't need more cake, but every day I make a couple more."

He laughed. "It's good cake. At least, that's what I hear."

"I should have brought you some cookies. Damn. I forgot. You caught me off guard with your call, and I just rushed right over here. One day you are going to taste one of them."

"Next time."

As he said the words so casually, she was reminded that just last night she'd told herself she should stop seeing Roman, but here she was again. And she wasn't in any hurry to leave.

It wasn't just because the letters had caught her interest; it was him. He was quite simply one of the most intriguing men she'd ever met.

He pushed the last piece of pizza in her direction. "That's yours."

She shook her head. "I'm stuffed. Save it for tomorrow. Pizza for breakfast is always a good choice."

"I would have to agree. So you want to keep reading?"

"Okay." She pushed her empty plate aside, and pulled out the next note.

My Love,

I'm sorry about my father—what he said to you last night. It was wrong. You didn't mean to hurt me. And you didn't talk me into anything, either. I wish you had stayed around so I could have told you that.

I don't know where you are right now, but I hope you're safe, and I hope you come back, so I can tell you how much I love you. So we can figure out how to make this right.

You're the only man for me. It's you or no one. That might sound dramatic, but it's how I feel. Please come back to me. Please don't let last night really be our last night.

"Trouble in paradise," Roman said as she finished reading.

She frowned. "It sounds like her father doesn't like her lover."

"I got the feeling she might be pregnant."

"Maybe, but she doesn't mention a baby, and it seems like she would."

Eager to find out what happened, she grabbed the next note on the stack.

There was no salutation this time. The woman just dove right in.

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