Page 44 of Forever My Soldier

“You’ll have to ask him,” I answered. “I have someplace to be.”

“Damn straight you do,” Damon said. “You going after her?”

“I’m going to get some answers.”Whatever happens after that, we’ll just have to see.

* * *

I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my neck before opening them back up and walking the distance to my parents’ house. The auto repair shop where Damon worked was a short distance, so walking was manageable and did me good. It gave me plenty of time to think about Jenna and me, everything I’d learned, and where I wanted to go from here.

I still didn’t have all the answers, but it wasn’t like the love I had for her could be turned off with a switch. I still loved her, I just didn’t know where we could go from here. She lied to me and I had always trusted her. Trust was the one thing neither of us ever worried about. We never doubted one another because we always told each other the truth, even if it was hard on us. Or so I thought.

I wished things weren’t so complicated.

As I approached the front door, I noticed someone on our bench—a striking woman with short platinum blonde hair partially covered by a baseball cap. She had big blue eyes and lips that wore nothing more than a hint of lip balm.

And I knew exactly who she was.

“Carmen,” I exclaimed, “what are you doing here?”

She got up and grinned, opening her arms for a hug.

I went in for one, but reminded her, “You didn’t answer my question.”

Carmen was a woman of few words, always had been. She kept things close to her vest and didn’t like to let anyone in. I always got along with her for those reasons. Some things were better left unsaid. But we served together, so we got to know each other better than either of us had hoped for.

“You never were one to mince words, soldier.”

I furrowed my brows and crossed my arms. “Well?”

She chuckled. “My enlistment contract’s up, and before I head home to Georgia to see my folks, I thought I’d stop by and say hi to a friend, see how you’re doing after the accident. Seems to me you’re doing just fine, though,” she said, eyeing me closely. Then she looked around and chuckled again. “I gotta say, Deacon, I never thought this was what you left behind. Nice community, nice place. So you’ve always been a fool.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “What were you saying about not mincing words?”

She shrugged. “We have so little time on this earth. Why waste it using pretty words to cover up hard truths?”

I uncrossed my arms and sat down on the bench, gesturing for her to join me. “That nervous to see your folks, huh?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that,” she replied, “it’s just that I haven’t seen them all this time. I never visited them when I had the chance.”

I knew that. She’d told me before. “They’re going to be happy to see you.”

“How could you know that?”

“I just do,” I said.

She brushed my comment off and asked her own question, “So what have you been up to?”

Where to begin?“I reunited with my ex.”

“Jenna?” she questioned.

I eyed her suspiciously. “How did you—”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “Oh, please. Don’t even try to ask how I knew. Everyone over there knew who your ex was. We all heard about the fabulous Jenna McAllister.”

“Carmen, she’s something else. If only you met her.”

“I’d love to, but I’ve got a flight out later today.”

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