Page 64 of No Man Left Behind

The other adults broke into laughter while Elina tried to swallow down her emotions, and stay tuned on the topic. “What’s a gummy bear?”

Owen turned to her, mouth open. “You’ve never had a gummy bear?”

“I don’t think so. What is it?”

Owen looked at his mother, absolute horror written all over his face. “Mom, Elina’s never had a gummy bear.”

Rachel laughed. “Remember, Elina didn’t grow up here. Not every country has candy. And not every country has gummy bears.”

He blinked slowly. “Can we buy her some?”

“We sure can.”

“You have to try them. They’re all different colors of bears, and they’re kind of see-through. And they’re chewy. They stick to your teeth. And they can be sour, too.”

None of that sounded like anything Elina wanted to eat, but she kept those thoughts hidden. “Sounds interesting.”

“They’re really good. You’ll like them. Can we do my joke on the next post?”

Elina didn’t think she’d ever had that much energy as a kid. “Sure. And I’ll make up a new card for the gummy bear joke, so don’t tell everyone that one.”

“Okay.” Then he bounced over to whisper to his mom that it was really weird that she’d never eaten the candy before.

Marcus leaned down and spoke softly. “They’re much tastier than the description he gave you.”

That made her smile. “You’re really good with him.”

“So are you.”

The look in his eyes told her she wasn’t alone in imagining a little one sometime down the road. She wanted to tell him she loved him. Right here and now, with no regard for who was nearby.

But Owen’s voice called out. “Hurry up. Mom says we have to go as a group.”

The disgust at the adult instruction was obvious in his tone. With a grin, Marcus took her hand. “Let’s follow our gummy bear fan.”

They walked as a group through the woods, but the leaves made it difficult for her to watch her footing. “It’s like being surrounded by a painting. A living, breathing piece of beauty. No wonder you have so many leaf-peepers visiting.”

“Look at you talking like a born and bred Vermonter.”

She laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers. “I may not have been born here, but I’m sure glad I found my way here.”

“Me too. And I’m hoping I can talk you into staying here for the next bunch of decades.”

Her heart swooped and soared.

She was about to kiss him when Owen called out again. “Come on, guys. We need to figure out the next joke.”

Marcus grinned at her. “The kid’s timing sucks. Let’s get back to that thought later.”

She couldn’t wait.

Chapter21

Come Up From Behind

Marcus kept his senses wide open even as he listened to Owen’s jokes and tried to come up with outrageously bad answers. The kid was priceless.

“What kind of lion never roars?”

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