Page 35 of Defending What is Mine

Chapter Seventeen

Sam:Then—Late November

Mollie and I sit on a bench chatting away while Vanessa exuberantly swings for the late-autumn blue sky. “Really, Mol?” I raise a brow as I bring my hands to my mouth and blow, hopeful the heat from my breath will help thaw my fingers. “I think we’re a bit premature to be talking about things like marriage and life as an Army wife.”

“Oh, you. It’s never premature to fantasize. That’s why they’re called fantasies.” She shakes her head. “Anyway, I’m just saying. What if? Do you think you could do it?”

“Marry a man I’ve known for three months? Eighty percent of which, has been through the longest of long-distance relationships?” The answer is yes. As ridiculous as it sounds, I would marry Jack and happily follow him around the country for the rest of our years. I’m just afraid to admit it because everything is still so new. I’m not supposed to be this certain yet and I don’t want to gamble away Vanessa’s life on foolish decisions.

Mollie rolls her eyes and lightly slaps at my arm. “Oh, you just refuse to let yourself have any fun, don’t you? No, silly. I just mean, you know…in general. Could you see yourself as a military wife? Packing up and moving from base to base. Putting Nessa through the life of an Army brat? You know what I’m talking about.”

I purse my lips as I think it over. “I don’t know. On the one hand, you know better than anyone I’ve dreamt of escaping this town since I was a kid. But I honestly never thought about it in those terms, you know?” I wrap my arm around my cousin’s shoulder and pull her closer to steal some of her body heat for myself. “Somehow, it was always the two of us breaking free. Or…you know, the three of us,” I say with a nod toward the swing set.

Mollie leans in a little, resting her head on my arm. “Yeah. I never imagined my life without you in it either. But, if I have to lose you for you and Vanessa to have the chance at something better, how could I not want that for you?” Excited, she smacks me on the leg as she sits up to look me in the eye. “Besides, in my fantasies, I still get to see you and Nessa and Jack regularly, because…you know. I’m a Wilde too. So, there are plenty of family get-togethers and what not.”

I smile and nod along. “Tell me, dearest cousin. How far out do your fantasies extend?”

Mollie raises a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve got your future planned out. Obviously. And you seem to have mine planned too, at least partially. So, I’m curious if you’ve already nailed down who she’s going to marry,” I say, indicating Vanessa.

With a mischievous smile, Mollie shakes her head. “Not yet. But there is that boy at school she can’t stop talking about. What’s his name again?”

“Oh God, you mean Billy?”

“Hmm. Blonde-ish, red-ish hair?”

I nod.

“Yeah. That’s the one. She talks about him nonstop some days. So…you know…maybe?”

“You’re terrible. You do know that, right?” I joke as I pull her back to me. “Now quit hogging all that body heat. You’re like a furnace.”

“Mommy! Aunt Mollie! Watch. I can fly like a bird.”

Horrifying images flash in my head, but I can’t work through them in time to come up with the word no. I leap off the bench and start to rush toward her as she approaches the bottom of her arch, but Mollie catches my arm and pulls me back.

“You can’t protect her from the whole world forever.”

Reluctantly, I sit back down, watching helplessly while Vanessa digs deep for a final time as her swing begins its ascent. Steam escapes into the crisp fall air as she exhales.

Okay, now jump.

Alright, that’s high enough.

Jump...

Seriously girl…

Jump already.

She holds on until the swing reaches its apex, waiting till the last possible second to release her grip on the chains. Somehow—maybe because of the look of pure joy on her face—I stop being afraid and begin rooting for her. Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” streams like an anthem in my head as I watch her triumphantly land in the half-frozen rubber mulch that surrounds the swing set.

I think I see pain flash in her eyes as she loses her balance and drops to one knee. It didn’t look like she landed hard enough to really hurt something, but I bet it didn’t feel great just the same. I’m sorry sweetheart but your aunt is right. I can’t protect you from everything. And landing often hurts a lot more than taking off.

As quickly as the pain appears, it’s gone. Processed and put away before she stands and looks to us, briskly rubbing her knee while checking to be sure we saw her accomplishment.

“Woohoo. That was so high,” Mollie calls as she claps proudly.

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