Page 98 of It Should Have Been Me

“Today?”

That smacks the smile right off my face. “Uh...no. Are you crazy? We can’t get married today. How are we going to pull a wedding together so fast? It’s aTuesday. We need a priest, and you need a dress...and there are so many other things to consider.”

“That’s why you’re the logical one. You’re right.” She nods. “I’m sorry. That was impulsive. What about tomorrow?”

I smile. “Yeah, I can do tomorrow.” I drop the cards and take her hand in mine. “But first...let’s put this back on the right finger.” I slowly pull the ring off her middle finger and slide it onto her ring finger, where it belongs.

“I love you, Soldier.” She looks down at the card still on my chest. “What does your last card say?”

I toss her onto the bed and roll on top of her, the force of movement causing the cards to flutter to the floor. I flick the card to show her what I wrote:A future for us isn’t in the cards.

“Nice play on words.” Her face scrunches in the cutest way. “But that didn’t age well, did it?”

“I guess not.”

She reaches up to gently stroke my cheek. “I made you feel that way. I made you feel like you took a backseat to everything else, and I’m sorry. I should’ve come home five years ago, but I was so hurt after you ended it...then you refused to talk to me, and I just forced myself to move on. I lied to myself. I kept saying that I had a full, happy life when I felt so empty inside. I had too much pride to admit the truth and because of that, I ended up hurting someone who in no way deserved it. So stupid.”

“I was stupid too, and now we’ve lost so much time that we can’t get back.”

“Well, how about we start trying to make up for it right now?”

Her arms slip around my neck and my mouth lands on hers. Soft, sensual, all-consuming – the unmistakable kiss of Catalina Diaz. My love. My life. And in twenty-four hours, my wife. The boundaries of time and distance collapse. The clothes separating us are slowly discarded. I take my time savoring everything about her. The soft curve of her hips. The smooth skin of her thighs. The plump swell of her breasts. This body is mine and will always come back to me.

Her legs wrap around my waist, urging me closer, and then I’m pushing inside her, her wet heat utterly intoxicating me. My tongue explores her mouth, languidly caressing hers.

“I love you,” I murmur, my lips dragging against hers with every up-and-down thrust.

Her fingers rake over my head, pulling me closer until my chest is flush against hers. She’s panting, lost in ecstasy, whispering my name, and her ragged breaths mingle with mine. Her hips start to rock, taking me in deeper. Even with the slow rhythm of my thrusts, the urgency builds at a phenomenal pace. Desperate moans fill the space between us, and her back arches as we climax. I drop butterfly kisses on her neck and collarbone as we try to steady our breathing.

And in that moment, I feel safe enough to suck in my pride and confess to her what happened while she was gone. “I watched Sharknado.” And it feels like a weight off my shoulders. “I want you to know that after everything that’s happened – you breaking my heart, you leaving me – that is the one thing I will never forgive you for.”

“I’m sorry.” She giggles, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around me. “The first one was pretty good, though.”

“Fucking legendary!”

She laughs, then kisses me again.

* * * * *

ASMALL YELP WAKESme up later that morning. I try to get up and realize Cat’s head is nestled in the crook of my neck. Her arm is slung across my chest. The feeling of waking up beside her still feels surreal. I carefully remove my arm from beneath her head and reach over to lift Rocky.

“Hey. Morning, bud,” I whisper. “Look who’s here. She came back. I think I’m going to tie her to the bed so she doesn’t leave again. What do you think? It’s a plan, right?”

“I can hear you,” she murmurs, her voice groggy with sleep. “I already told you I’m not leaving.”

I lean over to pluck a quick kiss on her lips. “Well then, in that case, how about we rustle up some breakfast?”

“In an hour.” She flips over, pulling the covers over her head. “I’m exhausted, so I’m going back to sleep.”

I stare at Rocky in disbelief. “Now, that’s just selfish. Do you know how many times she woke me up at a quarter to seven in the morning when I wanted to sleep in?” I toss off the covers and get out of bed. “C’mon, let’s get you fed.”

I feed Rocky, then video call Pete. He answers after two rings. “Pete!” I yell as soon as his face appears on the screen, because I can’t contain my excitement.

“Scott?” He squints, still trying to wake up. “What in God’s name are you doing calling me at this hour?”

“Hang on. Let me get Dyl on this call.” I go through my contact list, then dial Dylan’s number and wait for his face to pop up on the screen too.

“Hey, Scott.”

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