Page 23 of Unbearable

Trent

SHAKE THE FROST - TYLER CHILDERS

I hadn’t even fully openedmy truck door when Gracie came flying at me. I stepped out just in time to catch her in my arms. I wasn’t exactly sure when, but sometime in the last couple of years, she got so big.

When I first came back to Woodstone Falls after eight years away, she was a little nugget with a baby face. Now she was starting to look more and more like Dorian every day, despite her blond hair and blue eyes, like her aunt.

“Uncle Trent! I missed you!” she said as I set her down.

“Hi, sweets. I missed you too. How are you?” I asked, ruffling her hair. She grabbed my hand, and we started to walk inside.

“I amsogood. I lost my first tooth, and Daddy told me that if I put it under my pillow, the tooth fairy will bring me money.” She opened her mouth to show the little gap. It only made her even more adorable.

I let out a laugh. “He’s right. Maybe we can talk about what to spend your tooth fairy money on inside. Let’s go, I want to talk to your dad too.” I squeezed her little hand in mine as we walked inside.

As I entered Dorian’s home, I admired its modern, beautiful touches despite its modest size. Dorian, the only local veterinarian, had done well for himself and Gracie, especially considering all that happened with Gracie’s mom.

He was my oldest and closest friend, besides Dotty, if I could count her as a friend. The three of us had been inseparable as kids, and while Dorian didn’t know all my secrets, he understood me in a way most didn’t. He saw through the happy facade I put on and knew what was underneath. My childhood was good, filled with happy memories, but I’d be lying if I said not having my mom in my life didn’t affect me deeply.

Joining the military was a sudden and rash decision, born from my nineteen-year-old self’s desperation for direction. At that time, Dorian had completed his first year of college, and Dotty was about to move to Seattle.

Meanwhile, I felt utterly stuck.

I had always lived by the seat of my pants, going with the flow, letting life happen, and enjoying it. But that carefree approach didn’t work when facing the responsibilities of adulthood. I needed to make big decisions about how I was going to support myself.

Staying on the ranch and working there was an option, even if I knew David James would have paid me generously.

But deep down, I knew I needed more.

I needed to escape and find myself, to learn to cope with my grief—not only the loss of my father, but also the absence of my mother throughout my life.

My spontaneous nature needed to find stability, and though joining the military was a decision I made in asingle day, it turned out to be the best thing I ever did for myself.

I needed to grow up, and the army provided that opportunity in ways I couldn’t have received elsewhere.

During my enlistment, I learned many invaluable life lessons. I was pushed into situations where I had to develop resilience, discipline, and a sense of responsibility. It forced me to confront my grief and insecurities head-on.

Through rigorous training and the camaraderie of my fellow soldiers, I found a new sense of purpose and direction. In the structured environment of the military, I learned the importance of commitment, the value of hard work, and, most importantly, I learned how to deal with loss after losing one of my closest friends while I was deployed.

In the army, I gained a sense of belonging and realized that my past, with all its pain and uncertainty, didn’t have to define my future.

Instead, it could be a foundation upon which I built a stronger, more determined self. Looking back, I see that joining the military wasn’t just about escaping my circumstances, it was about transforming myself. It was about finding stability in chaos and discovering who I was meant to be. And for that, I was forever grateful.

Throughout the eight years I was away from Woodstone, Dorian and I never lost touch. We always checked in with each other, and he has always been the person I could go to when I needed it.

“Hey, man. Good to see you,” I said, walking into the kitchen where he was standing. Gracie’s hand was still in mine. “This one almost football tackled me to the ground. She’s getting huge.” I let go of her hand, and she went to sit at the dining table.

“She saw your truck pull up and asked if she could run out. I guess she took that literally.” He chuckled.

“Daddy, what does literally mean?” she asked.

“It means… literally. When you think something is literal,” he replied, stumbling over his words.

“That doesn’t make sense. I thought you were a doctor,” Gracie said, and I laughed at her bluntness.

“You did use the word in the definition,” I pointed out.

“That’s enough from you,” he groaned. “Gracie, go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon.”

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