Page 20 of My Forever Soldier

7

TODAY HAD BEEN NICE.More than nice. It had almost felt normal. They’d dropped Charlie at preschool, done the grocery shopping together, just mundane things, but it had been good.

“Want to stop for something to eat?”

“Sure thing.”

It was nice being the passenger in her own car and having someone drive her around for a change. And it was also nice not to be angry. Not to be seething inside and itching for a fight. It wasn’t as if she’d forgiven Luke completely, but she was slowly opening up to the idea of listening to what he had to say, to giving him that chance to prove himself.

All Olivia had ever wanted was an explanation, a grown-up discussion about what he’d done and how it had hurt her and Charlie. The effect it had had on them. They’d made good headway yesterday, though the whole Delta Force announcement had thrown her a little. But still…She could see it from his point of view—not that she agreed, far from it. But if they were going to attempt a trial to see if they could ever be together again… she was going to have totry. And that meant she had to listen to him.

“Here okay?” he asked.

She looked out and saw the sign for Cup. Perfect. “Good choice,” she said. Her stomach was starting to growl.

Luke pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine. “How long do we have till Charlie’s finished?”

“Another hour,” she said.

They got out of the car and walked in. It was strange, being just the two of them. Since he’d been home almost all their time alone had been limited to the house.And arguing. It was as if Charlie was their buffer, ensuring they didn’t argue too much, too loudly or too often.

This was like an awkward second date.

“Coffee?”

Olivia nodded. “Latte, please.”

Luke ordered, then joined her at the table she’d chosen. He sat across from her, fingers thrumming gently on the tabletop.

“What’s a normal day for you?” he asked.

Olivia looked up. “Is it weird transiting back to this kind of life?”

“Yeah.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, needing to hear him say that. Because sheknewhe’d be finding it hard—missing his buddies, not sure how to fit back in at home.

“My days are pretty routine. I usually get Charlie up and ready, then it’s either off to preschool or doing chores around home. Afternoons are most likely work for me, unless Charlie’s at school, and then I do as much as I can.”

Luke was watching her so intently she found it hard to look back. She’d never been so grateful to see a waitress when theirs arrived and placed coffee in front of them, because it gave her something to focus on other than the seriously masculine man sitting across from her. It didn’t seem to matter what the time of day or what he was wearing, she couldn’t stop the insistent thud of attraction that continually pushed through her body. A yearning she couldn’t control, a desperation to know what it would be like to be back in his arms again, even though she resented thinking like that at all.

“Two forks. Enjoy.”

Olivia murmured a thank-you, but she was focused on Luke and the plate in front of her.

“What’s this?”

Clearly she knew what it was, but…

“You don’t like lemon meringue pie anymore?”

She did. Oh, did she ever. But how had he remembered something like that?

Luke leaned over the table and handed her one of the forks. “There are things I’ll never forget about you, Ollie. Pie is only one of them.”

She reached for the fork and took a mouthful, savoring the sweet yet tart flavor. It had always been her favorite dessert, her weakness. And somehow, despite everything that had happened between them, all the time that had passed, Luke hadn’t forgotten.

He winked at her, that delicious slow wink that never failed to make her body turn to liquid. “We used to be good, you and me. Before life got all complicated on us.”

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