Page 10 of My Forever Soldier

“Okay,” she whispered. Only because she wanted to see if hecouldchange her mind.

“One month?” he asked.

As long as it takes. “Let’s just see how we go,” she answered.

Luke backed away from her, edging slowly down the hall. She was planted on the spot, her feet powerless to walk away even if she’d wanted to. What she would give in her dream.

But he was right. Maybe they did have to give it a chance, for Charlie’s sake. But he was going to have to prove to her that he deserved a second chance before she ever let him back in. It had been so long, and she knew he was probably full of conflict from his time abroad. He could just as easily take flight and leave her all over again, and this time he would leave a heartbroken kid behind, too.

She was strong, so she could see him leave now and force a wall over her heart. But Charlie couldn’t. Her boy would be affected forever if he fell in love with his dad and then he left, but she didn’t have any control over that. She could stop Luke from affecting her, but he had rights to his son, and she wasn’t going to stand in his way. Yet.

Luke triedhis hardest not to look back over his shoulder. He balled one fist as he walked, turning into his room as if he was marching. His body rigid.

He had come home with no intention of a reconciliation—no intention of asking for Ollie back. What he’d wanted was to be there for his son. But being home, spending time with his boy and being around his wife was driving him crazy. His perfect little family was still within his grasp, and he had to grab hold as quickly as he could to avoid losing them. Forever.

He’d never stopped regretting leaving them the first time, but they’d all been so young. Charlie had been so difficult, and Ollie had seemed determined to push Luke away. He’d panicked over being a dad, struggled for so long without being able to talk to his wife about it without her exploding, and then he’d joined his unit and never come home. Been promoted to a Special Operations task force and tried not to look back.

But right now he had a chance, and he wasn’t going to walk away again without trying. All his life he’d been told he wasn’t good enough, had grown up thinking he didn’t deserve a family, that there was a reason he’d been left, that the way he’d been treated in foster care was normal. But he had a chance now to right the wrongs he’d made, to give his son the kind of home he’d wanted so bad as a kid, and to make things right with his wife. To stop being afraid ofwhat ifand live in the now.

All he needed to do was figure outhow.

Ollie kepther hands busy with dinner and her ears on Luke. It wasn’t an easy conversation to be having, she’d give him that, but he owed it to Charlie to be straight with him. And if Luke hadn’t told him, then it would have been left to her—again.

“I know I said I wouldn’t leave you, bud, but it’s, well it’s tricky.”

Charlie was pouting. He didn’t throw tantrums often, but she was starting to think this could turn into one.

“But you said,” he whined.

Now Ollie was sure they were moving into meltdown territory.

“Okay, I’ll make you a promise,” she heard Luke say.

Charlie jumped to attention then, his frown disappearing, but Ollie had one hover across her lips instead. The last thing she needed was to deal with a broken promise. She bit down on her lip, determined not to interfere.

“I promise that I’ll tell you where I’m going and for how long, if I go away. And I’ll phone you while I’m gone,” Luke said.

Ollie pretended to toss the salad, and tried hard to keep her eyes down. Could he keep that promise?

“Really?” Charlie asked.

“Yep, really.” Luke smiled and extended his hand.

“Shake and it becomes a real promise. Aman’spromise.”

Olivia dropped the serving spoon by mistake. A man’s promise? She didn’t know whether she should be hoping he’d be able to keep it, or annoyed that he’d even made it.

She turned to see Charlie slowly put his hand into his father’s.Trusting. Trusting that he could believe in the big promise his father had just made him.

“See these soldiers?” asked Luke, holding them up for his son to see.

Charlie nodded.

“This one here is a sergeant.” He reached out and placed it in his hand. “This fellow here, well, he’s a private.”

“What are you, Daddy?” Charlie’s question made Ollie’s breath catch in her throat.

“Well, son, I’m a lieutenant colonel, and that means I have to lead my men, to make sure that people like you and Mommy back here are safe. We have to go on special operations.”

---