Page 17 of The Soldier's Homecoming

He nodded. Reluctantly.

“A day, then?” he asked. “Let’s spend the day together tomorrow, enjoy the party, and tomorrow night we can talk.”

Penny swallowed what felt like a dinner plate. Her mouth was dry and raspy, her breathing shallow.

“Okay,” she agreed. “You’re right, we do need to talk. I just need some space right now.”

Daniel stared at her from across the room, his gaze saying what words could never express.

She knew, because she felt the same look, the same emotions, in her own eyes.

He crossed the room with the stealth of a leopard, feet making the softest of sounds on the carpet.

Daniel stopped a breath away from her, pressed one of his palms to her own as it hung by her side and whispered a kiss across her cheek.

She should have moved, but she didn’t.

Couldn’t.

“I love you.” His words were so soft it was as if they were a part of his slow exhale.

She stood stunned. Watched him walk backward, his eyes never leaving hers, until he reached the hall and had to turn.

Penny stood there, waited for him to collect his already packed overnight bag and let her gaze follow him to the door. Daniel turned, hand raised in a half wave, before opening the door and disappearing into the night.

She waited, frozen, until she heard the car’s engine rumble, listened to him pull out of the driveway.

No.

She was alone.

Penny thrust her hand up, fisted it into her mouth as a choking sob, a wail, threatened to bubble up from her throat.

Then she fell to her knees, her body weaker than a floppy rubber band.

Tears poured down her cheeks, wet her T-shirt. Choked her.

But she couldn’t deny them, not any longer.

As silent sobs raked her chest, she forced her mouth shut to close out any noise.

Gabby was asleep down the hall, the house wasn’t empty.

There had been nights when she’d stood in the dark, with only her breath in the cold to remind her that she was still alive, when she’d been serving overseas.

But she’d never, ever been so alone in all her life as she was right now.

4

“IDIOT, moron, loser… do I need to keep going?”

Daniel scowled as his brother. Yeah, he’d mucked up, but he didn’t need to be constantly reminded. He was doing a fine job of that all on his own.

“That’s enough, Tom.” He grimaced at the growl in his tone.

Tom raised an eyebrow. “Enough? Yet here you are, sleeping on my couch, while youramazingwife lies in your bed.Alone.”

He shut his eyes. Hell, he’d shut Tom out, too, if he could. But he wasn’t going to knock on his mom’s door in the middle of the night, and he didn’t exactly like his chances of convincing any of his married friends to let him in after dark. Not when they’d no doubt be happily asleep beside their own wives.

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