Page 78 of The Soldier's Homecoming

Now she could forget.

Had forgotten. Had forced herself to.

Because Daniel was right. What they had been through together, what they had felt for one another in the past, what they’d created together, was more important than anything else.

And it meant they absolutely, truly deserved a second chance.

Daniel slipped the strap of her dress down over her shoulder, reached for the zip before hesitating.

“Love me, Danny,” she whispered, shy yet bold at the same time.

His lips found hers again as she wriggled and he unzipped her from her dress.

This time she didn’t pull away. Didn’t panic.

Because this time it felt right.

15

DANIEL propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at Penny. It had been a long time since he’d felt like this. The past year had been rough, but things were finally feeling right again. Like they could make their marriage work again and be the family they used to be. The family they’d always wanted to be.

“Pen?”

He stroked the edge of his hand across her face, brushing her hair from her forehead to rest on the pillow.

“Yeah?” she murmured, eyes closed as he touched her.

Daniel reached for the bedside-table drawer and fingered the ring he had there. A pretty band inset with a modest row of diamonds that curved around the entire ring.

“Penny, I need you awake for this.”

Her eyes opened, a lazy expression still resting on her face.

He tucked the ring under the pillow before she could see it and went back to touching her, stroking his hand down the curve of her back now as she wriggled closer.

“This is the first time in so long that I’ve been really happy, Penny,” he told her, fighting to push out the words.

It didn’t come naturally, talking about his feelings so openly, but this was his one chance. If he didn’t open up to her now, it would be too late.

“I wish I knew how much you’d been struggling,” Penny said to him, raising her own hand to trace across his cheek. “If I’d known how hard you were finding everything, if we’d been more honest with one another about how hard this was, then maybe…”

He tilted his head, eyes on hers.

It’s not your fault, Penny. None of this was your fault, and you don’t ever have to worry about anything like that ever happening again. You know that, right? Because we’re going to make this work.”

She didn’t need to respond. They’d both faced their own battles, their own demons, this past year. But she trusted him. After all this, after what they’d been through and how they’d reconnected again, he knew in his heart that she would trust him. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they were going to make this work.

“I asked you for a chance when you came home, Pen,” he said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. He inhaled deeply, stomach dancing with nerves.

She snuggled closer. “Thank you, Danny, thank you for making me believe in us again. I would never have forgiven myself if we’d never given us another shot.”

“But?” he asked.

She raised her eyebrows. “Does there have to be abut?”

“No,” he said with a laugh. “I was just so sure there’d be one.”

Penny raised her head and whispered a kiss across his lips.

---