Page 44 of The Soldier's Homecoming

Penny was wondering how she would even stomach the main course, even though she’d been ravenous when they’d first arrived.

“I’m sorry, Penny,” he told her. “I’Il say it a thousand times if it helps. Because I honestly, truly, hand on my heart mean it.” His chocolate-brown eyes bored into hers, filled with more emotion that she could ever believe could be held in a single expression. “I’m so sorry that it’s killing me. Even if We can’t work through this, even if it is over, I need to know you forgive me.”

She looked up at him and took a deep breath,

“I know you’re sorry,” she said. And she did. She believed him now. “But it doesn’t make it any easier for me. okay? One day I’ll be able to forgive you, because that’s the kind of person I am.”

A flicker of hope crossed his face that she moved fast to stamp out. She had no intention of giving him false hope when she had no idea herself what was going to happen.

“What I’m trying to say, Daniel, is that I’ll be able to forgive you because you’re the father of my child. What I don’t know is if I’ll ever be able to forgive you as my partner.”

Silence stretched so tightly between them it could have snapped.

“Can you honestly tell me that if I’d been unfaithful, if I’d done the same thing to you, that you’d ever be able to move past it? The hurt I feel, the pain…” She held up her hand to stop the conversation. To tell him it was enough. “I just can’t give you an answer right now.”

It was as if she’d winded him with a fist to his gut, but he regained his composure within half a second.

“Let’s enjoy our meal, shall we?”

He gave her a tight smile. She responded by topping up her glass with more red wine.

She wasn’t used to drinking, it had been a long time since she’d had anything alcoholic, but tonight she needed it.

To help her make one of the biggest decisions of her life.

It waslike he was fighting for his life.

The idea of losing Penny was akin to a life-support machine being taken from a terminal patient. Like a limb being torn from a still-warm body.

But he was tougher than this. Had the will and strength to dosomething,anything to give it his best shot.

To try to survive this.

Hell, he knew tough. He’d been in the depths of hell in the cockpit of a helicopter more times than he could count.

He’d been a helicopter pilot with the navy for almost all his adult life.

Surviving was in his blood.

“Thanks for dinner, Daniel. It was…lovely.”

Penny was making an effort and he appreciated it. He’d half expected her to walk off that plane and slap him. To yell and curse and throw him out of the house.

But that wasn’t her. She was hurting, and it hurt him to know he was the cause of her pain.

She might be dying a slow, painful death on the inside, but Penny was strong. Women didn’t survive to rise through the ranks in the U.S. Army without being intelligent, strong and resourceful.

And Penny was all three.

“Do you want to take a walk before we drive home?”

She looked about to hesitate.

Then surprised him.

“Yeah,” she said. “Let’s.”

Daniel gave the waiter a wave as they left, following Penny down the stairs and into the slightly chilly air outside.

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