Page 81 of The Soldier's Homecoming

Daniel bent to put Gabby back down and pulled his camera from his pocket.

“Can I take a snap of my two girls?”

Penny wanted to say no, because she was feeling too fragile to do anything other than have both Daniel and Gabby by her side until she had to board. But she also wanted Gabby to have a permanent memory of this day. Of seeing her mother off at the airport before she headed off for her final tour of duty.

Daniel stepped back, half crouched to take the shot.

“Excuse me?”

They all looked over at a woman who’d stopped behind Daniel.

“Would you like me to take a photo of all of you?”

Daniel gave her one of his trademark beamers, dimple shining out, before passing her the camera.

“Thank you,” he said.

Penny smiled her thanks to the stranger, too, before falling into Daniel’s embrace at the same time as he scooped Gabby back up into his arms.

The flash went off but Penny found it hard to let Daniel go.

“You make a beautiful family,” said the woman.

Penny looked up at Daniel and reached for her daughter. The love she saw in his gaze, shining out from his eyes, made the breath sigh from her lungs.

They did make a beautiful family.

Now she just needed to summon the strength to cope with leaving them, and look forward to the day they’d be reunited. Because they would make this work. It wasn’t going to be easy, it was still going to be tough, but theywouldwork through it.

Penny fingered the new ring she wore around her neck on a platinum chain.

Daniel had promised to be here for her. And with every beat of her heart, with every pump of blood through her veins, she believed him. Because he was her husband and she had to have faith.

“We’re going to miss you,” he whispered.

“I know,” she murmured back. “But when I get back, it’s the start of our new life together.”

Daniel tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from her braid back behind her ear.

“Only four months, three days and eighteen hours until we’ll be waiting here again, right?”

Penny tilted her head back and laughed.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Daniel put Gabby back down and engulfed her in a bear hug.

“You’re the one, Penny. You always were, and you will always be.”

She kissed him as he dipped his head to find her mouth.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” he said. “Now go board that plane and hurry home, okay?”

She dropped to her knees to kiss her daughter goodbye.

“See you soon, hon. I love you so much.”

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