Page 40 of I Promise You
“Oh, Lord, what did that man do?” My eyes circle in curiosity.
“He said, ‘One, I don’t care—engaged ain’t official. And two, you won’t date one, but, baby girl, you’ll marry one after tonight.’”
Damn.
I clap my hands, raising my eyebrows, fighting the curve of my lips.
“So, he whisked me away from my girlfriends. We talked and danced all night until El Devine closed. I’ve never connected with a man so fast. I felt like crap because I should have felt guilty about it, but I didn’t at the end of the night. I ended it with my ex-fiancé the next day.”
“Is that usually how it goes with these men? Fast-paced?”
“Honestly, it’s cliché, but yes. But I think it’s for a good reason. These men who serve our country are almost always gone, depending on the type of job they have, of course, but this life is hard and it makes you appreciate every second you have together because you don’t know when it’ll be your last. I think that’s why things tend to be more fast-paced.”
I’m just sitting in this chair, soaking every word Noel shares with me. I don’t know if I want to be with someone who’s always gone.
I know I want Danny, though.
The Navy will always have the upper hand in our relationship, demanding his skills and taking time away from our normal life at home.
“You don’t know if they’ll be gone on training, missions, deployments. It’s hard on the wives, especially our children. I’ve been begging him to leave the Navy, but it’s an argument I won’t win. He almost died this last time.” She chokes up and takes adeep breath, closing her eyes. She massages her brows with her fingers before collecting her emotions.
“I’ve come to accept he’s retiring in the Navy. It only took me ten years to accept it.”
She opens her eyes and looks at me with a comforting smile.
“Thank you, Ari.”
“What for?”
“Enzo told me Paul’s little sister helped save his life in Iraq. You gave me my husband back, alive. Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without him. He’s my other half.”
She looks at me straight into my brown eyes, and I feel a wave of confidence in my skills.
“I will be forever grateful to you for that.” She nods, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I’ve only been with Danny for less than a year, and I’m already intimidated by his schedule. I-I’m not sure I can do this. I’m not sure if I can continue being worried like this. Especially after my brother’s death. This life is hard, just like you said.”
She relaxes her posture by lying back in the hospital bed, studying me. I have to gather her discharge paperwork before she can leave.
“Your feelings are completely valid...” She pauses, intertwining her fingers and relaxing them on her lap. “But I’ll tell you something.” She bites the inside of her cheek.
“Yes?”
“If you leave Danny, it’ll destroy him. He loves you. That man is so in love with you; he’s in dire cavernous trouble with how he feels about you.”
I can’t help it, but even Noel can say those three words for Danny, and he still hasn’t.
He has told me time and time again he isn’t a man of words, but a man of actions. He doesn’t have to say it. I know the way he feels about me. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
I clear my throat.
“Well, Noel, I will be back with your discharge paperwork so you can get home to your other baby and husband,” I tell her as I reach for the doors.
“Thank you, Ari.”
I give her a nod in response, flashing a smile, and walk toward the nurses’ station.
I palm my lower belly, feeling that same pit of anxiety I’ve been trying to escape.
