Page 21 of If You Say So

Hoping that today wouldn’t be as bad as yesterday.

Chapter 3

I thought she liked coffee. Turns out she just likes creamer.

-Riel’s secret thoughts

Malachi

“I saw you on a plane not too long ago,” Jonah said, eyeing me. “Did you escort a fallen soldier

home?”

I remembered the incident he was speaking of.

“I was on the plane, yes.” I nodded. “But I didn’t escort him home. I just happened to be on the

same flight.”

Jonah nodded. “That was bad.”

I agreed; it was.

“I think he came from Germany where I was, though,” I admitted. “I’d heard of a soldier being

sent home to his wife in Texas.”

“I did a little research after I got out and helped the widow,” Jonah said. “Was a twenty-three-

year-old Marine. He was in a helicopter accident. Shot down by a missile.” Jonah scratched his head.

“He had three kids. A five-year-old, an almost two-year-old, and one on the way.”

My stomach knotted.

“Even worse,” I muttered. “At least I didn’t have anybody here.”

“You had your parents,” Jonah corrected me.

I shrugged. “I did. But… from what I’ve been told, we were never close. I moved out of the house

at seventeen. Got them to sign me up with the military. The day that I shipped off to bootcamp, they moved to Florida. Didn’t even come to my graduation.”

Jonah grunted. “Sounds like your parents are douches.” He paused. “What did they do when they

heard that you were alive?”

I rubbed my face, right underneath my eyes.

“Nothing,” I admitted. “They called my mom, but they were away on an Alaskan cruise. Luca’s

parents were the ones to pick me up from the airport.”

Jonah stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what had just come out of my mouth.

“You’re joking,” he said finally.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

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