A Curvy Girl for the Cadet: A Perfect Fit Novella (18 page)

Before I go
, she was waiting to hear him say, but he didn’t. “When are you going to the coast?”

“Today.” He dug his spoon into the ice cream. “There’s a lobster shack, I want to go to.”

“But Clayton…”

“My father asked us if we would like to go to South Carolina with him. He rented a big house. Maggie and Alex are going. Even my mother and Gordon will be there. I said yes. I’m trying harder with them. You’re right. I was being an asshole. Turning away people who love me.”

“Yes.” She felt completely breathless. “They do. But Clayton you said us. You didn’t tell them we were broken up?”

“I didn’t. Because we’re not.”

“But we are.” She shook her head. “I was there.”

He nodded. “I’m in love with you. Did you know that?”

“Yes,” she whispered, feeling like crying again. “But it’s nice to hear it. I like hearing you say that.”

“I’ll say it again. I love you. I’m in love with you. I feel incomplete without you.”

“Oh.” Her heart flipped over in her chest. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I need to.”

“But it hurts me, because I know that you’re just going to leave.”

“I won’t.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I won’t leave you. Not if I can help it. I’ve signed the papers. I own Sanna and Son now.”

“What?” She sat there kind of stunned, not sure what to say or think or do.

“I’ve been stuck, Daisy. Stuck mad at my parents. Stuck thinking I couldn’t be happy. Stuck thinking I couldn’t find my place in the world outside the army. And then you came along and knocked me over. You made me happy. I don’t even remember being happy before, but then you came and I feel again. I feel full again when for so long I’ve felt nothing but empty. And then I got stuck again, thinking I was going to be a bad husband, a bad father. I got stuck thinking I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me because I needed you so much.”

“You don’t need me. What are you talking about?”

“I do. I do need you. Some days I felt like I couldn’t breathe without seeing your face and hearing your voice. But then I realized that you need me too. You need me to love you and to be there for you. You need me to cry on and give you babies and love Aubrey.”

“And get rid of bats,” she said as the tears streamed down her face.

“Yeah,” he grinned. “I’m your bat guy. I want to be your husband, Daisy. I love you. Even before I really knew you, I loved you.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s not. I used to hope to get a glimpse of you whenever I came or left my house. You gave me something to look forward to. You gave me a reason to smile again. I went to a support group for vets. I’m going to see somebody every week. I need to. I need to for us.”

She nodded again, her tears flowing freely. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me.”

He got up and knelt before her, pulling the ring out of his pocket. “I think I wanted to marry you the first time I kissed you. But I knew I wanted to marry you the first time you invited me into your home and made me feel like I belonged there. Will you be my partner, my soulmate, my wife?”

“Oh, Clayton. I don’t think I have any other choice.” She cupped his face and kissed him and she knew right then and there, that she had finally found her forever family with him.

The End.

Copyright © 2015 Jamie Pope

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions

By payment of required fees, you have been granted the
non
-exclusive,
non
-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

Please Note

The reverse engineering, uploading, and/or distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

Cover Design and Interior format by The Killion Group

http://thekilliongroupinc.com

Thank you.