Back in the Soldier's Arms (19 page)

She could have been talking for him. It was exactly how he felt. Like everything within him had finally realigned.

“We only have thirty-six hours left.”

She flopped her head back down onto the pillow. “I know.”

Daniel summoned every drop of bravery within him and slipped the ring out from beneath the pillow where he’d hidden it.

“Daniel?” She was suddenly alert again, eyes wide as she spied what he held.

“You haven’t worn your wedding rings since you’ve been home, Penny …”

“I never should have taken them off.” Penny looked as if she was going to cry.

He sat up properly, facing her on the bed. She did the same, legs crossed. Her hair was long and tumbling forward over her shoulders, long legs tanned and lean, peeking out from beneath lacy boy-shorts.

“You had every right to take them off,” he told her, his left hand touching her knee. “And I want you to leave them here until you come home again.”

He watched as she blinked away tears, confusion clear on her face.

“Why?”

He reached for her left hand and held out the ring he held before slipping it onto her finger.

“This ring symbolizes a promise, Penny, and I want you to wear this unt"Á€ntil you come home. If you want it.”

She watched him without saying anything.

Daniel took both her hands in his. “I want to give you this ring as my promise to you, that I will forever be faithful to you,” he said, voice low and crackly. He breathed deep. “I want you to be my wife, Pen, but I want to deserve that honor.”

She nodded, one side of her mouth curving upward. “Thank you, Danny.”

“For what?”

“For being the husband I always knew you could be.” He pulled her close, into his lap, wrapping his arms tight about her and wishing he’d never ever have to let her go.

“We can make this work, I know we can,” he whispered against her hair.

Penny slipped her hands around his neck, pillowy lips raised to his, waiting to be kissed.

“I don’t want to leave you,” she said.

Daniel fought a choke as it built in his throat. Fought against the sadness and anger that filled his body at the thought of Penny leaving him. Leaving Gabby.

Tried to ignore the worry that niggled in his mind at the thought of her flying back into a situation that could prove so dangerous it could steal his wife from him.

“I’ll be here for you when you get home. Us being okay, together, is the one thing you don’t have to worry about while you’re gone.”

Penny rubbed her face into his shoulder, buried it against his chest.

“I love you, Danny. I love you so much I can hardly breathe.”

“Me, too, sweetheart,” he said, dropping a kiss to her forehead. “Me, too.”

He felt the wetness of her tears against his chest, and hated that he was so powerless to take away her pain. “I wish leaving weren’t so hard.” “I know, baby, I know.”

And he comforted her the only way he knew how. By holding her deep in his arms, lips to hers, and wishing he’d never have to let go.

“Why is it going to be different this time, Danny?”

He let his chin rest on the top of her head.

“Because we’re going to talk, and tell each other when something’s wrong or when we’re struggling.”

He listened to her sigh. “So no more being brave and acting like everything’s okay when it’s not.”

Daniel dropped a kiss into her hair. “We need to talk as often as you can, and I’m going to keep a diary of what Gabby and I do every day. So you don’t feel like you’ve missed out while you’re away.”

She grinned and looked up at him. “And you have to ask for help if you need it, okay? From your mom or Tom.”

He groaned. “Not Tom.”

“Okay, not Tom. But you need to speak up if things get tough. And when your boys are back, you need to hang out with them. Just like you need to make sure you keep up your air time.”

Daniel stroked his thumb across Penny’s cheek. “Why did we not have this conversation before you left last time?”

There was a dampness in her eyes. &ou Á€#x201C;Because we were so busy trying to pretend like everything was going to be okay, and we didn’t want to admit that there could be cracks.”

Daniel didn’t have to think when Penny’s lips found his. Instead, his body moved against hers, responding naturally like they’d never spent a night apart.

Penny being away was never going to be easy, but they were both committed to making it work, and that’s all that mattered.

It’s why he knew that they had a real chance at being happy and in love all over again. Stronger than before.

Penny fought to keep her chin high, shoulders squared. Unlike when she’d arrived, now she wore her army fatigues. And this time she’d let Gabby come with them.

Daniel had been right, it was silly to keep it from their daughter. She might only be five, but she had the right to be proud of her mother, deserved to know why they’d be parted for months again. Serving her country was something to be shouted from the rooftops, to be shared with Gabby. She’d been scared to tell her before in case it worried her, but she was too young to understand what could happen in a worst-case scenario.

Seeing her mother in uniform today had put a smile on Gabby’s face, and anything that helped take the edge of pain off their parting today was worth it.

“Is there anything I can do?”

Penny shook her head and held Daniel’s hand tighter.

“The last time you held my hand that tight you were giving birth to Gabby.”

She sunk her head down onto his shoulder and tried to program the scent of him, the feel of him, into her memory bank.

“How do you always know how to make me smile?”

Daniel dipped down to hoist Gabby up, planting her on his hip before slinging an arm around Penny’s shoulder.

“It seems like forever now, but we’ll be together soon,” he said. “And we’re going to talk and write this time, too, right?”

Penny cuddled into them both, bending forward to kiss Gabby. She wasn’t going to say anything to the contrary, not while Gabby was listening. The last thing she wanted was to upset her when she was being so brave.

But personally, she was terrified. At the thought of leaving, at the worry of what had happened last time she’d been away. Whether she was strong enough to cope without her family, and whether they were strong enough to cope without her.

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 they would work 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.”

Gabby looked sad, but relaxed into her father’s legs as he stood behind her and wrapped his hands around her.

Penny stood up, gave them a salute and hauled her bag over her shoulder.

She forced herself to walk, to keep her legs moving without looking back.

But when she reached the departure gate, she couldn’t help herself.

Penny pivoted, bag still over her shoulder, and let her eyes wander to where she’d left Daniel and Gabby.

They were still there, watching her back.

Penny raised her hand in a brave wave and burst into a tearful laugh as Daniel blew her a kiss.

Four months, three days and eighteen hours.

And then they’d all be together again.

But right now, she needed to board that plane and serve her country.

Back in the Soldier’s Arms/Here Comes the Groom

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EPILOGUE

PENNY fidgeted as she waited to walk through security. She was starting to panic.

She knew they’d be waiting. Daniel had written to her constantly while she was away, and they’d been able to talk almost every four days this time, but she was still worried.

Because now her army days were over. Now she was home forever.

Everything they’d talked about, everything they’d promised one another, was about to become reality now.

The security officer waved her through and she walked faster than she ever had in her life. The airport was busier this time than last, but she didn’t care. There were two faces she was looking for and she wasn’t going to stop until she saw them.

“Penny!”

The deep, booming voice that reached out to her stopped Penny in her tracks, heart beating so hard she was in danger of a heart attack.

Daniel.

She would know his call, the sexy richness of his voice, anywhere.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she looked around, eyes searching frantically.

And then she saw him. Gabby was running along beside him as his long legs ate up the ground. “Penny!”

This was it. This was the homecoming she’d been waiting for.

She smiled so hard she wondered how her cheeks didn’t split, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Before she could bend to see Gabby, Daniel had hold of her, swinging her up into his arms as if she weighed no more than a newborn baby.

“Hey, soldier,” he whispered, before skimming his lips across hers.

Penny sighed into his mouth, arms caught up around his shoulders.

“Hey to you, too.”

“Do you have any idea how much we’ve missed you?” Daniel’s eyes were glued on hers, pupils the color of the richest dark chocolate.

“Yeah, we’ve missed you heaps, Mommy,” said a soft voice laced with shyness.

Penny snuggled her face into Daniel’s chest for a heartbeat, craving his touch, breathing in the scent of him, loving feeling like a featherweight in his arms.

But she wanted Gabby in her arms just as bad.

She reluctantly wriggled from Daniel’s grip and bent to throw her arms around Gabby. “However much you missed me, honey, I missed you a whole heap more.”

Gabby shook her head and looked at her feet. But she held her wrist, adorned with the charm bracelet, up at the same time. Shy.

“Daddy told me to take this off for school but I never did,” she said.

Tears flooded Penny’s eyes but she did her best to blink them away as she fished in her carry bag.

“I bought this for you while I was away.” Gabby looked up, eyes bright. “But it’s nle D‡ot even my birthday yet.”

Penny looked at Daniel and saw that his eyes had misted up, too.

“This is just for being special,” she told her daughter, holding out a little box with a bow around it.

“Shall we head home?” Daniel asked, reaching for Penny to pull her to her feet, other arm circling Gabby’s shoulders.

“Yeah,” she said, beaming up at him. “I can’t think of anything better than going home.

“Daddy said he’s going to take you up in a helicopter tomorrow,” Gabby said, wriggling the bow off her present as they walked.

“Oh, really?” Penny thumped Daniel on the arm. “That’s funny, because Daddy knows how much I hate flying.”

Daniel shrugged, grinning even as she thumped him again. Gabby laughed, wide-eyed.

“He said it was a special occasion, so you wouldn’t be able to say no.”

“Daniel.” Penny tried to protest.

He grabbed her hand, spun her around and scooped her up. Gabby squealed and ran in front of them.

“Don’t you dare put me over your shoulder, Daniel Cartwright!” she insisted.

“Do it, Daddy! Do it!”

Penny was laughing so hard she couldn’t even fight him. “Say yes, Penny,” he ordered. “Say yes to the helicopter ride or I’ll carry you all the way to the car.” She wriggled one more time then gave up. “Yes!” She laughed. “I surrender!” “Good,” said Daniel, dropping her back to her feet. But she couldn’t scold him. Not when he wrapped both arms around her and bent her backwards for a kiss that tingled all the way to her toes.

A round of applause broke out and Gabby opened her eyes as they straightened.

She’d forgotten she was still in her army fatigues. That there were other people around them.

Penny’s cheeks flushed but Daniel responded with a bow before grabbing her hand and Gabby’s.