Page 7 of River

“I told Alex we could still get married while I was in the Marines, but he wanted to wait until I got out. I believe it was his mother who kept pushing him to wait. She had hopes that Alex would change his mind.”

I paused for a moment, collecting myself. “Alex was working for my family at the time. We got married soonafter I returned from Afghanistan, and not long after, I found out I was pregnant.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of those memories. “The first time I felt my baby move, I was terrified, but I wanted to feel that sensation again. My love for my son was overwhelming. When I lost him... it broke me in ways I never thought possible.”

I wiped away my tears, but they continued to flow. “I miscarried my baby when I was at the hospital because I started having severe cramps. When I looked at him, he was perfect. He looked like a peacefully sleeping baby.”

“The nurses tried to take him away from me, and I knew it was irrational, but that was my baby. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being buried in a cold, dark hole. My mother helped me clean him, and I wanted to see every inch of his beautiful body. His image will forever be etched in my memory.”

I turned to River and noticed the compassion in his eyes. Sharing my memories of Alex and our son felt like a tremendous weight lifted off my shoulders.

“I’m sorry I didn’t open up about my family earlier. Somehow, I thought that by not mentioning them, none of this pain would ever happen again. I just let it build up inside of me.”

River gently cupped my cheek and kissed me. It wasn’t a romantic kiss—more the kiss of a friend offering comfort—but I still wanted to savor it. I wondered if he’d notice if I licked my lips or closed my eyes. Looking into his eyes made me want to moan out loud, but I held back.

“Kat, listen to me,” he said, his voice steady. “You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever known. I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, but you must move on from this pain. If you keep crying like this, you’ll make yourself sick.It’s okay to mourn them, to feel the ache in your heart. But it’s over. You have to move forward.”

I nodded, unable to form words. My mind was still reeling from the kiss. His arm was still around me, and I don’t think he even realized he’d stood up and come over to comfort me.

3

River

It wasobvious to all of us that Kat’s pain was mainly from the loss of her baby. Seeing the grief etched on her face, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a few of us guys had shed a tear. Her voice carried the weight of her sorrow as she shared her story, the torment in her words evident.

“I’ll see everyone in the office tomorrow,” I said as we all headed toward our vehicles. “Does anyone need a ride?”

“I do,” Tag replied. “I got dropped off.”

That night, I couldn’t sleep. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Kat. Would she ever be the same after what we’d been through in Texas? I wasn’t sure. I was anxious to see how she’d be moving forward.

We lived in the small coastal town of Carlsbad, California, where people knew each other from bumping into them at grocery stores or restaurants. But it hit me—I had never seen Kat out at any of those places. Did she go out with friends? Did she have a social life outside of work?

I knew what I wanted to do after leaving the Army Special Forces. I had trained in Carlsbad for my smoke jumping certificate and had fallen in love with the town.When my buddies left the Special Forces, they moved here, too. It was the perfect place for us and the work we did. You just had to hide from the three elderly women matchmakers, who tried to set everyone who was single up.

I was going through emails when the others started trickling into the office.

Then Kat walked in, wearing her usual high heels and skirt. For some reason, I felt a bit disappointed. But then she smiled, and it changed everything.

“I forgot to ask you guys if I need to wear heels every day,” she said playfully. “I was thinking maybe I could wear them on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What do you think?”

“You can wear whatever you want, as long as it’s clean and not all wrinkled,” Gage said with a grin.

I couldn’t find the words to speak. Her smile was so beautiful. Did she ever smile like this before Texas? It hit me—I had never seen her smile like this before the trip. I turned and headed to my office, needing a moment to process everything.

Five minutes later, Kat walked in and sat down.

“Tell me what’s bothering you,” she said, her voice soft but direct.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. Sorry if I’m a little grumpy.”

“You’re not grumpy. You haven’t even said anything to me yet,” she teased. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

I fumbled for words. “Today… well,” I paused, my brain blank. “Can you start by going through the emails? We can take it easy for the next few days. I’m sure you know what you need to do, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“River, please let me know if my being here is causing you stress,” she said, her tone serious.

“No, it’s not stressing me out. Actually, I think I’m going to take the day off.”

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