Page 46 of Misery In Me

Just thinking about it makes my chest ache.

Gage’s words echo in my mind—We’ll figure it all out.He’s really good at offering reassurance, but even his confidence can’t erase the reality of what he does—the danger, the distance. Iknow I can’t keep pretending it won’t affect me or us. If we’re going to make this work, I need to prepare myself for a life I never quite imagined.

I run my finger over the delicate fabric of Zoe’s blanket and force myself to focus on the present. Gage is right. I can’t let fear control everything. This is a big step we’re taking—getting married, building a life together. It’s more than just paperwork—it’s a promise. And no matter what happens with the military, I know I’ll have Gage’s love.

That will be enough.

Almost thirty minutes later, Gage walks back into the waiting room, his face slightly more serious than when he left. My heart skips at the sight of him—so tall, so solid. Even in his fatigues, with his fresh haircut and stern expression, he still looks like the man who stole my heart.

The man I’m about to marry.

“Everything okay?” I ask, trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice.

He nods, but there’s a tightness in his jaw. “Yeah. Just routine stuff. They’re going to put in the paperwork to let me return to duty.”

Gage’s hand brushes my shoulder, and I glance up to meet his eyes. They soften when they land on me, and I feel the tension in my body start to loosen.

“We’re going to be fine,Hermosa,” he whispers, his thumb gently tracing my knuckles. “You, me, and Zoe... we’re going to be just fine. One step at a time.”

His words are simple, but they carry the weight of everything he’s doing for me and for us. I wish I could believe him completely and let go of this gnawing fear inside me. But a small part of me, the part that can’t help but be realistic, knows it’s not going to be easy. Not with the military, not with the way life has a tendency to throw curveballs.

Still, I nod, squeezing his hand in return. “Yeah. We’ll figure it out.”

We sit in silence for a moment, the quiet hum of the building around us only broken by the occasional shuffle of someone in the hallway. Zoe stirs in her seat, a tiny yawn escaping her lips. Gage’s eyes light up as he watches her, the soft smile he gives her makes my heart ache.

“Why don’t you hold her while we walk out?” I offer.

He leans over, carefully unbuckling Zoe from her seat with the same tenderness he reserves for her, cradling her against his chest. It’s the most natural thing in the world to see him with her, to see him care for her the way he does. There’s no hesitation, no doubt in the way he holds her close, his gaze never straying from her perfect face.

“I’ll never get enough of this,” he murmurs, his voice low and almost reverent as he gazes down at Zoe. “I swear, she’s growing too fast. I can’t wait to do this from the beginning with you. To see them on the ultrasound and hopefully be born.”

I smile softly, my heart swelling. I never imagined I would be here with him. It’s overwhelming.

“We have time,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “She’s only three months old.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll still miss every single second of it.” He looks up at me, his expression serious. “I want to be here for every moment. Every milestone, every first. I want to see all of it with our kids and I know I’m going to miss things and I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t break my heart.”

He chuckles to himself for a moment while he rises to his feet so I ask. “What’s so funny?”

“I just never saw myself wanting this. A wife and kids, yet here I am. A father and now, by the end of today, a married man. A man who wants nothing more than for his woman to have his babies.”

"Well, let’s get moving so we can work on some of that.” I stand on my toes and kiss his cheek. I lean into him, my head resting against his shoulder, my arms now wrapped around his middle. “We’ll make it work, Gage,” I whisper. “Whether you're here with me or we are doing it via phone, we’re going to do this.”

He presses a kiss to the top of my head, holding me just a little tighter. “I hope so. Because I don’t plan on letting go of you, not now, not ever.”

The words hang in the air between us, carrying more weight than I think either of us realizes. The truth is, this isn’t going to be easy. There will be challenges—hard ones, ones we’ll both have to face, together and apart. But for now, with Zoe’s tiny breath in the space between us, I know we can do it.

We have to.

And I’m willing to try. For him. For Zoe.For us.

Gage’s phone vibrates in his pocket, breaking the silence, and he lets out a soft sigh as he pulls it out. His face hardens as he reads the message, his jaw clenching just slightly.

“We’ve got to get to HQ,” he says, slipping the phone back into his pocket. “They need me ASAP.”

I nod, my heart sinking, but I smile up at him nonetheless. “Okay.”

He kisses the top of Zoe’s head and then mine, his touch warm and gentle. “Let’s go.”

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