Page 58 of Just Like This
Garrett ended a phone call just as I was folding the last load. He took it from me and smiled thinly. Our time was drawing to a close, and I couldn’t stop the tears from intermittently streaming down my cheeks. I stood in the doorway and watched him pack up the last of his clothes. Then I watched him transform from civilian to soldier.
His uniform was laid out on the bed, all of the pieces neatly arranged, and his big, heavy boots sat next to the bed. Slowly, he pulled on each item, and I had to cover my mouth to quiet the cry that threatened to escape. This was my first time seeing him in uniform, and he was breathtaking. He looked so serious and powerful but also handsome. Finally, he turned and offered himself for my inspection. I pulled my phone free from my back pocket and took his picture.
I stepped forward and ran my shaking fingers across the patch with his last name stitched on it. It would be mine eventually.
“Camille Hammond,” he said softly. “It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
I worked my bottom lip between my teeth and nodded, looking up at him. “Will you wear your service uniform when we get married?”
“Do you want me to?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. The question just popped into my head, so I thought I’d ask.”
“Well, if that’s what you want.”
“We have a lot of time to figure it all out,” I said casually, turning away. I couldn’t let myself plan for an unknown future.
“Hey.” Garrett grasped my elbow lightly and spun me back to face him. “I want to show you something.”
He walked me over to the full-length mirror attached to one wall. I stood in front of him, so small against his much larger frame. His hands rested lightly on my shoulders. “This is who we are now. A couple ready to separate, a couple with an unknown future. But that’s not who we will always be, Cami. So, I want you to let yourself dream, okay? If you want me to wear my service uniform on the day I become your husband, then I’ll wear it. If you just want a civil ceremony, then that’s what I want too. But don’t be afraid to think about the future.”
“I don’t deserve you,” I said, echoing his words.
“We deserve each other,” he whispered.
For what seemed like forever, we stood in front of that mirror. He made me whole, completed me in a way I didn’t think was possible. But until he came into my life, I hadn’t realized that something was missing.Him.
Garrett cleared his throat and released his hold on me. The clock was ticking, and we didn’t have much time left before he had to report to base.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Let’s get this over with.”
He loaded his rental car with his large duffel bag, and we drove silently to Palmer’s house. Jackson looked equally impressive as he walked out the front door. He was lighter than Garrett with his sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He was clean-shaven, which gave him a baby face and made me realize how much younger he was than Garrett.
“Man, it’s about time you shaved all of that shit off your face,” Jackson teased, pointing at Garrett’s smooth cheeks. “I have no idea how Cami could stand kissing you with all of that crap. You must have given her rug burns.”
“That’s none of your business, asshole. Let’s get on the road. The sooner we get to that hellhole, the sooner we can leave.” I giggled with delight at their playful teasing. I glanced over at Palmer, who just stood in the front doorway watching them.
“You’re going to miss it, aren’t you?” I asked, walking up to him.
“I’ll miss them.” He lifted his chin in their direction. “They’ll always be my brothers. But I won’t miss being in the Army. It did me some good, but it didn’t turn me into the man I wanted to become.”
“Who did you want to become?”
“Someone worthy of you.”
He brushed past me, leaving me standing on the front porch of his house completely stunned. I watched him greet Jackson and Garrett like a brother, and I wondered if they would all be together again after this. Palmer turned back to me with longing and disappointment in his eyes. I hoped he would eventually move on from his unrequited feelings and find someone worthy of him.
