Page 119 of Lucky Charm
He stopped her thoughts cold. “We can do hard things, honey. We talked about this before. Hell, we’ve already done a bunch of hard things. We found each other again. We survived the mountain. We’ve met our obligations to our commands when it would have been easier not to. You sent a bunch of service people home alive – two of them mine. I hunted down a terrorist. We’ll get you through this, too.”
“That makes our lives together sound like a train wreck.” Another tear fell. The doctor in her would never have allowed that, but the woman grappling with love and pain and ugly memories needed to let them fall.
“We’re both people who those in charge turn to for the job to get done. Hard stuff calls for people that can execute solutions. When one doesn’t work, you try something else.”
“That’s a SEAL thing, right?”
He grinned. “We can do hard things. Don’t ring the bell on me, Lucky Charm.”
“I’m trying not to.” She closed her eyes again. The light hammered her head. “Can you turn down the lights?”
“Sure.” He rose and did as she asked, but came right back to the spot he’d been in.
“Let’s set ourselves a goal. That might help.”
“What goal?”
“Let’s get married in a month.”
“Married?” The words puffed out with no force behind them. Their months apart crashed into her leaving her grasping for his hand. What better place to be in than to know he’d come home to her. “Are you asking?”
“First, truth. Everyone here thinks we’re engaged. It was the only way they’d let me in your room when you were unconscious. Thank Moss and Cartwright later.”
“Thank God, I told Duncan.”
“You aren’t mad?”
“No. I can’t explain how you holding my hand when I woke reached inside me and put me on stable ground. I love you so much. I remember thinking I didn’t want to lose my life with you when everything exploded.”
“Believe me when I say that when I first found out you were hurt, my knees collapsed. I thought my heart had stopped.” He carefully pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m in this fight with you until you’re in our home, safe and sound.”
“San Diego?”
Hunt sighed. “If that’s what you want, I’m not going to argue. Is that yes?”
“To getting married? Yes. A month? No. Jackie has to go home before that. I want her to be present, and it’ll get too complicated once we get back to the states.”
“Okay, how about tomorrow?”
Cait’s eyes had been trying to close, but they snapped open. “Can we even get married in Germany?”
“Yes, we’re on US soil on post. I can talk to the chaplain. Might need to tell your commander, though. I need to tell Scott, too.”
“We’re crazy.” She laughed quietly.
“We can do hard, crazy things, too.” Hunt lifted her right hand to his lips. “We deserve them.”
“I’m tired, Hunt. Let me call my commander when I wake.” She lapsed into sleep again floating on a bubble of wonder.
∞∞∞∞∞
“Are you insane?” Jackie shoved a hand through her loose hair, then marched to her purse and took a few minutes to put her hair in a tight ponytail. They were both looking pretty ragged. “You can’t get married tomorrow. That’s not even fair,” she whisper-yelled at him.
Hunt looked to the bed, relieved Cait was still sleeping. He couldn’t count the number of whispered conversations he and Jackie had on a daily basis. He had to explain himself. “Cait said yes, but now I’m asking you. I want Cait in my life. I promise you, I’ll take care of her.”
Jackie pulled the second visitor’s chair to his and sank into it. “I know you will, but what’s the hurry?”
“You’re going home. Soon. She wants you here. I originally said a month. I figured we’d be at least back in the states, probably at Walter Reid Medical Center by then. She wants you here.” He held up a hand to stop her reply. “That all aside, us being married gives me rights to make decisions for her when she can’t, and it gives us a bit of strength, if you will, in fighting any issues with the Army and the Navy.”
