Page 100 of Welcome to Forever
Micah shook his head. “It’s no comfort.” He closed the door behind him, forcing himself not to slam it. He’d forgive his father later, when it didn’t hurt so badly. He wanted to believe his father was a good guy. When he was a child, he’d thought his father was the biggest hero, braver than Superman and Batman put together. Now, his father was just a man who’d let him down one too many times.
Grabbing his shears, he growled in frustration and then started hacking at an overgrown bush. He’d go on one more deployment and then nothing, and no one, would stop him from being there for his son for the rest of his life.
—
Val nodded in satisfaction. “You did great.”
Kat lifted her mitted hands off the hot cherry pie that had just come out of the oven and stood back to admire it. “I hope everyone is right, and food really is the way to a man’s heart.”
Her friend arched a brow. “I think you’re already in his heart, my friend. But a little pie might be incentive for him to spend an extra long time devouring your body later.”
Kat laughed. “One of these days you’re going to make some pie-loving guy very happy.”
“In the meantime, my pies serve as good deeds and they make Preacher Hunt less likely to disown me as his daughter.”
“You’re a great daughter. And a great friend, in case I haven’t told you lately.”
Val held up a hand. “That’s my cue to leave before you go all Pollyanna on me.” She winked. “I have to change clothes anyway.” Kat slipped her cherry-stained apron off.
“I’ll see my way out.” Val gestured to the door. “My father has a mile-long list of things for me to do for the church anyway. I’ve run out of excuses not to do them.”
Kat made a point of looking at Val’s attire—a fitted blouse and too short skirt, perfected with knee-length black boots. “I hope you’re going to change clothes first, too. That’s not exactly an angelic image.”
“I never claimed to be an angel.” Val grinned. “I’ll see you later,” she called, walking out and closing the door behind her.
Kat left the pie to cool and retreated to her bedroom to change into something fresh. Something that said rip my clothes off later, because she kind of liked Val’s promise that the pie would make her body a second dessert.
When she got to Micah’s house an hour later, Kat found Ben sitting on the porch. “Hi,” she said as she walked up, her heart swelling at the sight of him.
He kept his head down, his gaze just barely bouncing up to acknowledge her. She knew the look. It was the same one he’d had when he’d been sent to the principal’s office the week before. Something was wrong, and she worried that maybe he was thinking about his mom again.
After setting the pie on the porch railing, she walked over to sit on the wooden swing. It creaked as she wiggled back and pushed the swing off with her feet. “Wanna talk?” she asked.
His left arm was coiled tightly across his waist. “Dad is leaving,” he muttered.
Her heart gave a pause. Marines left all the time. They had weekends in the field, month-long trainings in other parts of the United States. “Leaving? What do you mean he’s leaving?” Hopefully, Micah was just going away for a few days because that was as long as she could endure without him lately. Her body was completely addicted to his.
“My mom doesn’t want me, and my dad is leaving me to go to the war just like her,” Ben said.
Kat’s feet scuffed the ground to make the swing come to an urgent halt. “Going to war? But your dad is getting out of the Marine Corps.”
Ben sniffled as huge tears rolled down his already red and swollen cheeks. He must’ve been crying for hours already. Poor kid. Obviously, he’d misunderstood something he’d heard because there was no way Micah was deploying again. No way.
She turned and saw Micah standing at the front door, looking nearly as forlorn as Ben. Her heart sank like lead in her stomach.
“Guess he told you,” Micah said, stepping toward them.
Her lips parted, but no words came. They were stuck in her throat and choking her. There was no way this was happening. It was a nightmare—a horrible one that she needed to wake from right now.
“It’s a six-month deployment, so it’ll take up the rest of my time in the Marine Corps. I can’t get out of it,” he said.
“Who will keep Ben?” she asked, quietly.And who will make me laugh? Help me with the Friendship Club? Hold me at night? Love me?
“Aunt Clara and Uncle Rick will keep him. They’ve done it before.” Micah’s gaze moved to his son and he offered a weak smile. “Six months will fly by. Then I’ll be home and I’ll never leave you again. I promise.”
“You said you’d never leave me again after the last time,” Ben croaked. “You make promises and don’t keep them, just like Mom.”
Micah crouched in front of him. “I’m sorry, little man. It sucks. That’s all there is to it. If I had a choice, I’d choose you every time. But I have a duty as a Marine. Do you understand that?”
