Natalie eyes lock with me as I bend to kiss her. “Not soon enough.” Another tear falls and my throat dries.

Fuck. How the hell am I supposed to get on that damn plane? This was a bad idea and I should’ve listened to her. Walking away is going to break me. It’s my job, and usually I’m the first on that plane, but I can’t get my arms to release her.

I look over and see my men grabbing their bags and a few guys starting to head toward the plane. It’s time. I have to let her go.

“I gotta go, sweetheart,” I say gently.

I expect a scene. Her crying or unwilling to let me go, but I watch a shift happen in her face. She straightens a little straighter. Natalie’s entire demeanor morphs into strength and determination. It’s the same as when we’re ready to head out. We shut down the emotional side and are ready to battle. There’s no place for pussies during missions.

“I know,” she smiles and releases my uniform then pats it down. “Okay, we got this.”

I pull her hips closer one more time and kiss her with everything. I press against her lips as she opens her mouth and I dive in. I need to taste her, feel her, and make her remember how much I belong to her. Her arms wrap around my back and she moans. I’m kissing her like she’s the only thing here. I hate myself for making her think we should be apart. I wish everything were different, but it’s not, so I give her all I can right now.

“Let’s go!” I hear Commander call out.

We break apart, and I rest my forehead on hers. I can’t look at her eyes again or I’m not going to be able to get on that fucking plane.

“Come home to me, Liam. Please, just come home,” she pleads and I nod.

I bow down and grab my sea bag. This is it.

“I’ll see you soon.”

I keep my eyes on the ground, and I hear her breath catch.

Don’t look. Just get on the plane.

“I’ll count the days.” Her voice is soft and quiet, but I hear her. I think I could hear her voice even if there were a crowd of people yelling. She calls to me on every level.

With my arms full, I turn and head toward the plane. Two other guys are beside me with the same faces. We’re ready, but this blows. There’s no happiness getting here, but this is our jobs. We signed up for this, and we serve with pleasure. But no one ever told me this is the other side of this shit.

I’m leaving the woman I love in the arms of her husband. This is so fucked up. But she’s not mine fully. I have to use this time to figure out if we have a chance. The life we’re both entering into if we stay together is complicated, and there are a lot of people’s lives at stake. Aarabelle being number one. I know she’s Natalie’s primary concern.

As I round the corner, I can’t stop myself from looking back. She stands with her long, blonde hair pulled over her shoulder, her arms are clutched in front of her as she watches me walk away. I lift my chin and her hand lifts a little. Then she presses her fingers against her lips and blows me a kiss.

Right there . . . she just broke me.

I stand here as he turns the corner before allowing myself to truly feel what just happened. My body is stiff, and my chest heaves. His desert camouflage uniform is taut and he adjusts his cover. How I wish I could trade it for his jeans and beanie. It would mean he wasn’t putting his life in danger. But that’s not who he is, and I knew this. Doesn’t make it any easier because my heart is sitting on a plane.

This is pure hell.

Reanell walks over and places her hand on my shoulder. “Each time I promise myself I’ll stay home, yet I can’t stay away.” I turn with tears in my eyes as we both grab each other and hold on.

“I hate this. I forgot how much I hate this.” I cry against her shoulder, and she stains my shirt with her tears.

She sniffs, “I never really forget, I just block it out.” Rea pulls back.

“How can I miss him so much already?”

“Because you love him. As soon as Mason walks away, I start to yearn for him,” she says longingly.

I know what she means. “It’s like we know we can’t have them, so we want them even more.”

She nods, “I always want him home, but it feels like even when he’s home we’re gearing up for our next deployment.”

“Sometimes even when they’re not active it feels like that,” I muse. I think my life was worse once Aaron chose to separate from the military. While he wasn’t deploying anymore, a part of him was missing.

Rea turns to me and points to the plane. “Those men, they’re built differently. They love differently, and they need different things. We’re the same way. This is the life we know, and while some may not understand it . . . we do. Our love is stronger than most couples, and you and Liam are no different.”

I see Liam enter the plane and the door shut behind him. I want to run and kiss him one more time, but I know it won’t ever be enough. There will always be times of missed moments we could’ve had. She’s right though, we love differently, and we accept that our lives aren’t up to us.

“How do I do this as the girlfriend?” I ask Reanell. I’ve always been the wife. I was privy to the information and the support. As a girlfriend or whatever I am, I have no rights.

She snorts, “I’m the Commander’s wife, Lee. Any information, you know I’m not going to keep it from you.”

“I need to go,” I murmur. She looks at me perplexed. “I can’t watch the plane leave. There’s no way I can.”

Reanell nods in understanding. It’s one thing for me to be here to see him off, but watching his plane take off, that goes beyond my limit. I’ve tried in the last hour to put myself back to what I used to be. The military wife in me is rusty, and I know I need to dig deeper. I need to be the strong, silent partner and keep his mind as free as I can. It’s one of the parts I loathed. Being angry or upset, but needing to be happy and cheery when they call.

I learned very quickly how to mask my feelings and all the things that went wrong when Aaron was gone. I had to be a somewhat less creepy version of a Stepford wife.

I smile as I unlock the door to Robin. I sit in the driver’s seat and find myself grinning. He drove her here, so I get to drive her home. My eyes close as I inhale deeply. It smells of Liam, and if I try hard enough, I can almost feel him here.

“Okay, Robin . . . let’s see why he’s so protective of you,” I say to the car and decide I need therapy.

I look over at the passenger seat and there’s a note with a rose. I smile and try not to break down in tears.

Sweetheart,

You have my heart and now you have my car. Take care of both until I get home.

Love,

Liam

A small laugh escapes me as I start the car. The drive back to my house is a blur. I try to focus on the joy that awaits me. I haven’t seen Aarabelle in seventy-two hours, and I missed her desperately.

I open the door and she looks up. “Mamama!” she calls out and my heart swells with love.

“Hi, baby girl!” I call out and rush toward her. I scoop her in to my arms and nestle her close. “I missed you so much.”

“Hey,” Aaron’s voice is low and gruff. “You okay?”