Chapters (38)
- Cover
- Half Title Page
- Title Page
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
Noah lifted his arms into the air and before Lane could protest, her son was wrapped around Charlie’s chest. Mixed emotions rattled within her as a whole game of what-ifs plagued her thoughts. What if they became more than friends? What if she just lived in the moment and saw where things went with Charlie? What if he found out the truth? Lane looked at her son’s head snuggled into the crook of Charlie’s neck. It wouldn’t just be her heart breaking—Noah would probably be devastated too.
The walk back to her place didn’t take long, but it was long enough for Noah to drift off to sleep on Charlie’s shoulder.
“He’s dead weight when he’s asleep,” Charlie said as Lane unlocked her front door.
“He is.” Lane set her keys down and flipped on a light. “I can take him now.”
“Let me carry him upstairs.”
Charlie was already starting for the stairs, so Lane followed, knowing she’d have to wake up Noah or risk breaking her back to get him upstairs. After putting Noah in bed, Lane and Charlie walked back downstairs.
“Tonight was nice,” Charlie said when Lane stepped onto the porch.
A slight breeze had picked up, cooling the air and carrying with it the music from the park. It was a perfect summer night. “Did you have fun?”
“I did.” He looked up at the stars. “Sometimes I forget how important it is to step away from the job and catch my breath. It was like that in Afghanistan. I’d get caught up in the monotony of our mission and forget to look around at the beauty of the world around me.”
“Beauty in war?” Lane bit her tongue at the hint of sarcasm in her tone. “Sorry, but it’s hard to imagine seeing beauty in that kind of darkness.”
“It wasn’t always easy, but if you look for it beauty can be seen even in the ugliness of war.”
Charlie’s words reminded Lane of Ms. Byrdie’s. About God being able to love someone despite their flaws. If Charlie was able to find beauty on a battlefield, would he be able to see beyond her ugly past?
The slow melody of another song filled the air and Charlie turned so he was facing her—close enough that she breathed in his scent. Her heart pounded. Certainly he could hear it. She stepped back, but Charlie closed the space between them.