wink, straightening and pulling out his
radio. “Boys, we have a US Corporal home for the holidays trying to get
through. Halt all traffic so I can let them pass, radio me when they’re cleared
to proceed.”
Saskia couldn’t let go of her breath this time. She held it in her lungs
so hard she was about to burst. “Thank you,” she called out, leaning over Luke.
The officer just touched his hat and nodded. “We’re all proud of you, Corporal.
Enjoy your time at home.”
Luke waited until the officer walked forward, holding up his hand to a
car and waving to a vehicle approaching them from behind, before putting the
window back up. The air inside the Humvee was freezing now, but she didn’t care
– nothing could stop her getting back now.
Saskia leaned over Luke again, turned her body so she could look straight
into his eyes. “I’m sure you’ve been told this all your life, but you’re pretty
damn incredible Luke Gray.”
He frowned. “Who the hell would have told me that all my life?”
Saskia didn’t bother answering him back, because talking to him wasn’t
what she wanted. Instead she traced her fingers across his face, touching his
lips before pressing her mouth to his, kissing his lips so softly over and over
again. “I’m never going to stop saying thank you, you know that right?”
“Sweetheart, if this is how you’re going to thank me, you won’t hear me
complaining.”
Saskia jumped at a tap on their window. The officer was waving them along
and Luke didn’t waste time. He slammed the vehicle into gear and accelerated
slowly, sending them on their way again.
“I meant it about you being incredible,” Saskia told him, buckling up
again but twisting toward him in her seat to watch him. She was no longer shy –
now she just wanted to enjoy every moment in Luke’s company.
“Let’s just get you home, okay? You can tell me how incredible I am if I
actually manage to get you to your front door.”
Luke tried to focus on driving, but the snow wasn’t nearly as bad as they
neared Buffalo, and when they hit the highway he couldn’t distract himself any
longer. Because he’d actually done it – made sure Saskia got to where she
needed to go, which meant that whatever the hell had just happened between them
was almost over.
But it felt good. He’d never stop wishing he’d been able to hold his wife
one last time, wished he hadn’t made her a promise that he’d make it back home
and had to break it. Because just like Saskia stuck at the airport, he’d been
powerless to do anything. The only difference was he’d been too late, and she
was going to make it. Just.
“I can’t believe we’re here.” Saskia was smoothing her hair back into a high
ponytail and squirming in her seat a little like she was too excited to sit
still.
“Do you want to phone them?” he asked. “Tell your parents that we’re not
far away?”
Saskia shook her head, a smile taking over her face. “No. I want to see
their faces when I walk through that door,” she said. “I just hope my son
forgives me for not having any presents, because I’d thought I was going to
have time to stop somewhere and get him what he wanted.”
Luke reached for her hand again, wishing he hadn’t let go of it before.
The last 24 hours had been crazy, unimaginable, and now the thought of leaving
this woman behind and never seeing her again was… unreal . Like this
entire thing had been a dream, with him passing into her life for only a short
time.
“I think,” he said, raising her hand so he could press a kiss to it,
“that you will be all the present he needs.”
She sighed, wriggling closer and leaning so her head fell to his
shoulder. “I hope so, Luke, I hope so.”
You’d be present enough for me . And it was true. After all of the
time spent grieving and feeling guilty about what he hadn’t done, what he could
have done, and wanting to be alone at the holidays, he’d been missing out.
Because being
radio. “Boys, we have a US Corporal home for the holidays trying to get
through. Halt all traffic so I can let them pass, radio me when they’re cleared
to proceed.”
Saskia couldn’t let go of her breath this time. She held it in her lungs
so hard she was about to burst. “Thank you,” she called out, leaning over Luke.
The officer just touched his hat and nodded. “We’re all proud of you, Corporal.
Enjoy your time at home.”
Luke waited until the officer walked forward, holding up his hand to a
car and waving to a vehicle approaching them from behind, before putting the
window back up. The air inside the Humvee was freezing now, but she didn’t care
– nothing could stop her getting back now.
Saskia leaned over Luke again, turned her body so she could look straight
into his eyes. “I’m sure you’ve been told this all your life, but you’re pretty
damn incredible Luke Gray.”
He frowned. “Who the hell would have told me that all my life?”
Saskia didn’t bother answering him back, because talking to him wasn’t
what she wanted. Instead she traced her fingers across his face, touching his
lips before pressing her mouth to his, kissing his lips so softly over and over
again. “I’m never going to stop saying thank you, you know that right?”
“Sweetheart, if this is how you’re going to thank me, you won’t hear me
complaining.”
Saskia jumped at a tap on their window. The officer was waving them along
and Luke didn’t waste time. He slammed the vehicle into gear and accelerated
slowly, sending them on their way again.
“I meant it about you being incredible,” Saskia told him, buckling up
again but twisting toward him in her seat to watch him. She was no longer shy –
now she just wanted to enjoy every moment in Luke’s company.
“Let’s just get you home, okay? You can tell me how incredible I am if I
actually manage to get you to your front door.”
Luke tried to focus on driving, but the snow wasn’t nearly as bad as they
neared Buffalo, and when they hit the highway he couldn’t distract himself any
longer. Because he’d actually done it – made sure Saskia got to where she
needed to go, which meant that whatever the hell had just happened between them
was almost over.
But it felt good. He’d never stop wishing he’d been able to hold his wife
one last time, wished he hadn’t made her a promise that he’d make it back home
and had to break it. Because just like Saskia stuck at the airport, he’d been
powerless to do anything. The only difference was he’d been too late, and she
was going to make it. Just.
“I can’t believe we’re here.” Saskia was smoothing her hair back into a high
ponytail and squirming in her seat a little like she was too excited to sit
still.
“Do you want to phone them?” he asked. “Tell your parents that we’re not
far away?”
Saskia shook her head, a smile taking over her face. “No. I want to see
their faces when I walk through that door,” she said. “I just hope my son
forgives me for not having any presents, because I’d thought I was going to
have time to stop somewhere and get him what he wanted.”
Luke reached for her hand again, wishing he hadn’t let go of it before.
The last 24 hours had been crazy, unimaginable, and now the thought of leaving
this woman behind and never seeing her again was… unreal . Like this
entire thing had been a dream, with him passing into her life for only a short
time.
“I think,” he said, raising her hand so he could press a kiss to it,
“that you will be all the present he needs.”
She sighed, wriggling closer and leaning so her head fell to his
shoulder. “I hope so, Luke, I hope so.”
You’d be present enough for me . And it was true. After all of the
time spent grieving and feeling guilty about what he hadn’t done, what he could
have done, and wanting to be alone at the holidays, he’d been missing out.
Because being
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