“How much do you know about my family?”
“Unfortunately, not too much. My training with Simon was years ago. I knew he had a family back here in Tennessee and his mom was deceased. I heard about Winnie later, through the grapevine.”
“Winnie’s mom, Elisa, is a free spirit. She and Simon met in North Carolina while he was stationed there. She loved music and arts, lived for the earth type of girl. She and my brother were opposites in every way, but they clicked. He was crazy about her, but knew they could never settle down until he was out of the service. They had a unique relationship.
“When she found out she was pregnant, she flipped. Her first instinct was adoption because she was scared to death to raise a child on her own if Simon was deployed or worse. Simon begged her to have the baby and give it a try. She did, and in the end, she wasn’t cut out to be a parent. She gave him full custody.”
“Giving up rights to your child seems like a selfish decision.”
“Actually, it wasn’t. She gave us the best gift in the world by having Winnie. My brother may not have had the traditional, passionate love of his life, but he died knowing he had the real love of his life. He had four years with the best little girl ever. And for that, I thank Elisa.”
“Wow, that’s quite a way to look at it.”
“Finn, you’ll never understand, but Elisa was truly scared. Eventually, I think she would have snapped out of it and found a way to be a mother, and Simon respected that. His love for his daughter was so strong, he vowed to protect her and he let Elisa walk away in order to make sure Winnie had a good life.”
“Even if it meant being a single parent in the Marines?”
“Oh, yeah, why do you think I hightailed my ass up there?”
“He was so lucky to have you.”
“Maybe, but I’m the lucky one. Look at what I got out of it. I’ll always have the memories of living close to Simon before he died.”
She sucks in a deep breath, and I nudge her head to the side, so I can see her face. “You’re an incredible person. Not many twenty-two year olds would make that sacrifice.”
“It wasn’t a sacrifice. It was an honor.”
“So does Elisa contact your family often? Send presents?”
“Yes. She makes sure we know where she is. I called her the day we found out Simon died. We cried together for hours, remembering him. She was devastated. Like I said, they were opposites in every way, but somehow, they meshed.”
“What do you tell Winnie?”
“The truth. She knows the present today was from her mom, and Elisa sent a picture of herself. She’s such a pretty woman. There was a note to my dad asking if she could visit soon.”
My gut turns at the thought. How will Winnie respond? “What’s your dad going to do?”
“He and Johnny want to deny her request, but I’m going to talk them into letting her come. I think it’s important that we let her see Winnie. No matter what, we all lost Simon, who is the only parent Winnie knew. I want her to know she has a mother, too. Mothers can’t be replaced.”
Her expression pains me. She’s not only thinking about Winnie; she’s referring to her own mother.
“Presley…” I lower my head to hers. It’s time to lay out my cards and pray she’s on the same page. “I want this, all of it. I want you, and not only in the sense that you make me hard with one look, or that my heart races every time we’re in the same room. I’m in this for the long haul. You’re setting the pace. I know my job scares you, and I know you’ve always played your life safe, but please take a chance on us.”
“Yes,” she whispers, and her breath spreads across my lips. “I want that, too.”
Then a force of understanding hits me so hard my heart hammers in my chest. This was not an invitation for sex or a promise for a night of passion. This is her letting me into her life.
I lift her chin and kiss along her neckline, stopping to nibble on her earlobe.
“How is it possible to feel this way in such a short period of time?” she rasps.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting for you my whole life. From the moment I saw you, I didn’t stand a chance.” I suck on the skin underneath her ear.
“Finn.”
“Hmm?”
“I didn’t stand a chance either.” Her hands trail across my chest and down my torso. When she reaches the waistband of my shorts, her fingertips dip inside and scrape lightly against the tip of my dick.