Susan Mallery - Shelter In A Soldier’s Arms

She hesitated, then shrugged. "All my life I've wanted someone to love me more than anything. I finally figured out I'd better be worth that kind of devotion. Which means I don't have the right to change your life. As you pointed out to me last night, I knew exactly who and what you were when I fell in love with you."

She rose on her toes and kissed him on the mouth. "We'll miss you while you're gone and we'll be waiting for you to return. I love you."

Jeff released her hands. Ashley watched him embrace her daughter, then he hugged her one last time. She tried not to cling to him, but it was hard. She wanted to beg him to stay. She wanted to plead her case one last time, telling him that they needed him alive. But she didn't. He had a job to do and she needed to respect that.

So she put on a brave face as he walked away and kept the tears at bay until he walked out of the hangar and toward the jet waiting on the runway. She saw Zane climbing the stairs. Jeff was right behind him. It was only then that she allowed herself to give in to the sadness filling her.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Maggie asked.

"I'm going to miss Jeff very much."

Tears spilled out of her daughter's eyes. "Me, too. I'm going to pray for him every night."

Ashley would do the same. Pray and wait and love him because he was the best part of her.

She picked up Maggie and held her close. Together they made their way to the car.

"We're a mess," Ashley said, trying to stem the flow of tears. "Look at us."

She managed a feeble smile. Maggie attempted one, as well, but it wasn't very successful. Ashley fumbled with her keys. She set her daughter on the ground so she could push the metal into the lock.

Moisture blurred her vision. Behind them, the whine of the jet engine increased. He was leaving and she had to let him go.

She shoved the key into the lock, but it wouldn't fit. Then a warm, strong hand settled on top of hers, steadying her, guiding her, and the key slid home.

Ashley turned and saw Jeff standing behind her. "How…? What…? Oh, thank you."

She flung herself into his arms, clinging as if she would never let go.

"Zane said I was an idiot for leaving you and Maggie," he murmured against her hair. "I finally figured out he was right. Besides, he always did hate sharing the glory."

She didn't know what to say. Happiness flooded her, filling her so much, she thought she might start to glow.

"You're really here? You're not leaving?"

He bent and picked up Maggie. "No more dangerous assignments," he promised. "I can't be fearless anymore. After all, I have something wonderful in my life now. Three somethings I don't want to lose."

"I can count to three," Maggie informed them. "Daddy, if you're not going away, can I have a kitten?"

"Absolutely."

Ashley laughed, then kissed Jeff. He held them both close.

"I get it," he said softly, staring into her eyes. "I finally understand what I've been fighting for so long. I know what's in my heart. It's why I couldn't leave. I love you, Ashley. And Maggie and-" he glanced at her stomach "-you know."

"Really?"

"More than anything in the world. For always. With you I can finally find my way home."

The summer sun was warm and bright in the sky. Jeff looked up from the book he was reading as Maggie and her best friend, Julie, ran across the backyard. They were followed by two golden retrievers, sisters from the same litter. Laughter filled the air, making him smile.

He turned his attention to the shade in the corner where Ashley lay on a blanket, an eighteen-month-old blond boy snuggled at her side. As he watched the woman he loved and his firstborn son, he felt a familiar sensation of happiness and contentment. He could never have imagined his life turning out like this.

David Jeffrey Ritter had arrived exactly on schedule, claiming the attention of the entire family. Last May, Ashley had graduated with honors. She'd taken a job with a local accounting firm whose female partners gave generous maternity leaves and provided onsite day care.

It was too soon for her to be showing, but Ashley was pregnant again. This time they were hoping for a girl. If she turned out to be half as wonderful as Maggie, Jeff knew he would be the luckiest man around.

"What are you thinking?" Ashley asked in a sleepy voice.

Jeff glanced at his watch. "That my parents will be here soon."

"I should probably get up and start lunch."

"I'll do that. After all, they're my parents."

Ashley closed her eyes and smiled. "No. They said they're mine, too. Remember? At Christmas."

At his wife's urgings, Jeff had contacted his folks and found that they were more than willing to be a part of their son's life. With Ashley's help, he was slowly learning to connect with people. The dream of the village and fire came less often now and when it woke him, instead of pacing in the solitary darkness, he held on to his wife whose tender embrace promised to never let him go.

Snowball, their very real white Persian cat, rubbed against his legs and purred. He reached down and patted her. Everyone and everything he loved in the world would soon be in this house. Life was good, he thought happily. Life was very good.