“No!” She crawled off him and slipped on her robe, her hands fisting and cinching the sash as tight as it would go. “Not one more tour. Six months and not one day longer.”
“You don’t understand.”
The life in her eyes vanished under a cloud of anger as she narrowed them. “Don’t tell me I don’t understand. I didn’t go to college, but I’m far from stupid. My ability to ‘understand’ is perfectly fine. Not everything in life has to make sense, Mickey. We don’t make sense. We never have, but we’re the only thing in this crazy world that feels right. How can you be so stupid, so … blind?”
Tears filled her eyes. He sat up, his methodic thoughts warring with his body’s desire to grab her, kiss away her tears, and just be with her.
“Mickey…” her voice broke and so did the dam of tears “…you are everything I’ve ever wanted. You are the life I’ve always dreamed of. I don’t want the money. I want time. I want forever now, not another broken promise.”
“I know … I really do, baby. But what about what I want?”
Sunny pressed her fist to her lips, holding back a sob, then she sniffled. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “Somewhere over the past two decades I got the impression that you wanted me.”
That cut deep. Knox tilted his head to the side. “I do want you, but—”
“No. No buts. No more waiting. No more promises. Six more months, that’s what we agreed on after all the broken promises that came before that. I want to be your forever, not your fool.” She dressed, the same angry way she did the day his father died and forever changed for eternity. “Six months and not One. Day. Longer, Knox.”
The door closed to the bedroom. Six months. Tangled in sheets that smelled like her, he had no doubt that he’d end his military career in six months.
*
One year later …
The high that came from being promoted, the accolades, the praise, the prestige … it numbed the pain of missing Sunny. Six months passed, but Knox knew he’d get her back. He’d show her that it was worth the wait … that he was worth the wait. Another year wouldn’t matter. What he didn’t expect was a bombing that sent shrapnel into his chest, missing his heart by less than six millimeters. Four of his men died that day.
Knox was sent stateside to recover. He didn’t want to worry Sunny, so he waited until he was discharged. As fate would have it, one of his former superiors, who left the military to take a job as a DEA agent, wanted to discuss Knox joining the DEA as well. Sunny would be ecstatic to hear of his new job opportunity. They could finally begin their forever—after a lot of groveling and sex. Lots of sex with Sunny.
“Sergeant Day.” Knox held out his hand as Sergeant Day stood from the table, giving the waitress a polite nod as she squeezed behind his chair.
“It’s Agent Day now, but tonight it’s just Grant. How are you, Knox?” He nodded to the chair next to his.
Knox gritted his teeth, trying not to show the pain he was still in as he eased into the chair. “I’m good. Just thankful to be alive.”
Grant nodded. “I hope you don’t mind, my fiancée will be joining us. A month ago she bought tickets for tonight’s symphony…” he looked at his watch “…which starts in ninety minutes. I forgot until she called me about a half-hour ago. She’s only mildly pissed off. Anyway, I just wanted to chat with you, kind of get a feel for your plans. I think you’d make an amazing agent. You’re smart, fearless—brutal when you need to be—and you have exemplary leadership skills, not to mention years of tactical training. From a hiring standpoint, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
“Are you officially offering me a job?”
Grant chuckled, taking a sip of his beer. “No. I’m not that guy, but I have some pull. I like to surround myself with men I can trust. We recently lost an agent. He left some pretty big shoes to fill, and when I found out you were heading stateside again, it felt like perfect timing. If you even think you might consider it, I’d love for you to talk with my superior. I’ve already put in a good word for you.”
“Yes, I’m definitely interested. I have a lot of incentive to stay here now.”
Grant’s brows lifted a bit. “A woman?”
“The woman.”
Grant grinned. “Even better. And speaking of …” He stood, looking over Knox’s shoulder. “There’s the love of my life.”
Knox stood and turned. His sparkling eyes, his long auburn hair, his Sunny. When their eyes met, she stopped, crashing into the invisible wall between the present and the past. Her pink cheeks drained to white as Grant hugged her, brushing her hair off her neck and pressing his lips to the soft skin that had belonged to Knox. Not even shrapnel in his chest hurt as much as seeing her for the first time ever in the arms of another man for the first time ever.