“Ladies and gentlemen,” the blonde said with a wide smile, “please welcome U.S. Army Ranger Logan Reed.”
The words crossed her lips and Logan knew he’d walked into an ambush. He had about two seconds before the cameras and lights turned his way and broadcast his image into homes across the country. He had two choices, run for the hall and hope to hell he could save his career, or do what he’d come here to do—talk to Sadie.
Logan stepped into the light. “Sadie—”
“Wait.” She held up her hand. He watched as Sadie moved around the coffee table. She approached him, her green sundress dancing around her legs, reminding him of the dress she’d worn to the Summer Festival. She stopped within arm’s reach. With her long hair pulled back into some sort of twist, and makeup accentuating her face, she looked beautiful. But then, he’d thought she was gorgeous with dirt smudged on her cheek in a cow field. From the moment he’d met her, Sadie had radiated light, laughter and a sex appeal that had him wrapped around her finger.
She leaned toward him, dropping her voice to a whisper. “You don’t have to do this. Not here.”
Logan widened his stance, rooting his feet to the ground. “I’m not walking away, Sadie. Not this time.”
“All right, then.” She stepped back, straightening her spine. “I have something I’d like to say.”
He was aware of the cameras, the lights and the blonde on the stage, but none of it mattered. Only Sadie mattered. She was his world, his future. He nodded for her to continue.
“I know you were married to a great woman and you loved her. You would have risked everything for her,” she said. “I’m not asking you to make that choice. If you think you can make room in your heart for me, I want to be with you. Wherever you need to be, I’m there. I’ll wait for you while you deploy. And I promise I’ll stand by you. I’m strong. I can take the waiting. I can make this work. I have faith in you, in myself and in us. Over time, we can make this work.”
He didn’t doubt her strength. Not anymore. She’d move mountains for the important people in her life. He knew that now. “If you give me a chance—”
“Please, let me finish,” she said. “I made a mistake. A series of them, really. I put my career first, before the people I care about. Success—I thought it was everything. And I was wrong.”
Logan shook his head and stepped closer, taking her hands in his. “Sadie, everything you do is for your family. Don’t you see that? I love that about you.”
The determination shining in her eyes faltered, revealing her uncertainty.
He nodded. “Yesterday, when I saw those pictures,” he continued, “I was running scared. Not just of what the media attention meant for my job, but of my feelings for you. In a short time, they’ve exploded. I’ve fallen for you, Sadie. I love you.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “Yes. I love you, Sadie Bannerman. Not your job. Not MJ Lane. You. And I want to be with you.”
Her brow furrowed. “But what about your career? Those pictures—”
“Are of a private moment between two people who care deeply for each other. Nothing wrong with that.”
Doubt continued to cloud her face. “Your commanding officer agrees?”
“He doesn’t control every part of my life,” he said. “And at the end of the day, you’re more important. You’re my future.”
“And you’re mine.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She tried to fight them, to stop the trembling in her limbs, but it was a losing battle. Logan’s hands on hers were the only thing holding her steady. Logan, the man who’d declared his feelings for her in front of thousands of people.
Through her tears, she looked into his eyes and saw the truth. He was here. For her. And he loved her.
“Logan, I know we’ve only known each other a few days. But in your world, a few days is sometimes all you have. I know what I feel. I know what is in my heart. I love you and I want to build a life with you. I want to be the one waiting for you when you come home. Always.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his, kissing him with all her heart. Let America watch. Let them judge. She’d found her fairy-tale ending, her happily-ever-after. Nothing else mattered.
Epilogue
IT WAS LATE. Nearly midnight. Sadie sat in the team room waiting, surrounded by wives, girlfriends, fathers, mothers and children who’d been allowed to stay up way past their bedtime for this special occasion.
Homecoming.
“Is he here yet?” a small boy, maybe four, demanded, running up to the woman seated beside Sadie at the rectangular table.
“Not yet,” his mother said with a smile. “Soon.”