"Thank you, Sergeant." Zach nodded.
The door swung shut just before Julia's shoulders started shaking with laughter.
Zach slung an arm around her and tucked her to his chest. "So you like the kid gym idea?"
"Of course I do. I should have known you would find a gift far more special than even a Craftsman ratchet set."
His laugh rumbled free. Lord, he loved the way she made him laugh.
Loved?
The word settled inside him with a tightness much like the feeling Julia brought with her whenever she walked into a room, and his defenses came crashing down.
He loved her.
For the first time, Zach looked at his feelings without the filters of the past. He'd been so wrapped up in comparing her love to Pam's or his father's, Zach hadn't seen his own love for Julia or recognized the value of hers for him.
She'd demanded he push the boundaries of his limited view of relationships and family to build something better with his children. She respected him enough to stand up to him and demand he be the man she deserved. Hell, yes, he loved her. How could he have ever doubted it?
Julia nuzzled her head under his chin. "It really will make a fabulous play area, with a ball pit over there maybe, and a playhouse in that corner. We could plan a family trip from Alabama when they unveil it."
The move. Zach thought of his decision to stay in Charleston another year. He wouldn't have to do that now. He wouldn't have to give up the career opportunity to convince her to stay.
But he would do it anyway because it was the right thing. He wasn't the man who put his job before his wife and family anymore. "Uh, Jules."
"What?"
Her fingers explored the exposed patch of skin at the neck of his flight suit, making coherent thought, much less speech, damned difficult.
"We're not moving this summer."
She gave his flight suit zipper a playful tug, answering absently, "We're not?"
He captured her hands in his before she could travel down to dangerously distracting territory. "I did some thinking while I was riding around tonight." He worked to keep his words coming while her mouth traced a steady path up his throat. "I'm filing a request with the Wing Commander to defer my Air War College slot for a year."
Her lips stilled, and she looked up at him. "Why would you do that?"
"We don't need the upheaval of a move right now. We need the time to settle in as a family."
"But you don't have to do that. We're okay. I'm staying." She gripped his flight scarf and tugged. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you."
"No, Jules. You are a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me." He thought of the reassurance she needed and found it so easy to offer now he couldn't believe he'd ever held back.
"There are plenty of times the Air Force won't give me a say in where I go, but I've learned there are also times I do have choices. I want you to know I mean it when I say I'm trying. You come first."
Her eyes filled for the second time in minutes. For a woman who didn't cry easily, apparently she had a well of happy tears just waiting to be tapped. Julia let them flow while Zach held her and counted all those blessings Julia was always talking about.
He liked to think he'd learned a few lessons after nearly seventeen years in the Air Force, ninety-seven combat missions, two weeks as an Iraqi POW and one very speedy divorce.
Most important, he'd learned that being him was a hell of a lot easier than being married to him.
But he intended to spend the rest of his life working on that. Because thanks to Julia, he'd also learned the best lesson of all. He could touch the clouds from his own porch on a purple glider as long as she sat beside him.
He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Jules. I love the way you make me smile, the way you love our children. Most of all, I love the way we are together, because together, we can do anything. And if you'll let me, I'll tell you and show you how much I love you for the rest of my life."
"I love you too, Zach." Her words breathed over his skin. "I love how—''
He silenced her with his finger to her lips. "I know."