Back in the Soldier's Arms Read Online Free PDF Page B

life. It wasn’t fair. None of it was.
    And there was no easy way to do what had to be done. It was forgive and forget.
    The problem was she didn’t know if she was capable of either.
    Tom pulled Penny in for a quick hug before he ducked out the door.
    “Have I told you that I think he’s an idiot?” he whispered before he passed.
    Penny squeezed him back before letting him disappear out into the warm evening air.
    “It was great seeing you both,” she said honestly.
    “Lovely seeing you, too,” her mother-in-law replied, touching her shoulder as she passed her in the doorway.
    Daniel stood a step behind her. She could feel him there, even before he said good-night to their guests.
    He’d said he was going to stay at Tom’s place, but she guessed he wasn’t ready to go yet.
    She wished he would. Just get in his car and leave. But another part of her didn’t want him to go anywhere, didn’t want to be alo00"�t to be ane in the house. When it was so long since she’d been without the company of others.
    Even if Gabby was asleep down the hall.
    “I’ll head off soon,” said Daniel, as if he’d read her thoughts.
    She turned, slowly.
    “You don’t have to go,” she said, not sure if she was telling the truth or not.
    He shuffled a step closer, then seemed to think better of it and stopped, bracing himself against the wall. His big frame like a statue, muscled arms crossed over his chest.
    “You need some time alone, and I don’t want to crowd you.” He paused, as if hoping she’d disagree. Tell him he was wrong. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning, and we can open presents and do all that sort of thing then.”
    Penny stared at her feet, watching the way her toes curled into the carpet. It had been a long time since she’d been able to indulge in bare feet like this, snuggling her toes into the floor. She’d fulfilled her time in the army with a genuine smile on her face and a spring in her step, believing in what she was doing and liking that she was serving her country. It wasn’t until she came back to her civilian life that she realized how nice little luxuries like carpet were.
    “Maybe you should come past early. You know, so Gabby doesn’t realize anything is wrong.”
    Daniel pushed off from the wall and ran a hand through his hair.
    She knew that signal. He only ever did that when he was stressed. Or worried.
    “Sure, good idea,” he mumbled.
    Penny waited for a heartbeat then followed him. Was it so wrong to be unsure? And to want to shield their young daughter from a pain that could hurt so bad her heart could shatter? She didn’t want to deal with the questions that would arise from telling her the truth. Not yet.
    She didn’t want Gabby to think she was to blame, or any other emotions that children felt when they learned their parents no longer wanted to be together. That they didn’t love one another enough.
    Although in this case it wasn’t so much that they’d fallen out of love.
    Because every vein, every surge of blood, every fiber within her was screaming that she still loved Daniel.
    That he was the reason her heart had had cause to beat for the past ten years. That he was the strike of match to light the fire within her.
    He looked back, as if he could hear her inner scream, the demons that were ripping her heart and her emotions to shreds.
    “Penny, I know this might be way off base, but you’re only here for a few days so I can’t hold back.”
    She reached for the armchair beside her, gripping tight until her knuckles were white, drained of blood.
    “Can we just leave it a day, Daniel? I know we have to talk, but I need some time to get my head around everything. To think.”
    Even though all she’d done was think these past few months.
    He nodded. Reluctantly.
    “A day, then?” he asked. “Let’s spend the day together tomorrow, enjoy the party, and tomorrow night we can talk.”
    Penny swallowed what felt like a .
    “Okay,” she agreed.