Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

voice broke, and he buried his face in his hands.
    Carrie sat down on the bed beside him, but she didn’t touch him. “Vic, I don’t know what to say either. You’re a great guy, really, you are. You’ve treated me like a queen. I’m not in love with you, but I care about you, and I was committed to staying with you, trying to see where this thing between us was going, you know? But now I’m afraid. This is the third time this has happened, and every time has been worse than the one before. And I can’t take a chance on it happening again. Next time you could do damage that couldn’t be repaired and the injuries could be permanent. That really scares me, because some day I want a family, so I can’t take that chance. That means I’ve got to go. I’m sorry.” Still not touching him, she stood and started packing again.
    Vic got up and walked out of the room, through the kitchen, out the back door, and sat down on the steps. The moon was bright, and there were so many stars that it looked like the sky would explode with them. This is it for me , he thought. I’m done. I’m going to hurt some poor woman. That can’t happen again. Next one might be more than just some stitches; it could be much worse. So that part of my life is over.
    “I’m going,” he heard Carrie say from behind him. He turned and looked at her in the doorway. She looked so beautiful there, the lights from the kitchen illuminating her curly red hair, and a deep ache set up in his chest.
    She walked up the hallway to the front door, and he followed her, wishing he could come up with something, some reassurance, that would get her to stay. But if he did he wouldn’t even believe it himself, because he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again, since he didn’t know why or how it happened in the first place. When she stopped at the door, she looked at him with such sadness that his heart broke all over again. He reached to hug her; for a moment, she pulled away, then she stood on her tiptoes, leaned toward him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms closed around her waist, and as she began to sob into his neck, hot, sour tears poured down Vic’s face and fell into her hair. They stood like that for several minutes until she finally pulled away and walked out the door without looking back. Vic watched her car roll down the street until the taillights disappeared.
    And once again, like always, he was alone.

LAURA
    January 1996
    “S o, what did you get?”
    Laura opened the package. Even though Christmas was officially over, it had taken a good while for the boxes to reach Bosnia, military mail being notoriously unreliable. Inside the package were socks, her favorite shampoo, and three sticks of her favorite deodorant, along with some feminine products. They’d also tucked four letters in with the personal items; there was one each from her mom, dad, brother, and Charles. “Did you get a box?” she asked Brian.
    “Yeah, my mom sent it. A couple of books and some of her peanut butter cookies. Want one?” He held the tin out to Laura.
    “Oh no, you save those for yourself,” she said, packing away all of the things she’d received.
    “You going to the card game tonight?” It was one of the few forms of entertainment they had.
    Laura shook her head. “Nah. I think I’ll just sit in my bunk and read. Hey, can I borrow one of your new books?”
    “Sure!” Brian fished them out. “This one is probably a murder mystery,” he offered, holding one out. It had a picture of a knife with a drop of blood on the tip in full color on the cover. “Wanna try it on for size?”
    “Yeah, I like that kind of stuff. Thanks.” Laura put the book under her pillow and got busy.
    Being the only woman anywhere near the location was a challenge. She’d had to learn creative ways to shower and take care of her personal needs because the guys had flatly refused to make allowances for her or show her any courtesy. It was obvious they