Chapter 9
NINE
Daisy
Ledger cooks.
Like, really cooks.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He never does anything halfway.
I don’t know what I was expecting to find when I walked through the front door after work, but it definitely wasn’t the delicious aroma of garlic and tomatoes simmering on the stove, soft music playing low in the background, and my very large, very focused Navy SEAL boyfriend stirring a pot of sauce like he learned from an Italian grandmother in another life.
Beans weaves happily between our legs, his tail swishing like he’s in on a secret.
“Hey,” Ledger says when he spots me, his voice warm. “You hungry?”
Only for you, my brain offers unhelpfully.
“Starving,” I say instead, smiling.
He plates everything with a quiet care that makes my chest ache; garlic bread arranged just so, salad in my favorite chipped bowl, pasta steaming and perfect. We sit at the tiny kitchen table, knees brushing. It feels… wonderfully domestic.
“How was work?”
“It was good. Busy since I rescheduled yesterday’s appointments for today.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah. What have you been up to?”
“Went grocery shopping, took Beans out, and talked to Koa and Lula. They’re back on base.”
“How are they doing?”
“Good. They seem happy.”
“When does Lula come back to Wolf Valley?”
“Two weeks.”
“It must be hard. To say goodbye all the time,” I say quietly.
I push my food around on my plate, too scared to look up in case he sees the tears swimming in my eyes.
I know he has to leave, and I don’t want to make this harder than it has to be. I know he’s sad to leave me, and if I start sobbing at the table, I’m pretty sure I’ll break his heart.
Ledger exhales slowly and leans forward, folding his large hands together on the table.
“Daisy,” he says gently. “We should talk. About… us.”
My heart does a little flip-flop. I don’t think I’m ready for this talk at all, but I know we need to have it. We’re running out of time, and maybe it will make it easier if we have some kind of plan for the time we have left.
“Yeah,” I whisper, finally looking up at him. “We should.”
He studies me for a moment, like he’s picking his words carefully.
“From the second I saw you, something in my chest just… clicked into place,” he says quietly. “You’re it for me. And I don’t want to pretend that’s not true just because my life is complicated.”
My throat tightens.
He looks down for a moment before lifting his eyes to mine again. “I love you, Daisy.”
The words land inside me like sunlight: warm, bright, and undeniable.
My breath catches. “You… do?”
He nods once. Certain. Steady.
“Yeah. I love how you hum when you think. I love how you take care of everyone else, even when you’re exhausted. I love that you fill this house with warmth and plants and dog hair and somehow make it all feel like heaven. I love you. All of you.”
A laugh-sob breaks out of me before I can stop it, my hand flying to my mouth.
He looks terrified for half a second, like maybe he said too much, so I lean across the table and grab his hand.
“I love you too,” I whisper.
And I do.
I love the way he steadies me without dimming me. I love the way he’s careful with my heart, with my past, with my dreams. I love that he walks my dog, doesn’t complain when I burn the toast, and still makes me feel like the luckiest person alive.
His shoulders drop like he’s been holding up a mountain.
“Yeah?” he murmurs.
“Yeah.”
We smile at each other for a beat, our hands tangled on the table.
Then reality sneaks in.
“The distance,” I say softly. “Your schedule. Deployments. Travel. Your whole world is there, and mine is here. How do we do this?”
He nods. “I know. And I don’t want to pretend it’ll be easy. I’m still planning to stay in until I can retire. That’s… a few more years.”
My heart squeezes tight.
“I can get out earlier,” he adds quickly. “A year from now, I could separate instead of reenlisting. If this is too much for you, if it hurts you, I’ll do it. I’ll figure out the rest later.”
My chest aches at the sheer love in that offer, but I shake my head.
“No,” I say firmly. “Ledger… the SEALs matter to you. It’s part of you. And I never want to be the reason you walk away before you’re ready.”
His eyebrows pull together. “Even if it means long-distance? Missed calls? Time apart?”
I take a slow breath. “It means missing you,” I admit. “It means hard days. It means probably crying into Beans’ fur at least once a month.”
Beans huffs like he’s already accepted this responsibility.
“But it also means loving you,” I continue softly. “And I’d rather love you across states and time zones than not love you at all.”
Emotion flashes through his eyes. Raw and real.
“You’re sure?” he asks quietly. “Because I don’t want you hurting alone here. I don’t want you to feel abandoned.”
I squeeze his hand tighter. “We’ll figure it out. Calls. Video chats. Visits. Letters, if we have to. Whatever keeps us close.”
His jaw flexes, like he’s swallowing back everything he feels.
“Okay,” he murmurs. “Then that’s our plan. I’ll finish my time. We’ll bridge the distance. And one day… I’ll come home for good.”
Home.
Me.
Us.
The future cracks open inside my chest like dawn.
He stands slowly, tugging me up with him, sliding his arms around my waist. I loop mine around his neck and rest my forehead against his.
“I love you,” he whispers again, like he needs me to know.
“I love you,” I breathe back.
Which is, of course, when Beans decides to leap up between us like a jealous toddler, wedging his entire wriggling body into the tiny space left.
We both burst into laughter.
“Okay, okay.” Ledger chuckles, rubbing Beans’ ears. “You’re part of the deal too, buddy.”
I laugh until my cheeks hurt, happiness bubbling up inside me, light and bright and unburdened in a way I haven’t felt in years.
For the first time since the world started falling apart, with bills and grief and uncertainty, I feel…
safe. I don’t know exactly what the future looks like.
There will be goodbyes and reunions. Quiet nights and countdown clocks.
Phone calls and plane tickets. Maybe tears. But there will also be us.
And that’s enough.
More than enough.
Ledger presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and Beans sighs dramatically like he approves.
Yeah.
Everything is going to be just fine.