Chapter 6
All the air huffed out of Damon's lungs, and his back popped when his oldest brother, Steven, wrapped him in a bear hug. "It's good to have you home, man."
"Thanks," Damon's voice croaked. "Think you could loosen your hold, so I don't regret coming home?"
Laughing, Steven tightened his embrace and slapped Damon's back before releasing him. "Just giving you a taste of your own medicine."
"Noted. I'll be more careful with my hugs."
And he was as he hugged Steven's wife Isabella and their kids. But his bear hug was as intense as ever when he wrapped his arms around his other brother, Matt. "Did you shrink, bro?"
"Nah, I just lost a little weight." Matt returned Damon's fierce embrace. "I took up jogging again."
As a pharmacist, Matt was on his feet most of the day, but his job didn't require much physical activity.
"Oh yeah?" Damon released his second oldest brother. "If I'd known that, I would have invited you along on my run yesterday."
"No way. You probably ran like ten miles. I'm lucky to make it two."
"I only ran eight." He shrugged and smacked Matt's shoulder. "Keep it up and you'll outrun me soon."
"Highly unlikely."
Damon kept his hug gentle as he hugged Matt's wife whose round stomach gave away her pregnancy. "Are you expecting again, Maria?"
If his mom had told him that news, he'd forgotten.
Gasping, Maria pulled back and scowled at him. "Are you saying I look fat?"
"No, of course not. I just... I thought..." Heat filled Damon's face as he scrambled for words that wouldn't make the situation worse. "You just...have that glow about you."
Everyone burst into laughter, including their mom.
"Of course she's pregnant." Mom said as she put an arm around Maria. "She only has six weeks left, but she's barely showing. She hides it so well."
The good-natured ribbing continued as they crowded around the table for Sunday dinner. The younger children sat at a small picnic table in the corner.
Damon couldn't believe how big his nieces and nephews had grown.
He teased his oldest niece, Tessa, who was almost nine, about being able to drive and date soon.
This earned him a glare from Steven and Isabella.
Tessa blushed, but he spotted the delight in her girlish features that mirrored her mother's.
He purposefully kept calling Sawyer and Benson, who were seven and six, by each other's names to give them a hard time. He did the same with four-year-old Ally and three-year-old Katie just to rile them up. They were so cute when they got mad.
He'd only seen two-year-old Mason twice and eighteen-month-old Brock once since they were born. They had both doubled in size since the last time he saw them. The realization of all he'd missed filled his chest with a sharp ache.
He loved serving in the Army, but he hated missing out on so much.
Matt looked at Damon. "Daniel said the two of you volunteered to help Luke plan Gabe's bachelor party."
"More like voluntold by Paige."
Heads bobbed around the table.
"So, what are we doing?" Steven asked.
"You guys are invited too?" Damon's gaze jumped back and forth between Steven and Matt.
"Gabe invited a few friends and coworkers from Pasco, but he's not sure if they'll be able to make it. And since he hasn't had a chance to make many friends here in Providence yet, Paige informed all of us male cousins that we are invited." Steven laughed as he buttered another roll.
"Informed?" Matt said. "More like threatened us if we didn't show up to support Gabe."
"It wasn't that bad." Maria slapped Matt's arm playfully before grinning at Damon. "But you know Paige. She's hard to say no to."
Yes, she is.
That's why he was walking Gabe's sister down the aisle.
"So what's the plan for the bachelor party?" Matt asked again.
"I haven't had a chance to talk to Daniel yet, but since none of us drink, and stripp—"
"Don't say it!" Isabella and Maria said in unison, giving him a collective glare then looking at the children’s table.
Damon laughed. "I was going to say since...exotic dancers are...off the table. We'll most likely go shooting and play some flag football."
"Yes!" Steven cheered. "It's been far too long since we've all hung out together."
"I love the idea of some friendly competition," Matt added.
They continued to talk about everything from sports to baby names for Matt and Maria's baby, and the sale of Mom's diner and Dad's repair shop last year.
The latter intensified the ache in Damon's chest. He didn't begrudge his mom for wanting to retire, and his dad had been gone for five years. It was time to let the shop go.
When he signed the consent forms last year, agreeing to remove the two businesses from the family trust, he was fine with selling them. But now that he was home, it hit him harder than he expected.
Seeing a new sign in front of the repair shop when he drove into town Friday evening had been like a sucker punch to the gut. Knowing he'd see the beautiful woman he met in the elevator again was the only thing that kept him from pulling over and grieving for a moment.
Grace.
She intrigued him. He enjoyed spending the day with her yesterday. So much so that he didn't want the day to end. Which was saying something, because he loved spending time with his family.
They'd hit it off as they talked and laughed all afternoon. He was so confident she'd tell him, that he asked her about the first time she kissed a stranger in an elevator. For a moment, he'd thought she'd spill her secrets, but then dark shadows flitted through her eyes, and she clammed up.
Just when he thought he was getting to know Grace, he realized she was a mystery. One he couldn't wait to solve.
"Earth to Damon."
"What?" Damon looked up from his plate to see all eyes staring at him. Warmth crept up his neck.
"You okay?" The lines of worry creasing Steven's forehead made Damon realize his oldest brother had tried more than once to get his attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Damon said. "What were we talking about?"
"Isabella asked how long you'll be staying," Mom said.
"My flight leaves two days after the wedding at 0400."
A collective groan sounded around the table.
“And you need to be at the airport two hours early?” Steven let out a whistle. “That’s early, but I’ll drive you.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got the rental car, so I’ll drive myself.”
“But we’re going to have a family dinner the evening before he leaves,” Mom said in a voice that didn’t allow for arguments. “So make sure you put it on your calendars.”
Everyone nodded.
"And when will you come home again?" Maria asked.
"I'm not sure." Damon fiddled with his knife as melancholy enveloped him. "I'll be deployed for six months."
"And after that?" His mom gave him an expectant look.
"After that, I'm due to re-up."
Hope lit up his mom's face. "And will you be re-upping?"
The younger kids had finished their food and were now downstairs in the playroom, so silence filled the dining room as all eyes focused on Damon.
His chest grew tight as the temperature in the dining room skyrocketed. His thoughts turned to Grace. He'd told her yesterday that maybe he would come home for good. Every time he visited home, it was harder and harder to leave. He had a feeling leaving this time might break him.
But the thought of leaving the Army broke his heart too.
His mom locked gazes with him then her head tilted to the side as she arched a brow.
He forced a smile. "I don't know."
It was the first time Damon had ever expressed doubt about re-upping, and it left him feeling conflicted.
Oblivious to his inner turmoil, everyone around the table seemed to breathe a relieved sigh.
"When you decide you're ready to come home, I'll find a place for you at the grocery store." Steven clapped him on the shoulder.
Damon resisted the urge to cringe. The grocery store had been in his dad's family for three generations.
But it had never been his dad's passion.
He'd preferred to work on cars. It wasn't Damon's either.
Growing up, he'd chosen to help at the repair shop rather than at the store.
He was relieved when Steven, who had a business degree, stepped in to manage the grocery store when Uncle Sid retired.
His mom continued to study his face. He wasn't sure what she saw there that intrigued her so, but he had a feeling this conversation wasn't over between the two of them.
And he was right.
Two hours later after his brothers and their families had returned to their homes, Damon sat on the couch with his phone in his hand, Grace's number on the screen.
He spotted her and her mom sitting by Gabe and Paige at church this morning.
But he didn't get the chance to talk to them.
He wanted to call her just to hear her voice. Wanted to ask about her day.
Would she think he was being too pushy if he asked her out again already? There were so many things he wanted to experience with her, including riding four-wheelers and shooting guns, stargazing and canoeing at the lake. Hiking and making smores around a campfire.
"Is something wrong?"
Damon jumped at his mom's words. He hadn't seen her come in and sit in her recliner. Her fingers moved as fast as his mind as she worked the yarn with her crochet hook.
"Everything's fine."
"Are you sure? You're looking at your phone like it's a wild kitten. You want to cuddle it, but you're afraid it might scratch." Despite the movements of her fingers, her gaze never left his face. "Just call her."
He was tempted to feign ignorance and ask "Who?" But even after all these years of being gone, his mom still had the ability to read his mind.
"I don't want to appear too..."
"Too what?" She chuckled. "Smitten?"
Damon squirmed then laughed along with her. "I was going to say overzealous."
"She must be some girl if she's got you considering leaving the Army."
"It's not just her."
"It's not?" Mom arched a brow, waiting patiently for him to elaborate.
"Each time I come home, it's harder to leave." He shrugged one shoulder.
Did he dare admit—even to himself—that maybe Grace had something to do with it this time? He felt an almost magnetic pull towards her, but it sounded crazy to voice it after only knowing her a couple of days.
Mom gave him a wide smile. "That's how it's supposed to be. This is home after all. It's where the people who love you most are." She nodded toward his phone. "So why are you so nervous about calling Grace?"
"I feel like we connect every time we're together, but she seems guarded." Damon looked at his phone again. The screen had gone dark. "I'm not sure if it's because of her mom or something else in her past."
"Only one way to find out." Mom barely glanced at her hands as they worked the yarn into what looked like it would be a baby blanket. "Call her. Or at least text her."
Unable to believe what he was hearing, Damon chuckled and shook his head. "Friday evening, you told me to tread lightly and not toy with Grace's emotions."
"That was before I knew she's got you rethinking your future. You must be serious about her if you're considering leaving the Army."
"I know it sounds crazy, because I just met her, but..." Damon's heart thumped a little harder in his chest. "I can totally see myself spending the rest of my life with her."
He thought about all the things he liked about Grace. Besides finding her attractive, he admired her willingness to try new things, and her boldness in putting him in his place.
I can relax with her. I don’t feel the need to be hyper vigilant all the time.
“You’ve always thrown your whole heart into everything you do.
I wouldn’t expect this to be any different.
But you won't get to spend the rest of your life with her if you don't call her.
" Mom put down her crocheting and gave him a pointed look.
“I know you don't want to appear too eager, but you've got less than two weeks to win her heart. "
She's right.
His time here was going to fly by. He turned on his phone and found Grace's number again.
His thumb hovered over the phone icon for a long moment before he chickened out and opened a text box.
He wanted to ask her if she'd like to go for a drive this evening to watch the sunset, but decided that was probably too much.
When can I take you 4-wheeling and teach you to shoot?
He stared at his screen, waiting for her response. Finally, a small check mark appeared, signaling she'd read his text, but no dots appeared to let him know she was responding. Fighting the urge to fidget, he continued to stare at his phone.
"Well?"
He looked up to see his mom watching him again, her hands still.
"I invited her to go four-wheeling and shooting. She read my text, but she hasn't responded yet." He looked down at his phone again.
Three little dots appeared, then disappeared.
Damon's stomach dropped. He resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. He hadn't been this anxious about a girl's response since high school.
A few minutes later, Mom asked, "Anything yet?"
He shook his head. "Yesterday, she was worried about leaving her mom alone while I took her horseback riding. She might be worried about that again." He gave his mom an earnest look. "Would you be willing to check in on Marisol if Grace agrees to go out with me?"
"I'd love to. In fact, I have a new recipe for butternut squash soup that I've been thinking about making for her. I know she has a hard time eating much with the tumor in her stomach."
Damon's heart skipped a beat when his phone vibrated in his hand.
Grace: I start my new job at the hospital on Tuesday, but I'm free tomorrow.
"Tomorrow." It took every ounce of Damon's restraint not to punch his arm in the air. A grin spread across his face. "I'm taking Grace out tomorrow."