Chapter 28 The Goodbye
THE GOODBYE
MAGGIE
The rest of the day went by in a blur of introductions and explanations I would never remember.
I had no idea there was so much paperwork involved to be a military wife.
Zeke and I went to desk after desk, filling out forms and supplying our temporary marriage certificate along with the affidavit of my name change.
At some point I had my picture taken and a laminated ID card pressed into my hand shortly afterwards.
“Don’t ever lose that,” the soldier warned me as he handed it off. “That’s your access to everything on post.”
Zeke also took me by his unit office to turn in copies of all the paperwork when we were done. He introduced me to another soldier, Staff Sergeant Bridges, and they exchanged a few heated words in a low voice while I waited awkwardly in the doorway.
Every time Zeke called me “his wife,” a thrill shot through me. Call me a lovestruck fool, but I ate that shit up. He made no effort to hide the pride in his voice as he said it either, like he genuinely wanted everyone to know that he married me.
“Um, there’s something I have to do, but you don’t have to go with me. I’m gonna take you back home so that you can start packing your stuff. We’ll need to move it all into my room so that the movers can take it, okay?” Zeke said.
I nodded faintly even though I didn’t have the slightest idea what he was talking about.
“I’m sorry, Trouble, but I don’t think we’re gonna get that extra day. We’ll be leaving tomorrow.” His hand gently gripped my elbow while his thumb made soothing circles. “You’ll wanna say goodbye to Celeste and Marla tonight.”
Ice crystallized in my veins. In all my realizations today, it hadn’t once crossed my mind that I would be leaving them. Marla, the mother I needed, and Celeste, the sister I should have had. How would I get used to days without them? How could I tell them what I’d done?
Zeke is worth it, I reminded myself. He sees you.
“Okay,” I told him. I wasn’t sure exactly what was okay, but I needed to say something. I need the brain fog to lift so that I felt like myself again and not a caricature of Maggie Hayes, Army wife.
Zeke apologized as he pulled up in front of Marla’s bakery.
He said there was something important he had to do, so he couldn’t stay and share our good news with Celeste.
I wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings by admitting it, but I was suddenly very grateful that the Army kept him busy.
Saying goodbye would hurt enough. This was something I simply needed to do alone.
Yet as soon as I saw his truck round the corner, I already missed him.
Wistfully, I stared at his retreating taillights, uncertain but elated at what we had done.
I didn’t know how to be in a relationship, let alone be someone’s wife, but I would figure it out for Zeke.
He didn’t realize how special he truly was.
Without turning around, I took a few steps backwards before ramming into something hard. Two hands clasped around my upper arms in a tight grip that made me wince.
“Well, well,” a voice snarled in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Looks like I finally found you, Mags.”
Fuck…