Chapter 35
Razorback stood at the edge of the reflecting pool, watching the sun rise behind the Washington Memorial.
He’d woken before dawn and been drawn to this place, needing to be here like he needed to breathe.
It was unseasonably cool, a light breeze blowing in his face as he thought about all he had lost, and what he was going to do about it.
He’d spent the better part of the last three years focusing on what was gone.
His appearance as he knew it. His wife, his vision for the future.
His place in the Navy SEALs. At least he’d replaced the last one, finding a new home at HERO Force, but the loss of the others he’d let define him for far too long.
A young family was walking toward him from the other end of the mall, their distant voices one of the only sounds. The sky was alight with yellow, pink, and blue, and he stared at the reflection of the monument in the still water.
If he left here today, he was unlikely to ever see Jackie again. But if he stayed, even just to talk to her one more time—hell, maybe ask her on a date—he would be venturing down a completely new path.
His eyes closed. The future was a complete unknown. He couldn’t have predicted what would happen to him or the effect it would have on his marriage, just as he couldn’t predict what the future held for him if he pursued Jackie.
Life was a crapshoot, a risk, a chance. There were no guarantees. Then there was Selena. It would be far too easy to get attached to her, and that added a whole new dimension to any relationship he might have with Jackie.
He checked his watch. His flight to JFK was leaving just over an hour from now. He should have left for the airport already, yet here he stood.
The family passed by him and continued on their way. He didn’t look to see if the children stared, and if the parents noticed his face, Razorback wasn’t aware of it.
This place, this park, this moment. He was at a crossroads where his military service, his marriage, the time he’d spent recovering at Walter Reed, and his choices for the future all collided like spokes on a wheel.
He could pick any path, and in that moment he chose to walk toward the World War II Memorial at the opposite end of the reflecting pool.
There would always be another plane. Right now he was right where he needed to be, acknowledging the roads he’d traveled and those not taken before he embarked on a new journey.