Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49258 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49258 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“You’re kidding, right?” Koa stared at the older man in disbelief.
“I am. Come on. I think we’ll hold off on that plank challenge until we have a sprint for the guard shack. What do you say? The first soldier there gets to read Koa’s letter aloud?” Caden suggested.
Koa sprinted out the door before the team chief finished. The others were on his heels as they pelted down the hallway and out the front door. Jabbing Hank in the side with his elbow as the sniper tried to pass him, Koa took advantage of Hank’s stumble to the side to stay in the lead. There was no way anyone would get to read that letter before him.
The guards stood outside the shack watching them come. Koa didn’t care that he’d become the day’s entertainment. He wanted that letter now. Please let it be her. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.
“Hey, Koa. I guess you got the message,” the guard said with a smile as he handed over a long white envelope.
“Thanks,” Koa said, holding it away from his sweating body.
He turned to walk back to his team, who waited a few feet away. They all smiled broadly at him. Koa realized they hadn’t truly attempted to win. They’d just made him work for it.
“Going to read it?” Zale asked.
“Later,” Koa told him. He wanted to have privacy to process whatever Giana written. Please don’t let her tell me to fuck off.
“Alright! If you all are finished slacking off, let’s head for that field,” Caden directed and took off running. “We can hold that plank in the fresh air. You guys are getting too fragrant for the gym.”
Koa scooped up a clean-looking stone from the ground. He’d need something to work as a paperweight while they trained. Soon, he balanced on his forearms as he stared down at the white envelope. His mind whirled so much with the possibilities, Koa won the competition without realizing it. He dropped to the grass when he noticed everyone had collapsed.
Thanks, little girl. She was already bringing him good luck.
By the end of the day, the crisp envelope was battered and bruised. Koa had carried it with him throughout their activities today. It looked as worn as his team.
“Dismissed,” Caden announced.
Koa didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the envelope and pelted toward his locker to get his keys and phone. Raising a hand to acknowledge the calls from the team wishing him good luck, Koa concentrated on reaching his truck to open the letter in private.
There, he unsealed the envelope carefully and pulled out a single sheet of white paper.
Are you a daddy?
G
He reread the question three times, trying to convince himself it was real. When he trusted what he saw, Koa checked the time and drove toward the coffee shop. Racing to the firehouse would cause her problems. He could only hope that she would be brave enough to meet him.
When Koa turned into the parking lot, he spotted her in the window. When their eyes met through the glass, Koa’s heart thumped hard in his chest. He parked and hurried to the door. He walked straight to Giana.
Pulling a chair as close as possible, he sat down and wrapped his hand around hers, which twisted on the tabletop. “Yes.”
“Really? I’d started to think they didn’t exist.”
“I wondered if I’d ever find you. I should have sacrificed wings to the barbecue gods a long time ago,” Koa said, trying to break the tension he could see stiffening her body.
“That was dangerous,” she warned, regaining a bit of her fire.
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
“I figured you’d get my note on your way out. I didn’t cause you any trouble, did I?” Giana asked.
“You did not. And even if you did, I couldn’t care less. Thank you for being so brave. I didn’t know whether you felt it too. I’d already decided to ask you this afternoon if you were here.”
When she leaned slightly toward him, Koa couldn’t stop himself. He slid his fingers into her thick, soft tresses and drew her forward. He kissed her lightly, nibbling at her lips until she pressed her mouth against his fully. Fighting his flaring desire, Koa ended the kiss.
The look in her eyes tested his resolve. He loved the soft glow of her happiness. “We have a lot to discuss, little girl,” he told her quietly. “Can we go somewhere more private? Perhaps my house? I promise you are perfectly safe with me.”
She hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Are you okay with me sending your name and address to a friend?”
Koa reached for his wallet in his back pocket and pulled out his driver’s license and his military ID. After placing them on the table in front of her, he said, “Take a picture of these and send it to her. That address is correct.”