Forte reached out to caress her cheek. She had a much better heart than he did. “This kind of work is what she does for a living, and from what I can tell with limited information, she does it well. She chose this line of work, all the associated risks included.”
Sophie leaned into his caress. “I can respect that. I just wish it didn’t have to be risks taken on my behalf specifically. It sounds much more heroic when it’s for our country or for a good cause.”
He adjusted his hand to lift her chin so her gaze met his. “You are a part of this world and what any soldier is out there to protect. And you are worth any risk to me.”
She bit her lip. “I’m afraid, Brandon. It’s been too easy, too beautiful pretending this is a vacation or a getaway with you. I shouldn’t want this while someone else is out there risking her life being me.”
“She isn’t you.” He kissed her to prove it, pulling her close. Then he drew back just enough to see her face. “It’s okay to be afraid. We’re not completely safe. What we’re doing is buying time. And it’s okay to make the most of that time because there’s no guarantee we’ll have more later.”
Chapter Sixteen
As early as she liked to get up in the morning, Brandon still beat her to it with his habit of waking before dawn. She’d sort of come to consciousness when he’d left the warmth of the bed they’d been sharing, giving him a sleepy giggle when he’d run his knuckles over her rib cage. He might’ve teased her into turning to him for a long kiss, too. Or that might’ve been a dream. It was very nice, regardless.
He’d been right last night. She’d decided to savor the time and enjoy, fully aware it might end as easily as any other dream when it came time to wake up.
Or not wake up, ever again.
Shaking off sleep, she sat up and swung her feet over the edge of the bed.
“I’ll live.” Saying it out loud was more of a decision than a hope. Even if all this ended badly, she’d take the time he’d bought for her and make it wonderful. No regrets.
Washing her face chased away the last fog of sleep and gloom. She decided to pull on one of the tactically altered tunic T-shirts for the day. Elisa had a knack for simple, quick sewing alterations, and the effect was fun. The formerly loose T-shirt now clung to her form, accentuating her slender curves.
The act of putting on clothes that made her look the way she liked did wonders for her confidence. She walked down the hallway, looking for other signs of life in the cabin.
Haydn was a shadow at the end of the hallway.
“Hey, Haydn, where is Brandon?”
The big dog gave her a doggie grin, his tongue lolling out as he panted at her.
“It is a mystery.” She stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. It wasn’t as if Haydn was going to talk to her, but he also wasn’t going to particularly do anything in response to her chatter, either. She’d learned from Brandon a while ago that his working dogs responded best to clear, concise commands. But she liked to talk to the dogs, and he’d never said it was bad. “I was about to do some morning yoga out in the living room. Are you joining me?”
She walked past Haydn to the living room and he followed her. Her cat was curled up on the back of the couch but roused and let out a meow as Sophie entered.
Her new cat really needed a name. Maybe Sophie would come up with one as she went through her yoga routine. Part of the reason she enjoyed it was the way thoughts that’d eluded her while she was thinking too hard came to her in the middle of a workout once she’d relaxed.
A cat’s name seemed like a reasonable thought to search for, as opposed to the bigger answer of what the hell to do with the rest of her life.
She decided to start in the middle of the open space in the living room. This would be the first time she was trying a session while putting weight on her injured ankle.
Her cat decided to come down to the floor to walk in a circle around Sophie with a quiet meow. Sophie stood tall with her feet together, making sure to keep her shoulders relaxed and her weight evenly distributed over her feet. She’d be careful to pay attention to her right ankle and stop the minute any pain started there. She kept her arms loose at her sides. Her cat sat directly in front of her and watched as she took a deep breath, raising her hands overhead, palms facing each other with her arms straight. She reached up toward the ceiling until she felt the stretch all the way to her fingertips. After a good long moment she lowered her arms to her sides.
Just that started her blood flowing and she focused on steady, even breathing as she repeated the move.
Her cat moved to her side and meowed again. Haydn stood on the other side, watching her with his head tipped to one side in a quizzical pose.