Out of Goodbyes by Gen Ryan

Author:Gen Ryan [Ryan, Gen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: second chances, new love, drama, Romance, romantic fiction, novella, part 2, hea, soldier, military romance, ptsd, nurse, paramedic, love
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Rainey

I sat in my car like a wuss, staring at Levi’s house. It was beautiful. Two stories, yellow with red shutters. I had a dollhouse just like it when I was younger and said I would buy a house like that one day. Instead, Parker and I settled for renting a town house because we never knew where the army would send us. The stability and family I dreamed up were replaced with deployments and what-ifs. I didn’t mind, or at least convinced myself I didn’t. Now, I craved a family. A place to call my own.

Why did everything about Levi bring up my childhood wishes? I wanted them again. Hell, I probably never stopped. I shelved them so Parker could pursue his dreams.

Today was Levi’s niece’s birthday party, and I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. Levi showed me a picture of Abi. She was absolutely adorable. I was excited to meet her. But the last time I’d had to meet someone’s family was forever ago, and I was young and didn’t care quite as much. That’s the thing with youth, it made you feel untouchable, like nothing could ruin the high of being in love.

Ah, youthful bliss. What I wouldn’t give to have that feeling back. With age came responsibility and reality. The reality that love, while beautiful and pure, could rip you to shreds and have you begging on your knees for mercy. Love didn’t have mercy on me. It broke me.

Levi opened the door to his house, his smile making one spread across my face. My heart fluttered. Now love was putting me back together again.

Gathering the present I’d purchased for Abi and a tub of potato salad I’d made, I headed toward his front door.

“I wondered when you were going to come in and stop sitting in your car.” Levi’s eyes lit up with amusement.

“Sorry, had to get my mind right.”

He leaned in and kissed me, taking the poorly wrapped present and potato salad from my hands. I had wrestled with the damn wrapping paper for twenty minutes. It looked like it got into a fight with a rabid cat. Ah well. I tried.

“Mind right?” Levi raised his eyebrow. “You didn’t have to do this, by the way.” He held up the potato salad.

“My mom taught me to never show up somewhere empty-handed.”

I followed him as we walked through his house. It was different than I expected it’d be. With Levi being single and no kids, I guess I pictured some swanky bachelor pad. It wasn’t. It looked like a home. It was a nice-sized three-bedroom ranch, with modest furniture, and some pictures of his family lining the walls. It was endearing how much he loved his family. Growing up with just my mother, while I didn’t want for anything, I didn’t have family gatherings and things like this. It was just us. Until Parker. Then my mother took him in and made sure he never wanted for anything either.

Now it was just me.

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