The Lost Connection by Jen Talty

Author:Jen Talty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jupiter Press
Published: 2020-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Willow hung the towel on the rack before making her way from the bedroom to the deck that overlooked Lake George. This cabin had been their little piece of paradise whenever she and Gabe had a long weekend between deployments. For three years, they got lost in each other and forgot about the rest of the world, if only for a short period of time.

What struck her as interesting as she pondered the past was that they never really discussed the future. If she brought it up, he wanted to keep things in the here and now. She was young and living the dream. She had her entire life ahead of her and the weight of the world had yet to come crashing down on her shoulders.

Looking back, she realized it was because he knew they would be separated and that he would break her heart.

She sat on the rustic wooden chair, lifted her feet, and set them on the railing. Boats hummed along the shoreline. A few kids frolicked in the water while their parents relaxed with a cocktail on the docks. She ran her fingers through her wet hair. Gabe had known her better than anyone, and he knew the one thing she hated more than anything was people making decisions for her.

Being the youngest of four, her sisters did that to her all the time and it made her batshit crazy. She had told her family she’d joined the Navy just to get away from them. Not a single sister believed her, and with good reason. Besides struggling to take orders and respect the chain of command, the only reason she’d joined the Navy had been to be with Gabe.

When that ended, so did her desire to have a career in the armed forces, though it wasn’t a bad gig when she could play with firepower.

The sound of an engine caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled.

Gabe jumped from the rental, carrying a to-go bag from their favorite burger joint down the road. “I got a six-pack too.” He lifted some cold ones.

“Wonderful. Let’s eat right here and watch the sunset.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll bring out some plates and stuff.”

“Good. Because I’m not moving.” She rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eyes. Since they’d left Baltimore, she’d focused her thoughts on the problems her family faced and not on what happened between her and Gabe.

Or the fact neither one had reached for the condoms he’d said were in his nightstand.

For the three years they dated, they never used them because she had an IUD, so they weren’t necessary as a form of birth control and since they were in a monogamous relationship, they didn’t need the condoms.

She understood statistics and they didn’t change from one person to the next. It only took once and just because Alexis was pregnant and Savanah probably was too, that didn’t mean Willow wasn’t either.

A warmth filled her veins. It was as if she’d stepped into a hot spring on a snowy winter’s day.

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