Read Back in the Soldier's Arms for Free Online Page B

though she knew it was rude to eavesdrop, would have told her daughter off for doing the same thing, she couldn’t help but listen.
    “Why did you leave me, Daddy? I was scared.”
    Penny shut her eyes.
    “I didn’t leave you, Gabby. Mommy was here and I was only visiting Uncle Tom.”
    “But it’s the middle of the night.”
    Penny smiled. She might only be five, but it seemed Gabby was too smart to be fooled.
    “Sweetheart, I thought you’d enjoy spending some time just with Mommy.”
    Silence stretched out. Penny wanted to walk away, she did, but her feet were stuck to the spot as if glue had fixed them.
    “She didn’t tuck me back in the way you do when I woke up.”
    Penny listened to Daniel chuckle, while her own heart shattered. Was pierced by shards of glass.
    “There’s no right way to tuck a little girl into bed, miss,” he said sternly. “So long as it’s followed by a kiss and lots of love.”
    Silence again.
    “Did Mommy kiss you?”
    Penny held her breath. She hoped Gabby was nodding. She had kissed her. Had kissed her so many times she had hardly been able to stop herself.
    “Then Mommy did tuck you in the right way after all, didn’t she?”
    “But you weren’t there, in your bed, when I climbed in.”
    This time it was Daniel who sighed.
    “Mom is very tired, and I wanted her to have the bed to herself. So she could, ah, spread out and relax.”
    They hadn’t thought this through at all.
    Penny made herself move then, propelled herself down the hall rather than torturing herself over listening any longer.
    “Penny?”
    She stirred the chocolate in the pot, wooden spoon tracing circles around and around.
    “In here,” she called softly.
    Daniel appeared a moment later.
    “Hot chocolate?” he asked.
    Penny raised her eyes. “Yeah. Want one?”
    He gave her a gentle smile that raised one side of his mouth into the kindest of curves. “I’d love one.”
    Penny reached for another mug, finished stirring and poured even amounts into each one. She clecing passed Daniel his, then cupped her hands around her own. It was hot, but she didn’t mind the light burning sensation.
    It took some of the pain away from her mind. Where she kept replaying Gabby’s words over and over.
    “This isn’t going to work, is it?” she asked.
    Confusion crossed Daniel’s face.
    “I mean this whole not-telling-her thing,” she corrected. “She’s going to figure it out soon, and I think we need to figure out what to tell her.”
    Daniel sipped his chocolate slowly. “What do you want to tell her?”
    Penny raised her shoulders before letting them fall again. “Honestly? I don’t know, Daniel, but it doesn’t feel right pretending.”
    “So let’s not pretend,” he said, eyes shining. What? “You want to tell her?”
    He shook his head, eyes burning the deepest of browns, as dark as the rich chocolate she’d stirred in the pot. “No,” he said firmly. “I want to prove myself to you so we don’t have to pretend to her. I want another chance, Penny. I want it so bad, but I don’t know what to say or do to convince you to say yes. I know we said we’d wait until tomorrow night, but we’re here now and I think we need to talk.”
    She shook her head. No.
    This was not a conversation she wanted to be having right now. She didn’t feel strong enough to go there. “Penny?”
    “Daniel, I …”
    He held up a hand, as if he didn’t want to hear what she was going to say. Didn’t want to give her the chance to say no.
    “I know you’re angry with me, Pen, and I know I deserve it. Hell, do I know I deserve it,” he told her. “But you’re only here for a week, right?”
    She nodded, scared of where this was going. “Six days as of right now.”
    He put his mug down and reached for her, then folded his hands back against his own body, as if he wasn’t sure what her reaction would be to his touch.
    She was glad he hadn’t made contact.
    Touching him right now would be too soon. She