Read The Officer Says "I Do" for Free Online Page B

know. Tim, obviously you were wasted. You don’t look it, and anyone who didn’t know you well probably wouldn’t realize it. But I know you. You wouldn’t have kept this from me. Not if you were in your right mind.”
    “You’re right.” He sat on the edge of his own bed, rubbing the back of his neck. SNAFU did not begin to describe his life at that very moment.
    “She’s the real deal, Tim.”
    “What does that mean?”
    Madison blew out a breath. “It means, I don’t think she’s a tag chaser or some weirdo with a Marine fetish, or someone who is dead broke and wants a meal ticket and good health insurance. I know I have nothing to go off of, but my instincts say she’s legit. Not quite your type, but legit. When she told me the story, it was like she got just as swept away as you did that night, in an honest chain of mistakes.”
    “I believe it.” He trusted his sister’s judgment. As a nurse, she saw too many people in every stage of life not to have a pretty decent judge of character. “Wait, what do you mean she wasn’t my type?” From his recollection, he’d been attracted to her because she was exactly his type. Beautiful, well-spoken, put together, long legs, big eyes…
    “Um, hmm. Did I say that?”
    “Yeah. You did. Quit stalling, squirt.”
    “What do you want me to do about her?”
    He blew out a breath. “Did she happen to mention what her plans were when she found me?”
    “Not quite. I didn’t think it was my place to ask. I know she has a room already at an extended stay motel for now. But as far as the plan, I think that’s something you should talk to her about. But not right now. She’s tired, and more than a little confused about you not being here. I don’t think she realized how soon you were leaving. Besides, this isn’t really a convo for the phone.”
    “I’ll call you when I know something, okay? Get her contact info—all of it. The name and address of the motel, permanent address, cell phone, everything you can think of. Knock her over, steal her wallet, and write down her driver’s license number if you have to. Just don’t let her get away.”
    “Aye aye, sir,” was her only cheeky remark, then there was dead air.
    He shut the phone and tossed it on the bed.
    “Son of a bitch. What happened?”
    Jeremy’s remark snapped him out of his plan to wallow in the mess his life was turning into. “Yeah, we’ll talk about it later. Let’s go talk to the CO, see if there’s been a change. I’m finding myself more than a little anxious to shore up plans right now.”

Chapter 4
    Skye caught herself biting her thumbnail and quickly pulled her hand away from her mouth. What she really wanted to do was stand up and pace around the living room, stuff her face into a pillow and scream, or punch her mattress. But she didn’t want Madison to think she was five shades of crazy four days after meeting her. So she settled for staring out the window.
    “It’s okay,” Madison said with a smile. She set a tray down on the coffee table with a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses filled with ice. “Things are always delayed with troop movement. Nature of the game.” Then, as if it was no big deal that an entire huge batallion-thingie full of Marines was missing, she poured two glasses and sat back to sip on her drink. “Hurry up and wait is a big motto around here. If you stick around, you’ll hear it enough.”
    For a woman who cared about her brother, Madison didn’t show much concern about when he’d be returning.
    “But he said they’d be back three hours ago.”
    Madison gave a shrug and sipped her lemonade again. “That’s life in the military. Nothing is on time, or at least the time they give you. I’m in the military myself, and we grew up in it. I don’t know any other way to be.”
    “But you’re in the Navy,” Skye pointed out.
    Madison grinned and handed her a frosty glass. “Much to my family’s eternal shock and disappointment. The Marines