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pushing forward to make it through. When you stood still, you risked the chance of being washed away.
    Plastering on a pleasant expression, I opened the door and mentally prepped myself. It was morning, and the place was deserted as I approached the front desk. Only the smell of stale coffee lingered in the air.
    A female officer sat behind the desk in her blue uniform. “May I help you?”
    “Yes, I’d like to speak with Commander Taylor regarding the murder of Alex Thompson. My name is Willow Russo.” I never changed my name after we got married. Alex actually encouraged me not to. Only a few of my closest friends knew I was married, because Alex hadn’t wanted me to broadcast it. It bothered me, but with the PTSD, I hadn’t questioned it much. There were quirks that were better left alone.
    She nodded after taking a few notes. “He’s in a meeting. Do you want to wait?”
    “Yes, please.”
    Keys clicked on her computer. “Perfect. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
    Making my way first to the coffee machine, I poured a cup and mixed in some creamer as I tried not to watch two officers chat with each other on the other side of the room. The coffee smelled old, but something was better than nothing at this point. The chattering stopped momentarily as they glanced my way, which caught my attention.
    I met their gazes, and the officers looked away and continued their conversation. I felt paranoid and did another quick take of the place, finding it void of anyone else.
    Idly, I wondered if they knew Alex and recognized me. Probably not since he was undercover and I’d only been here once. He kept no photos of us in his wallet. In fact there weren’t any photos of us except on our wedding day in Vegas. If only I had done things differently, in retrospect, after all that had transpired through the last year.
    It seemed like a lifetime ago that we got married. On a whim, shortly after he left the military, Alex surprised me with a trip to Vegas. It was an incredibly romantic weekend. Though I’d sensed a change, I loved him and agreed to marry him.
    Something in the pit of my stomach had warned me, but I’d ignored it, thinking love conquered all.
    Always go with my gut. I should have known.
    My mind drifted to better times.
     

     
    We were at the airport. I’d been an emotional wreck on the inside all morning but forced myself to be calm on the outside. The love of my life was leaving to head back to base. Within forty-eight hours, Alex would deploy. There was a chance I wouldn’t hear from him again until he arrived at the base overseas. He explained that at times I might go weeks without hearing from him. Weeks. And when I did hear from him, it would probably only be through e-mail.
    How was I going to survive going that long not knowing if he was okay?
    “Sweetheart, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
    I laid my head against his chest. “I know you do. I’m trying not to be upset.”
    Fingers came up underneath my chin, and I looked into those gorgeous green eyes I’d become addicted to over the last few weeks. “Willow, I will come back for you. I’ll make you my wife. We’ll have a little girl and a little boy. That will be my perfect world.”
    A tear streaked down my face. “I want that, too.”
    He pulled out a picture from his bag. It was of me smiling up at him. This morning, when we were getting ready, I’d put on lipstick and put a big kiss in the corner of it. “I’ll keep this close to me all the time. Even if you don’t hear from me, I’ll be thinking of you. I love you, Willow.”
    “I love you, too. I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll wait forever.”
    “You won’t have to.”
     

     
    Thirty minutes passed while I was lost in similar memories before the officer from the front desk approached me. She grinned, which hopefully meant good news for me. “Ms. Russo, Commander Taylor is on his way up to meet with you.”
    “Oh, thank you. Perfect.”
    Sweat coated my palms