Ace in the Hole Read Online Free

bottom lip, something she always did when she was nervous, and changed the subject. “I’d have cooked when I got back.”
    “There’s nothing to do but wait.”
    She leaned back on the sofa, watching him. “I figured you’d be sleeping for a while or I’d have left a note to tell you I had an appointment with my realtor.”
    “I had planned to, but…” He crossed the room. “Gwen, I’m sorry about before.”
    “We’ve done this already…”
    “Please just let me finish.” He squatted before her and took her hand in his. “When I left for boot camp I thought we’d be together forever. Once things were official and I made it through my training, then we’d get married. It wasn’t until I was actually there that I realized you deserved so much better. It wasn’t the training, or the long hours, it was what I saw the other guys going through with their families. I knew things would only get worse as my SEAL training continued.”
    “What are you saying?”
    “We didn’t talk about it much but I knew you wanted a family of your own. I could have given you that, the house you wanted, all the material things, but what I couldn’t give you was me. Training day in and day out for over two years. Since then it’s been missions and more training, a SEAL’s job is never done. How could I expect you to sit idly by at home and wait for me, never knowing what I was doing or if I’d even survive? That was no life for you.”
    “Why do we have to do this again?” Tears glistened in her eyes.
    “Because you need to understand.” He squeezed her hand. “It was the hardest decision I ever made, but one I thought was right for you. The whole family gave me shit about it. Everyone thought I was making a huge mistake, hell even I thought I was. You were always the best thing in my life. I thought I was making the best decision for you.”
    “You could have talked to me about this, given me some say in the matter. Instead you sent me a letter.”
    “I wrote the letter because I knew if I didn’t do it then I wouldn’t be able to. I planned to explain when I was on leave…then I just couldn’t come home and face you. By then I knew I made a mistake.”
    The tears were falling down her face. “We all make mistakes and they can be forgiven. You should have come to me.”
    “How could I? By doing what I thought was right, I broke your heart. I screwed everything up.”
    “Someone once told me that you can go back to the place where it all went wrong and find your way again.”
    He blinked, trying to determine if he’d heard her correctly. Did she mean there was still a chance for them? He was supposed to be making amends with her so he could put the space between them without additional hard feelings. He wasn’t supposed to be getting involved with her.
    He stayed where he was, the grandfather clock in the entryway ticking the seconds off as if reminding him there wouldn’t be another chance. If he screwed up this time, it would be the end of anything he could have with Gwen.
    “When I first received the letter I was upset, angry, and heartbroken. Who knows what would have happened between us. I knew about your ambitions to be a SEAL since that first day, and that didn’t stop me from falling in love with you.” She placed her index finger under his chin and gently guided it up until their gazes met. “So what if you were gone more than you were home, it would just make us cherish the moments we had together that much more. If the love is true and strong, it can overcome anything.”
    “I thought you deserved someone home with you each night, someone who could be an actual father to your children. To throw a ball with the boys and to scare off any dates the daughters might have.”
    “As noble as the thought was, it should have been our decision to make, not yours. I don’t think it worked out as you wanted it to anyway.” She smirked and laid her hand on the top curve of her stomach.
    “Maybe not