One Day You'll Be Mine: Steamy Contemporary Military Romance Read Online Free Page A

with Hollis’ attitude lately. He’s been working a lot, and he makes time for Jordan, but he doesn’t have time for me. And we’ve been doing nothing but fighting lately.”
    She paused, and then added, “That’s the not-so-fun part about being a military wife. You get the good, bad, and ugly of being the second priority. You’re really the mistress in your own marriage. The government is always first.”
    “I’m sorry Natalia,” I said, in my most soothing voice. I inserted my key in the lock, turning the door in a swift gesture. “You know Hollis loves you. He’s been with you since like forever. Almost 20 years. He’s just having a rough patch.”
    “You’re right, Ro. It’s just difficult to be levelheaded when he’s snapping at me all the time,” she replied. I could hear the weariness in her voice; she sounded like she could use a vacation.
    “Hey, when’s the next time you can get off work?” I asked, getting an idea. “You should come spend a week or two with me. Get your mind off him, that base, and military life. Live like a carefree civilian again.”
    “I have time saved up, but I’m not sure.” Natalia sighed heavily. “We were supposed to take a family vacation, but he says he’s busy, and I haven’t had time to get him to schedule some leave.”
    “Forget him. Forget my amazing nephew. It’s about you , girl. You have to take out time for you. Otherwise, you’ll get lost in your wife and mother duties.” I headed straight to my fridge, grabbed the pad Thai from the top shelf and popped it in the microwave. Then I grabbed the first bottle of water I could find and chugged. I was definitely hungry, and there was no apologizing for it.
    Natalia’s eyes rolled so hard in the back of her head, I didn’t need to see it. I could hear her exasperation in the audible groan on the other end of the line, and the persnickety quip that followed. “Have you been reading more of those books on expert motherhood and marriage again?”
    I didn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes, ma’am, I most certainly have. And I’ll have you know that-”
    You know, I was so ready to explain everything I’d been learning, but she cut me off there. Natalia only had one child, but she thought she was the queen of everything marriage and mommydom. Because she had to learn on her own, she felt books were just way too impractical.
    “Stop, woman! I don’t need another pop psychologist reference on how to handle my marriage, or my son, okay?” I silently thanked the gods we weren’t on Facetime as I rolled my eyes. She happily continued chastising. “Rose, nothing will ever prepare you for motherhood or marriage except getting married or having a child yourself. The books don’t have it all!”
    “Yes they do,” I stated, matter-of-factly, sticking to my guns. “That’s why they’re bestsellers.” I pulled the oily noodles from the microwave 30 seconds early. Of course, some sections of the container were piping hot, others still cold. I mixed them with my fork hoping to create a lukewarm orgy that would go down quickly. “Besides, I want to be prepared as much as possible, even if I can’t know everything until it happens.”
    I couldn’t wait for us to start our family. Ellis and I spoke often of having children a couple of years from now. It was still early, but I always believed preparation was the key to a solid foundation.
    We continued our sisterly argument, going back and forth until I got bored. I didn’t need to argue with her about baby books. Nobody had time for that. I wanted to have her come out here and spend time with me, so I could drag her around the city for bridal shopping purposes. (And cocktails, of course.)
    “Okay, I’ll check in with Hollis and see how he feels about me going out of town. But he’ll have to keep Jordan. If I take a break, I need a serious break. I don’t want to feel like a vacationing single mother.”
    “Hush!” I said. I heard voices in the