Chapter Eighteen

Sarah veered off sharply to the right and headed into the ladies’ room to pull herself together.

I can’t let Karli see me like this. She’s got enough to worry about right now.

She stooped low over the sink, cupping water in her hands and splashing her face, then stood upright and gazed at herself in the mirror, her red-rimmed eyes widening with realization.

Wait just a damn minute. I wrote him at least twenty letters. If he was as heartbroken as he claims, then how come he never wrote back?

“This isn’t over,” she whispered to her reflection.

She rolled her shoulders to try and dissipate some of the tension that had formed there. Then she dried her face with a paper towel, flung open the door and stepped back out into the hallway.

And was immediately swept into Tim’s embrace, his mouth crushing hers with all the pent-up passion of the last three years. Her heart leapt with joy, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in more closely and returning the fiery kiss as he backed her against the wall.

***

“Sarah,” he whispered against her mouth when he finally pulled his lips away from hers. “I missed you so much.”

“Then why didn’t you write me back?” she managed through her fresh tears. “Why?”

He pulled his face back from hers just enough to be able to look directly into the brown eyes he adored.

“Baby, I never, ever got any letters from you,” he said softly as he wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Not a single one. If I had, believe me, I’d have answered them by showing up on your doorstep. I’ve missed you every day, too.”

She could see his sincerity, and she frowned, completely confused.

“But none of them were returned to me… I don’t understand…”

Tim’s stomach clenched at the thought that was creeping into the forefront of his mind.

“Sarah – where did you send them?”

“Your parents’ house,” she said earnestly. “I didn’t know how else to reach you on deployment.”

Tim’s jaw set and he was silent for a long moment.

“I think I might know what happened. But I really hope I’m wrong,” Tim’s voice took on an edge as he spoke.

“What?”

He shook his head.

“Later. Karli will be back soon, and we need to be there for her right now. But can we continue this talk in a little while? Please?”

She nodded, and he kissed her again.

They separated, then made their way back down the hall. As they approached, they could see Karli opening the door to walk back into the waiting room, and they quickened their pace to rejoin the group.

***

Once Jordan had been moved to ICU, Karli was allowed to go see him again, and once again Sarah and Tim found a more private space to continue their discussion.

“Are you giving her a ride home?”

Sarah nodded.

“I’d planned on it. She still lives with me right now, so that makes the most sense.”

“We need to figure out something,” Tim murmured against her ear. “I want… I need to be alone with you for a while.”

“I also need to go check on Jodie,” she pointed out.

“Jodie? Who’s Jodie?”

“Long story. The short version is, she’s like a grandma to me, and she’s in rehab. Fell and broke her hip a little over a month ago.”

“Rehab. Been there. No fun at all,” Tim commiserated, and watched Sarah’s head tilt with a questioning look.

“I got shot in Afghanistan,” he explained, and tightened his arms around her as she began to tremble.

“You mean… you almost… and I would never have known…” her voice faltered.

“I’m fine, I promise,” he soothed. “And I’ll tell you everything, okay? Just not here.”

“Okay,” she breathed. “How about this. I need to check in on Jodie, and we both know Karli won’t leave his side until visiting hours are over.”

Tim nodded his head in agreement.

“So, I am going to go see Jodie. You bring Karli home when she’s ready, and then you and I can go somewhere. All right?”

***

It was early evening when Tim and Karli pulled into the parking lot at the complex and made their way to Sarah’s unit.

“Hi,” Sarah said softly when she saw Tim walk in behind Karli.

Even though she was exhausted, Karli’s ears perked up at the tenderness in Sarah’s tone. She whipped around and studied them both, and her eyes bulged as it occurred to her what was going on.

“You’re Sarah’s Tim?”

Tim nodded.

“Holy crap. Talk about a small world.”

He grinned.

“You could say that.”

Karli glanced back and forth between the two.

“Okay, you two definitely need some alone time, and I need some sleep.”

She turned her attention back to Tim.

“Thanks for everything,” she said, and moved forward to hug him, then stepped back.

When she pivoted her gaze to Sarah, the look was unmistakably one of OMG, tell me everything later!

A single nod from Sarah was sufficient to make Karli smile, and she turned and went to her room.

“Let’s go to my place,” Tim offered, and Sarah smiled.

“Just let me get my bag.”

***

A few minutes later, as he pulled out of her complex’s lot, Tim said, “So I take it you’re not seeing anyone.”

“No, I’m not. You’re who I want. There’s never been anyone but you.”

“Same here,” he told her earnestly. “I didn’t even bother to try. You’re who I want, too.”

He reached over and took her hand in his.

They rode in silence the rest of the way to Tim’s apartment, and Sarah gasped when she realized how close he’d been all along.

“When did you move here?” she asked as they parked.

He shrugged. 

“About a year ago, I guess, give or take.”

She followed him up to his front door, and as he turned the key in the lock, he heard her sniffling.

“Sarah. What’s wrong?” he asked as he stood aside and held the door open for her.

She stepped through into his living room and set down her bag.

“I… I can’t believe you and I have been living so close to each other…” she said, then burst into tears. 

“All… all that heartache… wasted time…”

“Baby,” he murmured, taking her into his arms.

“Please don’t cry. It all worked out. We’re together now.”

He reached down and gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes. Wiping her tears away softly with his thumb, he whispered, “What do you need, baby?”

“You,” she answered, “I need you. Be with me, Tim.”

He picked her up in his arms and carried her into his room, laying her down gently on the bed before he joined her there. The moment he got close enough she threw her arms around him and drew him in.

Tim kissed her softly, slowly, and it felt to her as if he was slowing time itself to an exquisite crawl. He broke contact with her mouth to kiss her cheeks, her forehead, then trailed down her neck to the base of her throat to lightly trace his lips across, before moving back up to her mouth again.

“God, I missed you, Sarah,” he murmured between kisses. “I missed everything about you.”

She fisted her hands in his hair, and she could feel her heat rising with each tender kiss he placed, with each heartfelt word he spoke. When his lips found hers again, she moaned, parting the way for him to deepen the kiss.

And when he lifted away again, she said only one word.

“Please.”

Tim gazed into Sarah’s eyes as he slowly lifted the hem of her t-shirt, his hands exploring, working their way up as hers left his hair to travel down to the waistband of her yoga pants. Moments later she lay on his bed, waiting, wanting, as she watched the man that she’d never stopped loving undress as well.

He came back, kissing her softly once more before he slid down her frame to lavish attention on her breasts. She moaned with pleasure as he caressed and kissed her body, and she tightened her grip on his sheets as he slowly moved back up to claim her mouth again.

“Please, Tim. I love you, and I need you. I need us,” she gasped as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he filled her. “I’ve always loved you. Only you, Sarah. Forever.”

Later, they drifted off to sleep, arms and legs intertwined, both of them whole again, home again, at last.