Page 51 of Taking a King
“That’s not a good answer, Garrett.”
I walk over to the window in Claire’s room and peer out at the tiny courtyard. “I know it isn’t,” I say. “But I need to make some decisions first.”
“Is it about the girl?” Matthew asks, making me smile.
“Her name is Claire,” I say. “And, yeah. It is.”
There’s a beat of silence before Matthew speaks again. “Ah. It’s like that, huh?”
I nod, though he can’t see me. “Yeah.” I take a deep breath and blow it out before I speak again. “I think I’m quitting the Marines.” It feels strange to say it out loud. But it’s also somehow freeing. It feels right.
“Whoa,” Matthew says. “Did she ask you to do that?”
I can hear the accusation in his voice, and I rush to disavow him of that notion. “No, nothing like that. She doesn’t even know. We haven’t talked about it. This is something I’ve thought about for a while. I was just never quite sure what I wanted until recently.”
“Until Claire?” Matthew guesses.
“Yeah,” I say. “I don’t want that life anymore. I haven’t for a while. You know that.”
He does. We’ve talked about it before. But I’ve never been so sure of what I want until now.
“So, you’re going to live in Oak Hill, North Carolina?” Matthew asks.
I smile. “I haven’t gotten that far in my plans yet. But yeah. That’s what I was thinking. Ronan offered me a job. I’d be home for holidays. Able to come see Mom for her birthday. I’d be able to watch Ella grow up and not from a cell phone screen.”
“North Carolina isn’t exactly next door to Chicago,” Matthew says.
I laugh. “Yeah, but it’s a hell of a lot closer than California or Afghanistan.”
“True,” Matthew concedes. “Have you told Claire you’re in love with her yet?”
My heart speeds up at his words. “How did you know?”
Matthew’s voice is tinged with humor now. “Being madly in love makes it easier to identify the symptoms in others.”
I smile. “Symptoms, huh? Like an illness?”
“Don’t tell Kat I said so,” he says. “But it’s pretty similar.”
I laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“When are you going to tell Mom?” he asks. “She’s still hurt that you didn’t come home for leave.”
I sigh and drop my head to look at the floor. “Soon. I have to figure out the best way. I’m not sure how happy she’ll be to hear I’m moving across the country again. I know this hasn’t been easy for her.”
“She supports you and wants what’s best for you,” he says. “We all do. She’ll be okay with it.”
I nod. “I hope so.” I glance at the time. Claire will be home soon. “Listen, I need to call my CO before Claire gets home. Make it official. I’ll give you a call tomorrow?”
“Alright, bro. Good luck.”
“Thanks. I’ll probably need it for later. Give Ella a hug from her favorite uncle.”
“You’re her only uncle,” he says.
“She doesn’t know that,” I say.
“Because she’s two years old,” Matthew argues.