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“What about you? You haven’t told me much about Mariana’s mother”

Wow, she went froh stuff But he wasn’t coh to want to know more about his family He held out the bottle “I think that calls for more wine”

She offered her cup and he refilled it, then his own

“Valentina had a seizure and died when Mariana was five I was on deployment”

Caasped

“She didn’t want o on my last trip Her s and she was afraid for me Turns out, she was the one we should have been concerned about I’ll never forget when my CO called me into his office and told me that Valentina had died I was frantic I was immediately issued compassionate leave and headed for the States, but it took alrief and fear for how Mariana was holding up while my parents rushed into town to comfort a heartbroken five-year-old”

“That sounds awful” Cameron’s eyes conveyed a compassion he wasn’t sure he deserved

He hadn’t listened to Valentina’s concerns Had put the his duty “I ca her ot a crash course in being a single parent It was too much, sothenive Mariana stability My new job is non-deployable, which hy I applied for the position”

“Is that what you want, to put down roots here?”

He couldn’t mistake the hope in her voice, but he had to be honest with Cameron “I think so I can’t deny that Ithat you have when you put your lives into each other’s hands But this is the right decision for Mariana, and what’s best for her has to coht now”

“You’ve done a great job with her She’s been a good friend to Lizzie—”

“And Lizzie has been wonderful to Mariana It was so hard for her to be the new girl yet again, but since we’re near Ft Dunwoody, I guess the kids around here are used to it It seeotten the idea that they’d benefit if the two of us spent tiether” He waved his hand over their picnic

Caot to have another talk with Lizzie, because clearly the first one didn’t stick These tricks need to stop”

He linked his fingers with hers and held his breath “As long as you agree that you’ll keep spending ti”

She sighed “I don’t know I just don’t know”