Free Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romance by Jessica Scott

Laura’s world.
    Laura released a hard breath and leaned away from the table. “The last thing I want is to put pressure on him. I know how hard it is for him as a commander. He’s got a hundred and eighty soldiers that he’s responsible for. But something is wrong, Jen, I know it in my heart.”
    “Any idea what?”
    Laura looked away. “I have no clue.”
    “Can you tell him that? Tell him you need him to call home more, just to talk? It can’t be that bad over there, can it?”
    “What kind of wife would I be if I finally get him on the phone for more than five minutes and I give him shit about not calling home enough? Gee, honey, I know you’re getting blown up and all, but I need you to let me complain about the lawn mower breaking last week.” She lifted her coffee cup, then set it back down without taking a sip. “I can’t do that.”
    “So what are you going to do?”
    “You mean other than cry on your shoulder? Not much I can do.”
    Jen reached for her hand and squeezed. “Let me take the kids off your hands for a day. Or something. Why don’t you go to the library or relax or just take some time for you?”
    “Because …” Laura closed her mouth. “I might. Sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you.”
    Jen laughed. “Um, pretty sure I owe you a meltdown or two. I dumped a whole lot on you when I was sick and my family didn’t bother to come down.”
    “Yeah, well, the least I could do was be there when they wouldn’t. Your family sucks.” Laura tucked her hair behind her ear and finally smiled.
    “And look on the bright side. At least you have hair when you’re giving me shit.” Jen smiled, still sometimes amazed that she could joke about what had happened to her. At least about some of the stuff. And it felt good to laugh. To be able to sit there and find something funny about the loss of her grandmother and her own brush with death. Anything was better than focusing on the missing pieces.
    “Great, thanks for that memory. Just where I wanted to be right now.”
    “At least it made you laugh.”
    “Yeah, it did. I just miss him so much,” Laura said. “I’m so damned tired of being alone.” She smiled sadly. “I told him a couple of weeks ago that he’d been replaced by my vibrator. You know what he said?”
    “I don’t want to know.”
    “Send pictures.”
    Jen snorted coffee out through her nose. It burned and her eyes filled up as she tried to choke it back down. “Way too much information. Really.”
    Laura’s laugh echoed through the small coffee kiosk, prompting several odd looks from those around them. “Man, you should have seen your face. Priceless, truly priceless.”
    “Feel better now? I’m going to be smelling coffee for the rest of the day, thanks.”
    Jen turned at the sound of running footsteps to see Nicole rushing toward them, a panicked look on her face. She stopped at the edge of their table, breathing hard, her keys clenched in her hand. “Have you heard?”
    “Heard what?” Laura sat up straight. Focused. Attentive. This was the Laura Jen knew so well.
    “There are posts on the battalion Facebook page saying Vic’s whole platoon got hit.”
    All the color drained from Laura’s face and she went deathly still. Jen’s own skin went cold as she stood. “I’ll see if we have any information on the hospital manifest yet. I’ll be right back.”
    “I’m heading to the battalion headquarters,” Nicole said. “I’ll meet you over there.”
    Nicole was gone before either of them could answer and Jen rushed to find any information she could. Since Jen worked in the hospital on base, she kept an eye on the incoming personnel from Iraq, giving Laura a heads-up whenever she could. What they did wasn’t technically illegal, but it worked when the regular systems were too slow. Not a single soldier from Reaper battalion had been lost in the medical system, and they weren’t about to start now.
    “One of Trent’s soldiers.” She glanced