Free The Officer Says "I Do" by Jeanette Murray

open to it.” Jessie sighed. “It’s all pretty romantic when you think about it.”
    Tasha snorted.
    Skye debated hanging up to see if her two friends would even know she was gone. Obviously they were having more fun talking about her than with her. Instead, she cleared her throat.
    “I have to go. Tim’s coming by to help me transport my stuff to his townhouse. And don’t say it, Tash. I know you want to. But his sister lives with him too. It’s not going to immediately turn into some lovebird’s nest. It’s a trial period.”
    Tasha grumbled but said nothing more. Skye ended the phone call quickly, under the pretense of having more to pack. In reality, she was done.
    Was Jessie on the right track with the romance angle? Would she and Tim be sitting around in sixty years, telling the funny story to their grandchildren of how Grandma and Grandpa met? Or was the entire thing doomed from the start, as Tasha hinted?
    No way to find out but to give it a shot. Maybe Fate meant for them to be married forever. Maybe they were only supposed to be together for a few months. But there might be a million other reasons why she was supposed to be in this place at this time. And she intended to figure it out.
    ***
    Jeremy sat between a pissed off Dwayne and a somber Madison at the O Club bar. Dwayne was three sheets to the wind and working on a fourth. And Madison was quiet. Too quiet, for a girl who hadn’t shut up almost since the day he’d met her.
    Yup. Recipe for disaster. He tipped his beer and took another swig, wondering whether it would be an advantage to follow Dwayne into the abyss or a hell of a bad idea. Dwayne took the choice out of his hand by ordering another round for all three of them, then leaned over Jeremy to look Madison in the eye.
    “So, are your lips loosened enough yet, sweetheart? Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on with Tim?”
    “Loose lips sink ships,” Madison said with a smile and a sip of her fresh Jack and Diet Coke. “Tim’s business is Tim’s business. And I’m not going to bite the hand that gives out the rent-free living. Not that I think that’ll last much longer.” She leaned her torso over Jeremy to face Dwayne, breast brushing his elbow in an innocent, half-drunken movement, and he froze.
    But she didn’t notice. Of course. “All I can say is that the woman that he met while in Vegas with you two”—she gestured between himself and Dwight with her glass, ice clinking—“is at the house right now. And they’re having a serious discussion, for which I was kicked out.”
    Dwayne snorted. “Well, this should be interesting. Guess we’ll get the scoop tomorrow, when we report back to the battalion.” He muttered a curse under his breath and took a long pull of his beer. “Hate this stop-and-go shit. Looks like I’ll just be heading back out again though, sans you two.”
    Jeremy just nodded, not sure what else to say. Deploying without the rest of the battalion was never fun but a necessity at times. Your number was called, you went. At least Dwayne would have his company with him.
    Madison stood abruptly, Jeremy and Dwayne lurching to their feet after her out of habit. She scowled at them. “How many times do I have to tell you two to stop that with me? I’m just making a head call.” With that she flounced away… as much as someone who was well on her way to Drunktown could flounce. The leers from other Marines that followed her as she shuffled toward the hallway had Jeremy clenching fists.
    Dwayne nudged him with his elbow. “You’re still standing; go follow her, will ya? If she face-plants and busts that pretty little nose of hers, Tim will never let us hear the end of it.”
    He wanted to tell Dwayne to follow her if he was so damn concerned, but he’d already turned around and ordered another beer. At this rate, D couldn’t hold up a toddler if he had to. Jeremy steeled his senses and headed after the woman who had tormented his mind for the