Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Me: This is all for you.
I send the before and after picture of my arousal. It’s the most daring thing I’ve ever done, but it feels right sending them to Chad. To my husband. I know he would never share those images. Even when he’s not here, he’s my protector. I feel that with everything that I am.
Rolling out of bed, I move to the bathroom and get cleaned up before plugging my phone in to charge and sliding beneath the sheets. I’m smiling as I drift off, thinking of my husband’s reaction when he gets his messages. I also wonder if he’ll send me an image back. I hope it doesn’t take another two weeks. Regardless, they’ll be there for him when he gets service.
He’ll know I was thinking about him.
I’m always thinking about him.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Chad
The days are long, and the nights are longer. Once the sun goes down, the temperature takes a drastic turn. While it’s incredibly hot during the day, the sand absorbs the heat rapidly and the air becomes very cool. We go from sweating our balls off to needing warm clothes.
It’s miserable.
It’s not my first time being in this type of climate, but it’s the first time I know there is something infinitely better waiting for me at home. I miss my wife, and I would give anything to be curled up next to her right now. We just got back to camp. I need a shower and some food, and if I’m lucky, I can rush through both and call Faith. It’s been over a week since I’ve heard her voice.
Inside the tent, I make my way to my cot and can’t stop my grin when I see the mail run today. It was supposed to be here two days ago, but there was a delay. Taking a seat, I eye the stack of letters and a box. I want to open it all at once, but I start with the letters. I check the postmark and open them in order.
“Mail day,” Erik says, plopping down on his cot, and going through his stack. I tune him out. I tune everything out but Faith.
The first is a thicker envelope, so I carefully tear it open, assuming there’s something inside. Once the seal is broken, I reach in and pull out two thin pieces of cardboard and an envelope. I check between the cardboard first, and my breath hitches at what I see.
Wedding photos.
My hands shake as I sift through the images she sent me. I miss her so fucking much. I hate being away from her. What I hate even more is that she doesn’t know, not really. She doesn’t know that she owns me. She doesn’t know that when I tell her that I love her, it’s more than just loving my friend. I love her in all the ways a husband should love his wife.
Probably more.
When I reach the last picture, my breath hitches. It’s Faith all on her own, but there’s a satisfied smile pulling at her lips. My eyes scan her features. She’s looking off into the distance, and that’s when I realize what or who she’s looking at.
Me.
She’s looking at me.
The smile on her face is full of love and happiness, and she’s looking at me. My heart feels like it might be too big for my chest. It’s the look that tells me this is more for her too. I’m not in this alone. This isn’t temporary for either one of us. I have to force myself to set the pictures aside and open her first letter.
Chad,
I spent the entire day setting up my classroom. I have the seating chart made and my students’ names in their places. By the time they’re moving on to first grade, they will be able to read simple words and sentences. I have this giddy feeling that I can’t seem to shake. They’re going to learn all of that because of me. I get to help shape their little minds. It’s a rush.
Anyway, I’m home now, and the house is quiet. Everything is unpacked, and I’ve ordered a few items online to make it feel more like home. A few picture frames, some pillows, and a throw blanket for the living room. I’m trying to make them more masculine so that when you get home, you won’t feel like you’re living in just my space. I want it to be ours.
Tomorrow is my first day with students, and I wish you were here. I’ll be sure to write to you and tell you all about it.
I hope things are well with you, and you’re staying safe. I miss you. I would give anything to have your arms wrapped around me in a hug right now.
Love,
Faith
I need to read the rest of her letters, but first, a shower. I have sand in places sand should never be, and I’m starving. I have just enough time to grab a shower and get to the mess hall tent before calling her. Tucking the letters away, mindful of the pictures, I place them in the trunk at the end of my cot, along with the box. I’m sure it’s filled with goodies from home, and if I’m lucky, it will smell like her.