To Be Loved By You - A Bradley Bradshaw Story

It's Not Goodbye

Author's Note: I want to start by saying that I am such a silly goose! I completely forgot to dedicate the last chapter to Kpoplover718 so to apologize I am dedicating chapters eighteen and nineteen to you! Thank you for being such a loyal reader and for your comments! Also I'm pretty sure you've been reading my story notes because you knew exactly what was going to happen in chapter eighteen!

I wanted to let you guys know that since we have a few more chapters of To Be Loved By You and we still have all of Brad and Thea's second story (more info on that story to come!) I want to get on a posting schedule. That way scheduling writing time is easier for me and y'all know when to expect new chapters! So I will be posting new chapters on Fridays! 

This chapter was... interesting to write. There were parts I loved writing and parts that were so hard to write. But I am so happy with the way this chapter turned out! I hope you guys enjoy it!

She had woken up wrapped in his arms hours ago and even though the alarm wasn't going to go off for a few hours she had been unable to fall back asleep. She had tried cuddling deeper into his embrace, inhaling the smell that was so uniquely him, shutting her eyes tight against the moonlight coming in through her windows, and counting sheep. Nothing had worked.

Eventually, she had given up. It didn't surprise her that sleep would not find her that night. Tomorrow was a big day, after all. She had thought about going over to the couch to read so she didn't wake Brad up, but she couldn't make herself leave his side. Instead, she had carefully pulled herself from his arms and made herself comfortable against the headboard so she could watch him sleep.

His lashes fluttered against his cheeks and his hair, which was usually perfectly styled, curled wildly around his head. Soft snores filled the quiet space of the loft, causing Thea to giggle quietly. Though she had wiggled away from him so she didn't wake him, an arm had found her again and laid across her lap. She was thankful for his touch; it grounded her to this room, this bed, where he was laying safely beside her. She tried not to think about the fact that he wouldn't be here with her much longer.

His last week before leaving had come and gone so quickly. Of course, she had wasted two of those days and she couldn't help but regret the time she had cost them. But Bradley had made sure they made the best of the time they had left. They had spent time with Logan and Stef at the bar, had dinners with her parents, and made love more times than she could count. Since he didn't have to go on base the rest of the week, he had even spent his days helping her out at the gym.

She knew he wasn't only trying to spend as much time together as possible, but also trying to distract her and show her that what they had was good. That what they had was worth fighting for.

Just like he had promised.

Despite her best efforts, tears began to fall onto her cheeks. She tried to be quiet, to keep her sobs from jostling the bed, but it didn't work. His arm tightened around her and his eyes opened just a little, still fighting sleep. When his eyes landed on her shaking form, though, they shot open. "Hey." Sitting up next to her in the bed, he pulled her into his lap. "Thea, sweetheart." He tried to run a hand through her tangled curls but moved to rub a calloused hand along her arm when her hair proved impenetrable. His other hand cupped her jaw and he placed soft kisses on her temple. He whispered sweet nothings to her until her sobs gave way to soft cries.

"I'm s-sorry," she hiccuped. "I didn't mean to wake you up." A look over his shoulder allowed her to see the glaring numbers on the alarm. There was still an hour until they had to be up.

He moved so that their foreheads rested against each other. "There's nothing to be sorry for." When she tried to argue, he kissed her nose softly. "Sweetheart, it's fine." She looked up at him doubtfully. "Really."