Winning Skylinn

65

||Denver's POV||

It was late Friday night when I stumbled into the house after a long day of shopping with Skylinn. We'd decided to get a heads start on our "fake tourism," and spent the day in little shops downtown.

"Denver."

I jumped at the sound of my mother's voice. She said my name as a statement, not a question. Had she been waiting up for me?

"Mom, hi. What are you still doing up?" It was at least eleven.

"Oh, couldn't sleep, I guess. Here, have a sit."

I'd never been super close with my mom. She wasn't pleased with my decision to join the military, and it always seemed like I had to live up to her expectations of the perfect son. But I definitely wasn't perfect.

Feeling a bit confused, I sat down at the kitchen table to join her. All the lights were off in the house, but the room was lit by a single candle. It was a bit creepy.

"What's up?" I asked, relaxing against the wooden chair.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

A hundred possibilities flooded my mind. "What is it?"

"Skylinn."

Did she think I was spending too much time with her? Because if that was the case, she was so wrong! I spent plenty of time at the house... Okay, maybe not as much as she'd like me to, but I was definitely around. And in my defense, I only had two weeks. One now. Then I'd be leaving again.

I shoved the questions and accusations out of my head. "What about her?"

"It's pretty clear to me, and everyone else, that you're in love."

I felt myself smile. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

"Then why haven't you proposed?"

Her question shocked me. It wasn't what I'd expected to hear coming from her.

"I think we were waiting for the right time," I answered, although I didn't know if that was the complete truth. There were probably other reasons.

"Denver, you've been dating for, what? Three years? Four? Wouldn't you know by now if you wanted to marry her?"

"Yes. Yes, Mom, I do know. I want to marry her. I just haven't asked, because we haven't had time for a wedding. Or marriage. We're on different paths right now, ya know? Surely you can understand that."

She pursed her lips. "Yes, I suppose. Wouldn't it be easier if you were here?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "Mom, being in the military had always been a dream of mine. You know that. And I'm not going to give that up."

"Not even for her?"

"Skylinn doesn't mind. She has a life outside of our relationship. Friends, a job, and now college, when the fall comes. She doesn't need me here right now."

Whoa, I thought. Is that true?

Did Skylinn seriously not need me here? Maybe I had phrased that wrong...

"So you're saying it doesn't hurt her feelings that you're always gone?" Mom questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I-it's not that. I just meant, she doesn't need me here to be okay, to live her life. She's always encouraged me to pursue my dreams."

"That makes one of us," she muttered under her breath.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said coldly. "How sad that my girlfriend wants me to live my dream, but not my own mother."