Don't Say Goodbye (Navy Book 2)

Chapter 17

Kellan looked at Charlie as she slept. Her hair was strewn across the pillow and her cheeks were flushed. The sheets had been lost sometime during the morning and he took one long last look at her body committing the curves to memory.

He had awakened and dressed silently, not wanting to wake her. Knowing if he did he would be late and he couldn't be late. His time was not his own anymore.

He wanted to touch her one last time but he didn't dare as he slowly reached for the sheet and covered her before turning away. He had opted to skip his shower so that he could carry her scent on his skin for a little longer

This was not supposed to hurt so much. Had he known Charlie was going to enter his life he would have never opted for another tour. But if he hadn't Charlie might not have come into his life. Rising he looked around the room one last time and then reached for his duffel bag.

When he was younger he would have been out the door without a backwards glance.

He moved down the hall, the dogs on his heels.

He should leave a note. Let her know what it had all meant. But he knew he couldn't. It would give her false hope. He really didn't expect to come home and he wouldn't ask her to wait. It hadn't worked with his marriage and it wouldn't work this time.

He sat his duffel bag on the floor and then knelt in front of the dogs.

"Take care of her guys." He took a moment to love on each one, focusing on their cute faces and accepting their kisses and sneezes. As he rose Athena cried and sat on his foot as if to keep him there. For some reason they knew that this time he was not coming back. "You have Charlie now." He didn't but they did and that was something.

Swallowing hard and looking at the house one last time, he turned and closed the door softly behind him.

*******

Charlie heard the door as it closed and knew she didn't have to hold back the tears any longer. It hurt, it hurt so bad. She had awakened when he had and she had listened to him dress and get ready to leave while pretending to be asleep.

She had felt exposed without the sheet but she knew she couldn't pull it up or he would know she was awake. Maybe she was taking the coward's way out but she couldn't bear to say goodbye to him. And the fact that he didn't try to wake her meant that he felt the same way. At least that was what she hoped.

She had felt his eyes burning her as he took in all of her curves before pulling the sheet up over her in one last chivalrous move.

The dogs climbed into the bed with her and curled as tight against her as they could while she cried. Athena even gave a few whimpers as she licked her and Ares for comfort.

It was over, he was gone and she was in love.

"Please, even if I never see him again, let him live." She prayed, knowing that his fear was that he wouldn't make it.

Eventually, she made herself climb out of bed, shower, and change. She took her time gathering up her things. She found a t-shirt of Kellan's that he left under the bed and she picked it up and smelled it. It had his smell on it and she started to cry all over again. Thinking she was crazy she went into the kitchen and got a zip lock bag and put the t-shirt in it closing it tight.

Moving on to the dogs; she had just finished gathering their things together when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was Fay again, she opened the door with a strained smile. The smile turned into a shocked expression as she saw her mother standing in front of her.

"Mother?"

"Hello Charlie, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Charlie stood aside and let her mother enter the house and the dogs approached her respectfully, sniffing her feet. Tabitha looked down at them with a smile and much to Charlie's surprise she bent down and scratched each one behind the ears.