Army Way of Life

Chapter Twenty One

I was running around my apartment trying to clean up the mess that had accumulated over the past couple days. The clothes that were dirty went in the hamper and the ones that were clean that I didn't end up packing either got folded and sat on the bench at the end of my bed or on the floor in the closet.

Because Luke was coming here to stay with Ryker, and was bringing Macie along, I felt that I needed a presentable apartment.

I washed my sheets and remade the bed, cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, as well as the bathrooms.

At 1 o'clock, there was an expected knock at the door. I opened it to find Macie on the other side.

"Hey. Thank's so much for coming," I told her.

"No problem. I know you want to get on the road so you can see him tonight."

I nodded, a smile on my face. "He's sleeping right now, but I think I'm going to wake him up to say bye. I don't want to just leave and him not know I'm gone when he wakes up. I'm hoping he'll go back to sleep when I leave, though."

"If he doesn't, don't worry about it," she said with a smile on her face.

I walked into Ryker's room quietly and made my way to his crib. He started to stir and rolled over to look up at me.

"Hi, Little Man," I said in a low voice.

He smiled and sat up, reaching up for me.

"Mommy's going to miss you so much," I told him, hugging him close. "But you're going to have so much fun with Aunt Macie and Uncle Luke."

He laid his head on my shoulder as I carried him out to the living room where Macie was waiting. He looked to her excitedly when he spotted her and reached out to her. I handed him over and gave him a big kiss.

"Bye, bug," I said as I picked up my bags.

"Momma," he said and reached for me as I went to the door.

"Mommy's gotta go bye bye," I said, sitting my stuff down and kissing him one more time.

"Go Quinn, he'll be fine," Macie reassured me with a smile. I nodded then headed out the door. I could hear his pouting as Macie tried to sooth him.

This was the first time I'd left him like this. He'd only ever stayed with my parents, and never for more than a night. I'd never left the city without him, let alone gone almost 10 hours away. To say I was a nervous wreck about it was an understatement. But I knew he'd be in great hands with Luke and Macie.

As I drove to the airport, the nerves started setting in. This past week I had been so busy preparing for the trip by packing and cleaning and going to classes that I hadn't had much time to actually think about what I was going to have to do when I got there.

I had no idea how Jeremy was going to take the news, and that scared me. Too late, I also realized that I was going to have to tell John, too. I knew he'd be just as upset as Luke, if not more so because of the relationship we had with each other. I told him everything right away and I had been sitting on this information for almost two weeks at this point.

The plane ride there was miserable, the altitude giving me a headache, my stomach churning. When I landed, all I wanted to do was check into the hotel and take a nap. I knew I couldn't do that, though.

So I got the rental car and drove to the hotel, took a quick shower, and put on a cute navy floral shift dress that hid the little bump that had popped out in the last few days. I wanted to be able to tell Jeremy before he noticed it.