Dancing in the Moonlight - Harlequin.com

RAEANNE THAYNE
209
Abel would have hated that you had to go through pain.
But I know without a doubt that no father would have
been more proud of his daughter than Abel would have
been of you, Lieutenant Cruz. You served with honor
and courage. No father could ask more than that.”
She pulled her fingers away from his, shifting restlessly
on the chaise. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?’
“I wasn’t brave, Jake. I’m not some kind of hero. I
was scared every single moment I served in Afghanistan.
Every second. We were in a damn safe zone and I
was still terrified out of my wits to walk outside.
Anytime we had to leave the base, I just about soaked
my Kevlar vest with flop sweat.”
“But you did it.”
“I didn’t have a choice! When you’re a soldier, you
go where they send you!” The words gushed out of her
like a slick, oily geyser, making him wonder how long
they’d festered inside her.
“Everyone tonight went on and on about how heroic
I was. ‘Brave Magdalena Cruz. Our hero. She’s got the
medals to prove it and everything.’ I hate that damn
Purple Heart. I wanted to shove it down their throats
when they came to Walter Reed to present it to me. I
would trade every medal in the Army for the chance to
have my friends back. To be myself again. To be whole.”
Her voice broke on the last word, and his heart broke
right along with it. He couldn’t stand it and he scooped
her up, then settled back on the chaise with her in his arms.
“I hate that I feel this way,” she mumbled against his
chest.