Chapter 32: Chapter 32

She chewed her lip and figured if anyone would understand, it would be Xavier. He'd spent his adolescent years awkwardly getting by and most of his adulthood questioning who he could truly trust. Or, rather, who liked him as a person versus just for his money.

After a sip of wine for courage, she opened a door she'd closed long ago. "Brian and Mark met in boot camp and came up the ranks together. My brother brought him home on leave, and we just kind of...came together. There wasn't a moment or anything, he was simply there. I think I was convenient at first. At least, in his mind. A few weeks later, they reported for their first tour, and I got to know him better through emails than we did face-to-face." She smiled, gaze lost on her plate. "I fell in love with him through the computer. Is that stupid?"

"Not at all." He frowned, jaw ticking. "Go on."