Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

MEMPHIS

"I love you… Whatcha thinking?"

He turned his head slightly to look at Madeline who was lying beside him, obviously watching his expression. Tonight was simply beautiful, and if he wasn't already head-over-heels in love with his wife, he would have been after this evening.

Never in his life had he dreamed that making love to someone would be so emotional, so breathtakingly beautiful, or such an unimaginable experience. It was like sloughing off every element that was once him to share his very soul with someone he treasured deeply. He never believed in love at first sight until he met her… and now his beliefs on soulmates were changed as well, because there was no other word for the connection that they had.

Madeline was his soulmate, and there would never be another woman in the world for him. At that thought, Noah rolled toward her, adjusting the sheets and blankets, so he could pull her back into his arms. He just wanted to hold her close as long as he could.

"I'm thinking you are too far away," he chuckled tenderly, holding her close. "I'm thinking it's late and you should get some sleep – and I'm thinking that I wish I could stop time, do away with the bills, create a Navy base down the block from your apartment, and discover how to ‘ Beam me up! ' just like on Star Trek."

"That's a lot of thinking," she giggled softly, turning to lay her head on his chest before letting out a loud sigh.

"And what are you thinking, Mrs. Bennington?" he teased.

"I'm thinking that I hope the next several months pass as fast as the last twenty-four hours has because I'm going to miss you."

"Oh, amen to that, my love… I'm going to miss you too."

Noah pressed a tender kiss to her forehead as he held her close, swallowing back the tears of loneliness that were already threatening and burning in his chest. He would see her during Fleet Week when the carrier pulled into New York Harbor, and then she would be coming home to him about four months later. He would phone on-base housing every single day to check where they were on the waitlist if he had to.

Less than ten hours later, Noah was standing at the airport with his mother and Madeline, waiting for them to go through security. They had already gone to ticketing and dropped off their suitcases, and he thought he might be physically sick at any moment, knowing that they were about to say goodbye— again.

His mother nodded silently, her weathered eyes full of knowledge and understanding as she just hugged him tightly. A whispered, ‘it will be okay' nearly broke him as he tried to keep from falling apart.

"Madeline, I'll meet you on the other side of security," his mother said simply in a matter-of-fact voice. Deep down, he knew it was a front that his mother put on because he'd seen it a few times growing up. "I'm going to run to the restroom before we head to the gate. Noah, don't you worry – I'll take care of your girl and make sure she gets there safely."

"Thanks, Mom," he said gruffly before turning to look at his wife.

Madeline stood there, somber, with glassy eyes, as she stared at him. Her chin trembled as she pressed her lips together before throwing herself at him, hugging him tightly. He was there for it, his arms wrapped around her as he crooned softly, trying to comfort her.

"Shhh, sweetheart. It's gonna be okay…"

"I miss you already…"

"We'll see each other very soon, I promise," he said hoarsely, feeling tears stinging his own eyes painfully. "You'll have to show me the town, show me where you work, and we'll spend hours holding each other, making up for lost time."

"That sounds pretty good," she sniffled – and he let out a laugh that warbled strangely because of the lump in his throat. "I love you."

"I love you too – and we'll get through this."

"You better find us a place to live," she teased tearfully, wiping her eyes as she looked up at him. "If I'm giving up my dream job to live in a convection oven like Florida…" her words trailed off as they smiled painfully at each other, both an obvious mess and a hairsbreadth from sobbing.

"Guess I need to make sure it's worth it, huh?" he teased thickly.

"I guess so, sailor."

He moved his hands from her back to cup her face, his thumb brushing away the tears on her cheeks as he drew in a shaky breath. Feelings washed over him as he gazed at her brilliant eyes, remembering her expressive face during so many moments. He'd seen fear, gratitude, laughter, and overwhelming love. Yet, this was breaking his heart. He vowed silently to make sure that she never felt loss or loneliness ever again.

"You are so strong," he began, and his voice broke as he stood there trying to pull himself together. "So incredible, smart, and beautiful…"

"Noah, don't make me cry," she rushed out, sobbing painfully. "I love you and really hate that I'm hurting you like this."

"I'll be okay, and it's just for a short while," he reminded her and nodded, leaning down to quickly kiss her lips that were wet with tears. "I love you," he breathed against them, savoring the taste of her lips combined with the scent of her perfume.

"I love you too."

"Go ahead and go, sweetheart. I don't want you to miss your flight – and we'll schedule a FaceTime chat so we can talk privately."

"Tomorrow night," Madeline whispered, reaching to touch his cheek. Her eyes were still glassy, but he could practically see her mentally bracing herself for the inevitable. She would get this little crease between her eyebrows and roll her shoulders back, just like before they ran from the pyramid into the darkness together. "I'll text you as soon as I get back to the apartment, but your mom will be there with me."

"Tomorrow night is a date, my love," … and let go.

His hands dropped slowly as he stepped back and saw Madeline nod tearfully as her lips wobbled, yet she held it together somehow. He couldn't be more proud of her – or more humbled – knowing that she was picking him over her career in the long run.

Noah was going to start searching the want ads in the area, looking for anything to help her get her feet back on the ground. If he was going to disrupt her life, he didn't want her to settle but rather wanted to help find her a dream job here with him.

Watching her go through security, he managed to smile as she turned to look at him one last time. Raising a hand, he nodded and tried to hold back all of the words of denial that were pressing against the back of his lips, ready to rush out in a scream. Instead, he smiled, waved, gave her a thumbs-up, and made a signal to call and saw her nod just before she turned away.

His mom put an arm around Madeline's shoulders – and in that instant, he was really grateful someone was with her. His wife wouldn't be alone. His mother would make sure she was safe and would tell him the inside scoop of how she handled the temporary separation.

As they rounded the corner to head toward the gates, Noah allowed that despair he'd been pushing back for so long to collapse on his shoulders. Rubbing a hand across his chest, he withdrew his phone and slowly started back toward the exit of the building calling an Uber to take him back to the carrier.