A Marine’s Proposal by Lisa Carlisle Read Free Book Online Page B

military and they had to play by their rules. Or bend them a little to make them work for them.
    Thursday afternoon at work, she couldn't get it out of her head that it was the last day she would be single. When she returned to work on Monday, everything would be different. She would be married to Slade.
    After work, they were going to visit a few more apartments that Slade had called about that afternoon.
    At the first apartment they entered that evening, Caitlyn squealed with delight. “Oh, this is perfect, Slade. It's quaint, so homey. I would love to live here.”
    The apartment was small, but it had character. There was a living room/dining room with a tiny kitchen and two small bedrooms off a hallway. Nothing special there, but Caitlyn envisioned all the things she could do to spice up the place, make it a home. She'd have a place of her own. In the barracks, her chance to decorate or spruce things up was greatly dampened by restrictions and routine inspections. The main draw to this apartment, however, was in the main room. It had two glass doors leading out to a beautiful, shared courtyard with a fountain surrounded by stone benches. The courtyard was filled with all sorts of tropical plants and tiny trees making it appear like a miniature paradise.
    “Do you like it?” she asked.
    Slade opened closets and cabinets and peered in. “It seems all right.” Checking out the two bedrooms, he said, “We'll have our privacy, our own space.”
    “Come and look at this view,” Caitlyn prodded.
    Slade came over and scanned the courtyard with an appraising eye. “It looks like a quiet spot to read.” Then he turned to Caitlyn and said, “Yes, I like the place. Shall we take it?”
    “Yes,” Caitlyn said nodding vigorously.
    “You sure you don't want to check out the other apartments tonight? You might like another one better than this.”
    “No, this is it. This is the place.”
    “Okay,” Slade said. Then he turned to the building owner and said, “We'll take it.”
    After going through some paperwork and exchanging a check for some keys, the owner said they could move in over the weekend. The apartment had been vacant for a month after another military couple had lived there and he was eager to rent it out.
    “Are there many military families who live in the complex?” Caitlyn asked.
    “Two others. One with a couple of young children. Most of our other residents are locals and have lived here for years.”
    On the drive back to the base, they were both in a great mood. They had an apartment and tomorrow they would be married.
    “Let's get something to eat first,” Caitlyn said.
    Slade smirked and then said, “Let me call about the two other apartments and cancel.”
    After making the calls, they decided on a little Okinawan restaurant near their base that they often went to for some quick, healthy food. One thing Caitlyn loved about Okinawa was the food. Everything was clean and light. Even the fast food chains seemed healthy with seaweed on their burgers.
    Over their noodle and vegetable dishes, Caitlyn asked, “So are you ready for tomorrow?”
    “Absolutely,” Slade said. “I've been preparing for it all week. Finally, it's here.” Then, he asked, “You?”
    “Yes,” Caitlyn beamed. Laura’s cautious warnings had quieted in her mind, drowned out by the excitement of what lay ahead. Almost all her doubts were gone. But she wasn't going to let doubts spoil her mood now. She had an apartment and tomorrow she would be Mrs. Slade Masters.
    Later that night, though, she found it hard to sleep. The doubts began to come back to her. Should she really go through with this?
    Yes, damn it, she would. This was her life and she could do whatever she wanted with it. The tiny voice in the back of her mind came back— even if she wanted to screw it up.
    After tossing in bed for a couple of hours, Caitlyn finally climbed out of bed. She was so frustrated that it was the night before her wedding and she