Mine Tomorrow by Jackie Braun Read Free Book Online

was different. Gregory couldn’t quite put his finger on what, though. Even so, she wasn’t the same woman he’d married. Of course, after six months in the Pacific, neither was Gregory the same, especially after what had happened to his ship, the USS Bunker Hill.
    At times Devin seemed surprised by the things he said, even confused. Earlier, when they’d made love, she had been shy at first only to become bold to the point of brazen as things progressed. Not that he’d minded. What man in his right mind would take issue with having a passionate wife?
    Except…she hadn’t been quite that passionate on their wedding night. Rather, she had been reserved, almost like she had been today when they’d dressed to go out. She was a puzzle, but then, despite being married, they were largely strangers, he reminded himself.
    They had wed in haste, after only a handful of dates. They weren’t the only couple to do so, of course. Plenty of other couples he knew had. With the war going on and his deployment imminent, he’d felt an urgent need to make their bond permanent. Perhaps it had been selfish of him, Gregory thought now, but he’d needed to know that if he were killed in action, he had someone to mourn him. With his parents gone as well as the grandparents who had raised him, who else would?
    So, on their fourth date, he’d proposed. Devin would say their third, since he counted the carriage ride and she apparently did not. He’d bought a cheap band and a dozen red roses, and he’d gotten down on one knee. When she’d agreed, he’d thought his heart would explode. He’d been that elated. By necessity, their engagement had been equally short. She’d seemed happy enough at the time.
    But had she had second thoughts?
    Once again, Gregory recalled the argument they’d had just before he’d shipped out. Argument was really too strong of a word. They hadn’t disagreed really. Rather, he’d tried to offer comfort and reassurances, but to little avail. She’d been so unnerved, frightened. And she’d talked about having dreams.
    “They’re just nightmares,” he’d tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
    “Something bad is going to happen when you leave. I’m sure of it.”
    “Every woman with a loved one heading off to war feels the same way. It’s natural, I think.” Upon saying so, he’d tried to gather her close, but her body had remained stiff and unyielding in his arms. “I’ll be careful, Devin. I’ll come back to you. And when I do, we’ll start our life together.” He’d nipped her earlobe before starting down her neck, murmuring as he went. “We’ll have babies and raise them, and grow old as husband and wife. I promise.”
    “You promise?”
    “I do.” He had said the words with the same solemnity he’d used when uttering his marriage vows. Still, she had not seemed convinced.
    “But what if you can’t keep your promise, Gregory?” She’d frowned. “What if something keeps us apart? Something that neither of us has the ability to control?”
    “Nothing can keep us apart, Devin. Nothing! I’ll come back to you,” he’d assured her a second time. “And when I do, we’ll celebrate. You’ll see.”
    But no matter how he’d tried to persuade her, when he left the following morning, he’d been consumed with the unsettled feeling that the kiss they shared at the train station might very well be their last.
    Unnerved by the memory, as well as how he’d felt yesterday upon arriving home to an empty apartment that clearly had not been lived in for some time, he pulled Devin close to his side in the taxi’s back seat. He had questions, but when she glanced up, he kissed her.
    “What was that for?” she asked afterward.
    Pushing aside the questions that were bothering him, he asked, “Do I need a reason to kiss my wife?”
    “Never.”
    * * *
    The restaurant Devin had in mind was adjacent to her shop in the East Village. She knew the diner would be there since it had