Iâll be under the árbol de vida. â
I sat perfectly still, listening to the rumble of heavy trucks, until the transmission blinked out.
----
Two days later, as I stood in the living room trying to encourage Marilee to play the cheesy practice keyboard on loan from the school, the clump of boots on the porch stairs distracted me. I squeezed Marileeâs shoulder. âGuess whoâs home?â
âDaddy!â
Marilee abandoned her keyboard and ran toward the front door,with me only a few steps behind her. Gideon and Snake stood on the porch, both dressed in camo, both grinning. Gid winked at me. âI hope you donât mind that I brought someone home for dinner.â
My heart flipped over like it always did when he looked at me that way. âYou could have brought an entire platoon and I wouldnât care. Iâm just happy to see you.â
Gideon caught Marilee as she leapt into his arms, then stepped into the house to swing her in a circle. She giggled and lifted her hands for more when he put her down, but he reached out and pulled me into an embrace.
âWhatâs gotten into you?â I asked after he kissed me soundly.
âShh.â He glanced over his shoulder and told Snake to make himself at home; heâd be back in a minute. But first he wanted to talk to me.
While Snake sat on the sofa and entertained Marilee, Gideon led me into the kitchen. âOkay, Iâve been thinking about it,â he said, his eyes dark and earnest. âAnd the way you talked about us having our own house . . . I want that, too. When I get out of the military, more than anything I want a normal life for us and our kids.â
âWhen you get out?â I pronounced the words carefully, testing his meaning. Gideon often talked about the music store he wanted to open when he was free of the military, but he had never given me any idea of when that might be.
âIâm not going to re-up. Iâm going to finish the two years I have left, then Iâm done. Iâm walking away.â
I stared, momentarily unable to imagine Gideon as anything but a soldier. His skill, training, and heightened awareness permeated every aspect of his being, so how could he set aside part of his personality?
âDid you hear what I said?â His hands fell on my shoulders and gave me a little shake. âI want out, Mandy, I want to be around to put my kids to bed and make more babies with you.â
âDid you say babies ? As in more than one?â
âYeah, I want as many as we can handle. So what Iâm saying isthat Iâve been thinking a lot about your idea. I even asked some of the guys what they thought about it. I checked out some stuff on the Internet andââ
âWhat are you saying?â
âIâm saying your idea might be okay. Iâm trying to understand how that sort of thing operates.â
I caught my breath, surprised by the intensity in his voice. âIâve been thinking, too. And Iâm not going to pursue it if youâre going to hate seeing me pregnant. I need to know youâll be comfortable with the situation.â
A wry smile crept into Gideonâs voice. âYouâre sure itâs not illegal? Everythingâs on the up-and-up?â
âItâs legal, but not everyone approves of surrogacy.â The words came out in a rush, so I paused to let them sink in. âHereâs how it works: the baby will be the coupleâs biological child, but theyâll pay me to carry it until itâs born. For my part in the arrangement, Iâm pretty sure I could earn as much as you do in a year.â
Gideonâs smile twisted. âThat canât be right.â
âIt is; Iâve done a lot of research. And we wonât incur any expenses, since weâre covered under your health insurance. Everything I need will be supplied by the other couple.â
Snake and Marilee laughed in the