Chapter Quote:
"The only thing harder than being a warrior is loving one."
~Unknown
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Hannah Lee

Mom, Grandma Edna, James, Liam, Jax, Nathan (who was on Skype), and I waited impatiently for Abigail and Grey's dinner to be done with. We'd finished ours ages ago. I currently sat on the floor with Luna and Lucy, their heads resting in my lap. Jax sat at the bar with Grandma Edna. James and Liam sat on the kitchen counter much to their mother's annoyance. They only got away with it now because she and Edna were done cooking dinner.

"How long does it take to eat a Beef Wellington? I mean damn," James muttered.

"I s-" Grandma Edna began, but she was interrupted by me saying, "They're on a date. They're not going to rush things."

"I would-" Edna tried again, only to be interrupted once more.

"It's also more than just a date," Mom added.

"They're c-"

"They better hurry up because I can't stay on much longer," Nathan said.

"For the love of God, they're coming!" Grandma Edna shouted.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" James exclaimed, leaping off the counter.

"I've been trying to boy, but the rest of you kept interrupting me!"

The door opened to reveal Grey and Abigail talking quietly to each other, both wearing big smiles. Luke trotted behind them. My eyes immediately traveled down to her left hand to find a glittering diamond ring on it. A grin broke out onto my face.

As if realizing that they were in our presence, the two of them looked at us. Abigail held up her left hand while Grey announced, "She said yes!"

Cheers went up around the room before we attacked them with hugs and shouted congratulatory remarks. Abigail started crying a little, especially when she hugged her mom. Diana had whispered something to her daughter that had started the waterworks.

"I'm so happy for you!" I said ecstatically when I hugged Grey. "And welcome to the family!"

"Thank you," he said. I pulled back to look at him. He hadn't stopped smiling since he stepped foot into the house. I couldn't help but think he had smiled more tonight than he had since he'd gotten back here a few months ago. But things were looking up for him again. Tonight was a night for new beginnings.

"Let me see my sister damn it!" I heard my husband yell over the cacophony. Abigail laughed as she popped in front of the camera, holding up her hand to show off the ring. "He did well. I'm so incredibly happy for you Abigail! And Grey, welcome to the family! I wish I was there to celebrate with you two."

"You are here. And we'll celebrate in person when you get home!" she told him.

"I look forward to it. Okay, I have to go. I was waiting for you to get back so I could congratulate you. I love you all and will talk soon!"

We all said goodbye and 'I love you' to him before he hung up. Then we broke out the champagne (or in my case, sparkling apple juice) and ice cream.

"So this is what all that ice cream was for," Abigail mused.

"We're such good liars," Liam said proudly.

"Actually you're terrible liars. I'm just so used to you two being weird that I assumed it was you two just being your normal selves," Abigail replied.

"I'm only going to agree with you because you just got engaged and tonight's your night. But come tomorrow, it's back to full-on insults and arguing," James said.

"I would expect no less."

Grandma Edna handed out the glasses of champagne while mom handed out the bowls of ice cream. I made my own glass of sparkling apple juice. We gathered around in a circle as mom started the toast.

"Tonight we celebrate the engagement of Abigail and Grey. I knew the moment Grey stepped into our house that he would become family. He came to be a son to me, first through being a brother to Chris. Now I get to have him officially become my son when he marries my daughter. These two have been through a lot together, more than most couples, and I'm sure there will be many more trials along the way. There always is. But I believe in these two. I believe that no matter what happens, they will stand by each other and support each other." Mom smiled at the two of them, tears in her eyes. "Although there a couple people who are unable to be with us here today, I know they're looking down upon the two of you with smiles on their faces. They're so happy for you, just as everyone else in this room is. To Abigail and Grey!"

"To Abigail and Grey!" the rest of us cheered, raising our glasses. We all took a sip before sitting down and digging into our ice cream. Liam and James started the conversation with Abigail, Jax, and I quickly joining in. Grandma Edna jumped in once in a while, usually making inappropriate jokes. Mom watched us all with a grin on her face and laughing at our antics. Then there was Grey who could barely take his eyes off Abigail; he didn't even realize I was watching him. It was as if he couldn't quite believe this was all happening. But I noticed something. Every once in a while, his eyes flitted to something behind James and Liam's heads. It was always brief, but still, I noticed it. I brushed it off as maybe he was seeing something like a bug or whatnot, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was something more. Then again, I was a therapist. I thought everything was usually more than it was...

Around eleven o'clock, everyone retired to their bedrooms. I stayed downstairs and cleaned up, insisting that mom and Grandma Edna get some rest. They reluctantly let me do so. It wasn't long though before I was joined by Abigail.

"Shouldn't you be with Grey?" I asked, putting some dishes in the cupboard.

"Between all the excitement and everything he had to do today, the poor guy passed out the moment he got in bed," Abigail explained, grabbing a spoon before getting the ice cream out of the fridge. She set it down on the counter, then started helping me put away the dishes. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Just not tired. The baby is kicking constantly. I think I might have internal bruising from him," I joked. "How are you doing? Can't sleep?"

"Still a little shocked from today. My mind is still racing. I can't believe I'm engaged." My sister glanced down at her ring, fiddling with it.

"How come?"

"I don't know... I just never thought I'd find anyone. I was never good with relationships. Guys never liked me in the way I liked them, and knowing how much Grey loves me and what he'd do for me..."

"You love him too, right?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't. I just mean that... I don't know... I'm scared."

"What's there to be scared of?"

"I've lost my father and my brother. I nearly lost Grey too. And knowing that he's going back out there without his original squadron, it scares me. I'm worried that something is going to happen to him, or something is going to trigger something in him that I can't help him with. I'm scared I'm going to lose him too."

"Grey will always come back to you. If he was able to come back after what happened to him last time, I have no doubt that he'll come back every time after."

"I love him so much... I never realized how much I relied on his support when I thought that I might not have it anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I have always been the people that others go to when they have problems. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I know you wouldn't either. But sometimes I think we either forget that we have our own problems, or we think that we can't go to one another because we think we're putting more stress on each other with our own problems. I know that's not the case, before you get onto me about that, but I feel like that sometimes. Especially now that you're pregnant with my nephew. I don't want to add any more stress onto you than you're already dealing with. But I realized that Grey was my support. I told him things that I thought I couldn't tell you or mom. He's the one I've gone to when I was in tears over Chris. He's the one I told about my nightmares of losing James and Nathan and Liam. He's the one I told about how I was really feeling after my dad died..."

"When did you tell him that?"

"About a week ago. He found me staring at a picture of me and dad on my laptop. He told me Grandma Edna had told him a little bit, but only as much as she knew. I know we never told you the full extent of what happened, and-"

"You don't have to," I said. "Not until you're ready and willing."

"One day soon, I'll tell you. Has Nathan ever...?"

"No. He refuses to bring it up. It's the one thing that he will absolutely not talk about."

"I don't blame him. He was never quite the same after it..."

I paused for a moment, thinking of what to say before replying. "I once asked Grandma Edna what it was like to be married to a military man, if it was hard. She told me that the distance was hard, the worry is hard, the sacrifice is hard, but that loving him is the easiest thing she's ever done. I never quite understood what she meant by that until I married Nathan, and I remember going through the same thing you're going through right at this moment. You're scared, and it's okay to be. I know. But trust me, marrying him and loving him and living your life with him is worth all the pain and the worry that comes with it. And Grey will fight tooth and nail to make his way back to you, just like Nathan does for me and his son and for you and your mom and your brothers."

Abigail smiled through her tears. "Have I ever said how much I love you?"

"You don't need to," I told her, giving her a hug. My friend quietly cried into my shoulder, and I let her. I remember being in her position, but I reminded myself her position was even more dire. She'd lost her father only a few years ago and her brother a few months ago, both in the line of duty. It was natural for her to be terrified of losing her fiancé too.

"Thank you," Abigail said, pulling away and wiping away her tears.

"I'm always here for you, no matter what. That's what sisters are for."

"I know. The same goes for you. I can't believe we're sisters. Officially now too! How many best friends can say that?"

"Not enough. But I'm not going to complain about it. What do you say I finish up the dishes, and then we go binge-watch the Hallmark channel while pigging out on ice cream?"

"We will finish up the dishes," Abigail corrected. "But yes, I agree."

With that said, my sister jumped up from her chair and helped me finish putting away the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Then, grabbing the gallon of ice cream and two spoons, we made our way into the living room, grabbing all the pillows and blankets we could to make the couch as comfy and cozy as we possibly could. We'd been doing this for as long as we'd been friends; it was one thing that had never changed.

I turned on the TV, and the two of us settled in like old times. Even though our lives were going in different directions, even though we were starting our own lives with the loves of our lives, I knew that our friendship would always stay constant.
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