a story for you, about what you were doing before everything happened.”
“I don’t know, a vet?”
“And if they need you to help in some medical capacity? Could you?”
“Probably not to the level a vet would.”
“We need to come up with something that’s not as valuable in this new world. We don’t want them to think they need you, not if we need to get back to the island.”
“Good thinking. Okay, let’s say I was a cable repairman. Shouldn’t be much call for that with no power.”
“I suppose.”
“When did we get married?”
“The summer before it all went to hell, I guess. How did we meet?”
“High school. I was a few years older. Let’s use the truth as much as we can.”
“I didn’t realize you remembered me.”
“Eden, it’s a tiny island. I remember you.”
“Okay.” She dragged the word out. “I don’t know if I can remember to answer to another name.”
“We’ll keep our first names, but I’m thinking we should pretend to be married so they’ll keep us together.”
Her pulse jolted. She didn’t want to chance being separated from him, but playing his wife held a different challenge.
“We’d have to figure out what we need to know about each other. I mean, on the plus side, we’ve known each other for a lot of years, know each other’s families.” His voice was soothing in the darkness, and his fingers moved lightly over her hair. “We’d just have to pretend to be newlyweds, so we won’t seem so awkward with each other.” He chuckled softly. “I don’t even know if marriages are legal anymore. But you know what I mean.”
“Would you want to get married again? After Bev?”
“No.”
No hesitation. Well, then.
He blew out a sigh and went on. “This is no time to start a family, to think about kids. We have no idea what the future will bring, how permanent anything is, if we’ll be alive next year.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason to hold onto something if you find it?”
“You and Damien, you mean?”
She snapped her head around and almost hit his nose again. “What? No. No. I mean, we thought about it, but...” Then you came back . No, she couldn’t say that. “No, you’re right, I guess. Will you tell me about her?”
He shifted behind her. “I don’t—I haven’t talked about her.”
“Not about finding her, not about fighting your way to get to her. I was just wondering how you met.”
“How we met?” He sat back, putting some distance between them. “We met at a bar. She was there with some girlfriends, I was there with some guys from my team. One of her friends was a real SEAL junkie. She’d read some romance novels about this one team and she wanted a romance novel of her own, I guess. She was kinda pissed that I picked Bev instead. I don’t think they stayed friends much longer after that. Bev wasn’t really looking to get involved with a guy who was active duty, but after that first night, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I guess I was pretty single-minded. Then it wasn’t just sex anymore. I was coming home to her house after a mission. I met her family, spent holidays with them, and finally she said yes when I asked her to marry me.” His breath hitched, and he blew it out on a sigh. “And then she died because I couldn’t save her. The end. So no, not a big believer in happy endings.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand over his because she needed to touch him. “I’m sorry you weren’t with her, that you weren’t there in time.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t even on the continent when she died. She had no chance in hell. At least you have that.” He pulled his hand away from hers.
But she had an emptiness inside her that hadn’t been there when they’d climbed up here.
***
The dogs eventually gave up, but both Aaron and Eden had their weapons drawn when they left the garage and headed down the street in the gloaming. They remained silent so they could listen
“I don’t know, a vet?”
“And if they need you to help in some medical capacity? Could you?”
“Probably not to the level a vet would.”
“We need to come up with something that’s not as valuable in this new world. We don’t want them to think they need you, not if we need to get back to the island.”
“Good thinking. Okay, let’s say I was a cable repairman. Shouldn’t be much call for that with no power.”
“I suppose.”
“When did we get married?”
“The summer before it all went to hell, I guess. How did we meet?”
“High school. I was a few years older. Let’s use the truth as much as we can.”
“I didn’t realize you remembered me.”
“Eden, it’s a tiny island. I remember you.”
“Okay.” She dragged the word out. “I don’t know if I can remember to answer to another name.”
“We’ll keep our first names, but I’m thinking we should pretend to be married so they’ll keep us together.”
Her pulse jolted. She didn’t want to chance being separated from him, but playing his wife held a different challenge.
“We’d have to figure out what we need to know about each other. I mean, on the plus side, we’ve known each other for a lot of years, know each other’s families.” His voice was soothing in the darkness, and his fingers moved lightly over her hair. “We’d just have to pretend to be newlyweds, so we won’t seem so awkward with each other.” He chuckled softly. “I don’t even know if marriages are legal anymore. But you know what I mean.”
“Would you want to get married again? After Bev?”
“No.”
No hesitation. Well, then.
He blew out a sigh and went on. “This is no time to start a family, to think about kids. We have no idea what the future will bring, how permanent anything is, if we’ll be alive next year.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason to hold onto something if you find it?”
“You and Damien, you mean?”
She snapped her head around and almost hit his nose again. “What? No. No. I mean, we thought about it, but...” Then you came back . No, she couldn’t say that. “No, you’re right, I guess. Will you tell me about her?”
He shifted behind her. “I don’t—I haven’t talked about her.”
“Not about finding her, not about fighting your way to get to her. I was just wondering how you met.”
“How we met?” He sat back, putting some distance between them. “We met at a bar. She was there with some girlfriends, I was there with some guys from my team. One of her friends was a real SEAL junkie. She’d read some romance novels about this one team and she wanted a romance novel of her own, I guess. She was kinda pissed that I picked Bev instead. I don’t think they stayed friends much longer after that. Bev wasn’t really looking to get involved with a guy who was active duty, but after that first night, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I guess I was pretty single-minded. Then it wasn’t just sex anymore. I was coming home to her house after a mission. I met her family, spent holidays with them, and finally she said yes when I asked her to marry me.” His breath hitched, and he blew it out on a sigh. “And then she died because I couldn’t save her. The end. So no, not a big believer in happy endings.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand over his because she needed to touch him. “I’m sorry you weren’t with her, that you weren’t there in time.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t even on the continent when she died. She had no chance in hell. At least you have that.” He pulled his hand away from hers.
But she had an emptiness inside her that hadn’t been there when they’d climbed up here.
***
The dogs eventually gave up, but both Aaron and Eden had their weapons drawn when they left the garage and headed down the street in the gloaming. They remained silent so they could listen
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