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“Yeah, she could. Or…I could give you some.” He flashes me a smile. “Have you forgotten that I help run the place?”

“I haven’t forgotten. I just wanted you to officially offer,” I tease.

He tilts his head down closer to me as I place my hand on his chest, leaning into him.

“I’d love to help you,” he whispers. “I’d do anything for you.”

His lips hit mine as the back door swings open with footsteps slamming against the wood floors.

“We walked in on something!” Mark laughs, coming in first.

I can feel my cheeks flush as I draw back from Sean.

One by one, they come trotting inside, a smile unable to disappear from my face.

“The girls want s’mores tonight, but we all agreed they’d be better with peanut butter cups. Do we have any?” Kathy asks.

“I don’t think so,” Sean says. “It wasn’t on the list.”

“Looks like we’ll be making a quick trip into town. When will dinner be ready?” she asks.

“Not for another forty-five minutes or so. We’re marinating chicken right now. We’re just prepping the vegetables.”

“Perfect. We’ll be back in a jiffy,” Mark replies. He turns around toward Bailey’s girls. “Who wants to ride with Pop-Pop?”

They both screech, “I do! I do!”

He snatches both of them under his arms, the girls squirming and laughing.

“We’ll be back,” Kathy says, shutting the door behind them.

And then we’re alone again.

Sean continues chopping vegetables with his back to me.

“So,” I say, stepping next to him. “I told you something that you wanted to know…would you be willing to return the favor?”

He smirks at me knowingly. “You’re referring to Iraq? To Nolan?”

I nod and he follows suit, nodding with me.

“What do you want to know?” His brows furrow.

“Anything you’re willing to tell.”

He sighs and then says, “Our squadron was sent out one day—” He pauses, his jaw slack. “Do you know what an IED is?”

I shake my head.

“Improvised Explosive Device.” His voice is steady with each word.

I shut my eyes.

Explosive. Explosive.

When you think about the military, it’s easy to overlook the dangers they can face. People sign up and are recruited every day. It’s normal.

But threats could always be around the corner.