Breaking Away (Delta Force Strong #3) - Elle James Page 0,8
left him to get her career going, she’d had so many regrets. If there’d ever been a man who was right for her, that man was Mac. But they’d both been so young and ready to launch into their respective careers. He’d been on a path to get selected for Delta Force.
Kylie had been on the verge of pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist and a war correspondent. If they had continued their relationship and gotten married, she doubted seriously that either of them would’ve attained their dreams. He might not have become a Delta Force operative, and she might not have been in Afghanistan to interview an important informant from the Taliban.
Looking back over the years, and all the time they might have wasted, she wondered if she’d made the right decision in leaving him. Now that they were several years older and more experienced in both their fields, she was creeping up on thirty years old. As she’d neared her thirtieth birthday, she’d begun to feel her biological clock ticking.
Yes, she’d wanted a career, and she’d wanted it to happen before she had children. She’d known her line of work would be dangerous, and she wouldn’t have left her child behind much less put that child at risk for losing a parent. So, she’d put her life on hold while she’d pursued her career.
Now, with her thirtieth birthday looming, she was concerned about being able to have children of her own. Some of her friends had waited until thirty to have kids. They’d found it difficult to conceive, as if they’d waited too long to try. Kylie had begun to think that she’d put her life on hold for all the wrong reasons.
And the only man who’d ever interested her was sitting across the table from her. Apparently, he still hadn’t forgiven her for leaving him.
“What’s next for you, Kylie?” he asked.
She’d been considering that for the past year. Did she want to remain a war correspondent, always chasing after the adrenaline and the next big story? Could she take a back seat and pick up human-interest stories that didn’t put her in the line of fire, and actually start that family she’d put off for so long? Those thoughts went through her head as she tried to come up with an answer to his question.
Finally, she said, “For one, I want to interview Faaid.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean what’s the next thing you’ll be doing in your life?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“How long do you plan on following war stories and putting yourself at risk?” he asked.
“It pays the bills,” she said. “What about you, Mac? How many years do you have in the military? Maybe fourteen? That gives you—what—six more years you can do this? What’s next for you? Are you staying to retirement or longer? Are you looking ahead to see what you can do after retirement?”
His lips twisted. “Hadn’t really thought much about it. Guess I was going to ride this horse into the sunset. Although, the older I get, the harder it is on my body. It’s really a young man’s world, being Delta Force.”
She laughed, looking at his magnificent body. “You’re far from old.”
“Tell that to my knees.” Mac grinned.
“Didn’t you have a dream of having a ranch in Texas?” Kylie asked.
He nodded.
“Have you done anything about it?” she asked.
He stared into the distance. “I’ve been saving money, and I’ve got a real estate agent looking for a small patch of land I can call my own.”
“So, you’re going to be that rancher you always wanted to be and raise cattle and horses and children?” Her heart stuttered, as she waited for his answer.
“That’s the plan,” he said. “I’m not getting much younger.”
“Have you met someone?” she asked before she could stop herself. “Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business.”
He nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have.”
Kylie’s heart sank to the pit of her belly. She swallowed hard and said, “I’m happy for you. I hope she’s special because you deserve someone special.”
His lips quirked upward. “She is. And yes, I do deserve someone special.”
She leaned across the table and touched his arm. “I’m sorry if I hurt you all those years ago.”
His shoulders lifted and fell. “We were young. We got over it.” Then he looked into her eyes. “So, have you met someone?”
She had. Many years ago. Kylie had never fallen out of love with him. Now, he sat across the table looking sexier and