on mine in seriousness as he grabs my shoulders. “Call me if you need me, okay? I don’t care what time.”
“I will.” I nod, trying to swallow away the sudden dryness of my throat.
With his seemingly-signature kiss on the head, he walks back to his dad’s car and they drive away.
Chapter 47
“Any idea why she wants us to go to her house?” Ryker asks as we drive to Marion’s daughter’s house. He showed up about a half hour ago with coffee, and we were on our way.
“Oh,” I chuckle softly, “with Marion, Lord only knows.”
“You got pretty close with them, huh?” Ryker puts his hand on my knee.
“Yeah. It started out with just me and George, but Marion was there one day and, pretty soon, every time I was there.”
“What was George like?”
I take a few minutes to tell Ryker all about George. The Marines, Korea, and even Evie. He gets a kick out of the Evie story, most notably, George’s reaction to it.
“Sounds like he was a great guy.” Ryker gives my knee a slight squeeze before tilting his chin toward the window. “There’s fifty-seven.”
Noting the absence of any cars in the driveway, I knock on the door, wondering if Marion forgot. Half a minute later, she opens the door with a soft smile.
“Glad you two could make it, come in.” Marion leads us through the spacious house to a room that looks like a den near the back.
“Where’s Karen?” I ask, looking around.
“She and her husband took their boys out to give us time to chat. Sit.” Marion motions to the love seat as she settles into the chair.
As Ryker and I settle onto the couch, I notice pictures all over the walls and shelves of Marion and George.
“Now, I asked you two over here today so I could share some things with you. I was going to ask Natalie here anyway, but once I saw you, young man, I knew you had to come.” Marion points at Ryker and I see him blush a little. “As I’m sure you know, I’ve spent several months getting to know Natalie.”
Ryker flashes his best all-American at her. “Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“Natalie,” she turns to me, “George told me on Christmas that you received a letter from Ryker a few days too late?”
Ryker looks at me, thoroughly confused, as I shoot my eyebrows up.
“I didn’t send you a letter . . .” He shakes his head, speaking almost under his breath.
“You didn’t tell him?” Marion looks at me as though I’ve grown a second nose.
“My mom sent it to me, Ryker. It was your first one . . . It said Merry Christmas . . .”
His eyes grow wide. “You never go that?”
“My mom . . .” I shrug, “I’ll tell you more later.”
“Anyway,” Marion redirects our conversation, “Ryker . . . Natalie told George and me a lot about the letters you two sent back and forth to each other while you were overseas. Do you still have yours?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ryker nod. “Yes, ma’am, I do. Every one.”
My chin quivers a little at his admission. I’ve never asked. I don’t know if I assumed he trashed them during his darker days, but . . . I didn’t want to know if he had.
Marion looks at Ryker, and waves her hand toward the corner of the room. “Ryker, could you fetch that box for me?” Ryker picks up a large banker’s box and holds it in front of Marion, who instructs him to sit. “Open it.”
Ryker shoots me an awkward look, and I just shrug. “You heard her,” I tease.
Pulling off the top, Ryker swallows hard as he examines the contents—what looks to be hundreds of letters, handwritten on folded pieces of paper. Neither one of us make a move.
“When George was in Korea, those were all I had of him until I saw him again. Now, once again,” her voice catches and she tries to clear her throat, “they’re all I have of him until I see him again.”
As my eyes cloud with tears, I catch Ryker’s jaw tightening before he seems to focus on something above Marion’s head.
“What’s this?” he asks, setting the box down and standing. Walking to the shelf behind Marion, he picks up a small picture frame. “Nat, did you see this?”
“No.” I walk to Ryker and have to muffle the gasp that comes from my mouth.
In Ryker’s hand sits a black and white picture that looks to have