Timeless

Chapter 41

 Mornings tended to be lazy affairs during the honeymoon. And despite the fact that they had returned from their honeymoon nearly two days earlier, Kathryn and Gale were absolutely still on the honeymoon. Gale Cleven had kept his promise—and now Kathryn had a house with a porch, one that wrapped all the way around the corner of the house. And the minute that she had laid eyes on it, she had been thrilled .

Bucky had dropped off Meatball before they had arrived at the house. And coming home to an actual house and a dog, Kathryn couldn't help but feel like it was all she had ever wanted. Things had been complicated for so damn long and now that the dust was settling, she could clearly see the picture ahead of her. She had asked Gale Cleven—what seemed like a whole life ago—what he wanted after the war. And the truth of the matter was that his only thought at the time had been her .

With the morning light just beginning to stream in through the window, Kathryn found it hard to wake. But at the sight of Gale Cleven lying next to her, totally peaceful and asleep—she thought she found beauty in its rawest form. If he thought she was sunshine, then she was absolutely certain that he was the sun . He was the center of her universe and the gravity that kept her in orbit.

She could have watched him sleep and made a hobby out of it, truth be told. She couldn't help her fingers from tracing over his jaw to his cheek. The scars from the war were just barely noticeable. But as her fingers rested on them, she knew that she wanted to see this man age—she wanted to grow old with him and have wrinkles and laughter lines.

And then his eyelids were fluttering open and Kathryn's lips tugged into a soft smile. "Well how's that for a wake up?" Gale's morning voice was quite possibly the most alluring thing known to mankind—she was certain of it.

"Just admiring you," Kathryn admitted.

His hands grabbed her waist and she let out a giggle as he pulled her atop him, hugging her against him. The butterflies that shot up from her toes all the way to the tip of her head left her reeling as she relaxed against him. Her head rested on his chest and she traced the outline of his shoulders, thoughts ebbing in and out like the tide.

"Tell me something you've never told anyone," Kathryn murmured her request.

Gale's hands strayed to her messy hair, combing through it as he thought about it. Their legs were entwined but his focus was entirely on his wife —God, he'd never get tired of thinking or saying that word. "When I was a kid, my dad made me play football."

Kathryn couldn't help the slight gasp that slipped from her lips. "No."

"Yes!" Gale said, rolling his eyes. "I lasted a week before quitting. I was eight."

"You don't seem like the quitting type," Kathryn mused, pressing a kiss over his heart. His grip on her hips tightened for just a moment and she felt utterly electric in this moment.

"I'm not," Gale replied. "I broke my foot."

She couldn't help the fact that she laughed—and then he was tickling her sides and she was laughing worse and he had flipped them. Propped over her and breathing heavily, Gale Cleven looked like he had just found God. She was utterly pinned and Kathryn didn't mind one bit. "God, I love you," she breathed out, running her hands through his hair.

He grinned at the words and then relaxed. "Your turn."

"My turn?"

"To tell me something you've never told anyone," Gale said, head slumping against her stomach as she massaged his scalp.