This was a magic I’d long forgotten existed. *

***
Alexander-

Once upon a time, she’d smiled a lot. Even in her pain, I could see hints of that girl I’d loved so much. She was smart and adventurous and had the snarkiest sense of humor I’d ever met. And, based on the way she’d nearly grinned at me earlier, I could only guess…or hope, rather, that all of that was still inside.

As I left the base to head to the nearest pharmacy, a plan began to hatch itself in my mind. The family housing had prompted it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it was the only way. It was perfect, really. I could nurse Carly back to health. She’d even have insurance. She’d be independent of her relatives’ care, and I would spend the rest of our lives making up for my mistakes. My heart began to hammer in my chest, and with each passing second, I could see it unfolding perfectly in my head.

The only problem would be convincing Carly. Saying she could be stubborn was like saying winter is chilly. But I could be stubborn, too.

***

Carly-

I don’t know what I’d expected from the kiss, but it wasn’t this.

This…my brain ceased producing words. Instead, I felt. Saw. Tasted. His hands were warm on my face, and his lips were like fire on mine. My eyes were closed, but colors flashed behind my eyelids like fireworks. In that kiss, I saw glimpses of two kids who fell in love and all the dreams they’d painted in those bright Carolina sunsets.

Familiar as the kiss was, the boy beneath just wasn’t the same. Like magma pushing through the earth’s crust, a new man was there, breaking through everything I knew. Confidence I hadn’t seen in him before radiated from his gentle hands as they kept me rooted to the spot.

Then he was gone. I opened my eyes in confusion to see him pulling back as the crowd burst into cheers and whistles. “I present Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Calero,” the judge announced, and the clapping grew even louder. But I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. His eyes smoldered as they met mine, and I knew that we both knew something inside had changed. If only I knew what it was.

This was supposed to be a fake marriage, after all, a way to get me the medical care I needed until Grandpa came back. So why did kissing him feel like waking up? Why did it feel like coming home?

My Carolina Airman is the second in the My Air Force Fairy Tale series, clean and wholesome fairy tale-inspired military romance novels about life and love with military men. Read My Carolina Airman today to find love, laughter, and the magic of happily ever after.