“That sounds good. What do you feel like? Mexican? Italian?”
“How about Italian? Maybe something besides pizza.”
“Perfect. If you want to order something from Romano’s, I’ll pick it up on my way home.”
“No, I’ll do it. I have some errands to run, so I’ll save them for this afternoon. What time do you think you’ll be home?”
“Probably the usual time. Five-thirty. Can you order me meat lasagna with a side of garlic bread and a dinner salad?”
“Sure.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Have a good day, babe.”
“You, too.”
While driving to work, MJ thought about how lucky she was. After Trevor’s death, she hadn’t believed she’d ever find anyone else to love. She’d been wrong. She’d found a wonderful man in such an unexpected way. This was serious. She wanted to grow old with Rob.
She could see them living on a ranch together, having a family, and sitting on a front porch in rocking chairs. It was a daydream of a stable, ordinary life, but one filled with love for each other.
Rob loved her, but he also respected her. She could tell by how he acted while training her to manage Maverick. He encouraged her and helped her build her confidence. He was a man who brought out the best in her. Like the way her dad had treated her mom. Remembering how lost Mom had been when Dad died in that truck accident made her wonder how she’d ever manage if something happened to Rob. The loss she felt with Trevor’s death had been devastating, and what she’d felt for him had been infatuation—a dream built on adolescent fantasies. Her relationship with Rob felt deeper, more real, and much more mature. It was a relationship between an adult man and an adult woman. They still had a way to go to make sure they could withstand the challenges they would face. Life could throw many unexpected things at you. She didn’t know for sure, but she believed she and Rob could weather whatever they faced, as long as they faced it together.
After work, Rob wasn’t home when she got there. Maybe he’d gone to pick up their food. Both breakfast and lunch hadn’t been satisfying, and she was eager to have one of her favorite Italian meals.
She heard Rob’s truck pull into the driveway and opened the door to let in Maverick and him. The Malinois’ nose was testing the scent of the order, and he looked at the bags longingly, making her laugh.
“Don’t encourage him,” Rob warned. “He practically drooled all over our dinner on the way home, but we can’t share it with him. Trevor once gave him pepperoni pizza, and he had gas for nearly forty-eight hours that was so gross, we had to find other quarters.” He shuddered. “We’re not making that mistake again.”
She couldn’t help laughing at the thought of a team of strong Marines having to vacate their quarters because of a warrior dog with gas. “You guys had some interesting situations, I’ll bet.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He paused and looked at her sternly. “But I can’t tell you about them. Highly classified.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and made a face.
She shrugged and pulled out their orders. Rob had ordered cheese ravioli smothered in meat sauce, and his own salad and garlic bread. She pulled out plates and serving spoons. “What do you want to drink?”
“I’ll have a beer.”
She made a face, grabbing a beer for him and a soft drink for her. They spent the next forty-five minutes catching up on their day, and talking about date night.
“I think we should take turns planning date night activities. You can do this Saturday, and then I’ll do next week,” she said.
“That sounds fair. We can surprise each other.” He looked thoughtful. “It’ll be a good way for us to get to know each other better, too.”
“Perfect. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
“The challenge is on. We’ll see who can be the most creative.”
“Sounds good.” She wondered what on earth she could do to compete. Maybe Nick would have some ideas. Actually, this could be fun.
Chapter Thirty-One
Rob sat in his counselor’s office, wondering what they would talk about today. He’d been feeling good, and when Michael asked how he was doing, Rob told him he’d been free of nightmares all week. They discussed his coping strategies, and he admitted he’d been thinking about talking to horses.
“Sounds like an interesting approach,” Michael said. “Let me know what you notice. I’ve heard of a bunch of veterans’ programs that partner with horses. The relationship seems to help, and some programs involve Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.”
“That sounds interesting. Any of them around here?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania who works in a program there. It’s fascinating. I’d love it if we could do something like that around here. Heaven knows there are enough horse ranches and even some therapeutic riding centers.”
“If you start a program like that, I’d be interested in taking part.”
“Great! Now, what do you want to work on today? What areas are still causing you trouble?”
He blurted, “I’d like to talk about my relationship. How will I know if I’m capable of having a long-term relationship?”
“Oh, it’s that serious, is it?” Michael studied him carefully in silence for a few minutes.
“Yeah. It’s serious. I think about marriage to MJ—that’s short for Mary Jane. Our relationship is going well. She wants me to be honest with her about the PTSD, and she calls me on it when she thinks I’m hiding things from her. It’s weird, but she accepts me and my PTSD. I worry that she shouldn’t.”
“Why not? How has PTSD made you different?”
Rob dropped his head and took a deep
