The General’s Ex-Wife Is A Colonel He Can’t Have Chapter 01
After we lost our child, I got rid of every habit Beau Walker hated.
I stopped asking where he’d been. I stopped waiting up for him. Even when he didn’t come home at all, I still went to sleep.
I was injured during a training accident.
The base doctor told me to notify my family. All I said was, “I don’t have an emergency contact.”
The nurse beside him recognized me.
“You’re Major Wells, aren’t you? General Walker is in the command center next door. Should I get him?”
I shook my head.
But half an hour later, Beau came anyway.
He stood beside my hospital bed, his uniform immaculate, his voice hard.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
I looked down at the bandages on my hand.
“It’s nothing serious. No need to trouble the General.”
The moment the words left my mouth, his expression tightened.
He was about to speak when the voices of two soldiers drifted in from the hallway.
“General Walker really cares about that USO performer.”
“That girl, Kinsley, twisted her ankle during the show, and he called for his command vehicle immediately.”
“Carried her himself, too. Wouldn’t even let her walk.”
Beau’s shoulders went rigid.
He glanced at me, as if waiting for me to say something.
Before, hearing something like that would have made me demand answers.
This time, I said nothing. I just leaned back against the pillow and closed my eyes.
…
A little while later, he helped me into his Humvee.
After the door shut, he said in a low voice, “Don’t listen to gossip. It was work.”
“I approved Kinsley to perform on base. She got hurt, so of course I had to deal with it.”
“Mm,” I said.
Just that one sound.
Beau whipped his head toward me.
“You still don’t believe me?”
“Are you still blaming me for everything?”
“Celine, I’ve been trying. I’ve been coming home. What more do you want from me?”
I watched the streetlights streak past the window.
“I believe you.”
“I just didn’t think my injury was serious enough to call you. Just take me back to my quarters.”
He stared at me for several seconds, his face growing darker.
“The way you’re talking right now,” he said, “it sounds rehearsed.”
Then he slammed his fist into the steering wheel.
The horn blared through the night, drawing the attention of the USO troupe across the road.
Someone turned to look.
The moment moonlight fell on her face, the air in the Humvee went still.
It was Kinsley.
Beau frowned. “What is she doing here?”
Every other time I’d seen her, I’d lost my composure.
This time, I glanced at her once, then looked away.
Beau’s hand was already on the door handle.
It was cold out. Kinsley was still in her performance dress, hugging herself against the wind, the tip of her nose red.
I pushed open my door and got out.
“If you’re heading back on base, I can walk from here.”
I’d only taken two steps before Beau caught up and grabbed my wrist.
“Kinsley and I ended things a long time ago. I didn’t know she’d be here. Why won’t you believe me?”
I nodded.
“I believe you.”
“She’s just a kid, touring all over. It can’t be easy. It’s normal for you to want to look out for her. I understand.”
He stared at my face, as if searching for a trace of sarcasm or anger.
But there was nothing.
He had always wanted me to stop making a scene. Now that I finally had, he was the one who looked uneasy.
I pulled my hand free and started walking again.
When I reached the intersection, I stopped and looked back.
Beside the Humvee, Beau had already taken off his flight jacket and was draping it over Kinsley’s shoulders.
The next second, he cupped her face in his hands and bent down to kiss her.