Broken Wings (Contemporary Romance) (7 page)

Lucy placed her hand over her friend’s and looked at her in complete shock.
“Oh my God, I never thought I would see this day. You were dead set on avoiding love altogether. Wow, Joshua really pulled it out of the bag. If it were not for Richard, I would almost envy you.” She laughed.

“
So when are you seeing him again?

“
Tonight, he is cooking dinner for me at his place.”

“
And the man cooks too! I am so pleased for you; this is exactly what you needed in your life, only you didn’t even know it. Look, I have to dash; Richard and I are going shopping for his mother’s birthday present and you know how fussy she can be! So, have a wonderful time tonight and I will check in with you tomorrow afternoon. Oh and wear something sexy. Hell, go all out and show off that wonderful figure of yours for a change…”

Angelina sat staring into her dishevelled wardrobe, nothing stood out. She reached for a red dress hanging loosely at the back. She held it against her and looked at herself in the mirror.
Nope, too obvious for dinner
. She flung the dress down on to the bed and spent the next hour trying on various dresses until she found an old black shift dress; it used to be her favourite and was still in near perfect condition. It was beautiful in all its simplicity.
That will do for tonight
. She hung the dress on the back of her bedroom door to allow any creases to fall out through the day.

She climbed into a hot bath and closed her eyes as she relived her night with Joshua. She ran her fingers slowly up and down her naked body as she remembered his touch, his kiss, and his beautiful naked body next to hers. She almost felt dizzy at the thought and smiled as she recalled him deep inside of her, a sensation she had forgotten existed and one she thought she would never feel again. He felt so right it frightened her; she was beginning to feel consumed by him, this soldier she hardly knew. The bubbles started to dissipate and the water turned cold. She had been soaking in the bath for over an hour before she jumped out and wrapped herself in an oversized bath towel. Reaching for her cream, she moisturized her body from head to toe and then painted her nails and toes in a French polish. She wanted to look perfect for Joshua but not overdone; natural, classy and with minimal make-up.

The radio was blaring in the background and the beautiful haunting voice of Adele filled her little cottage. How she loved her music, so heartfelt and filled with emotion.

Angelina reached for her dress, slipped it off the hanger and stepped into it. She chose a pair of black sling back sandals and a pair of sheer tights to finish the look. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror, she looked in surprise at the image staring back at her. The last time she was so dressed up was the night Daniel was killed. Strangely she felt at peace and knew he would approve of Joshua; they probably would have been great friends in another life time.

She grabbed her car keys off the mantelpiece and headed out of the door. She typed Joshua’s address into her Sat Nav and pulled off her drive. Curiosity was now getting the better of her as she wondered what Joshua had planned for dinner. Finally she reached the other end of town, turned down a narrow side road and drove right to the end, according to Joshua’s instructions. She parked and searched for his house. She spotted a small terraced house and saw Joshua’s car parked in the driveway. After checking herself in the mirror and taking a deep breath, she climbed out of her car and made her way up the drive.

After ringing the door bell, she waited for a few seconds before Joshua answered, greeting her with a beaming smile and a kiss.
“Wow, you look stunning.”

“
Why thank you.”

“
Here, let me take your coat.”

“
Something smells good.”

“
I sure hope it tastes as good as it smells,” teased Joshua. “I have been thinking about you all day, what have you done to me, Angelina Ferria!”

“
The same as you have done to me, Joshua Allen.” Angelina smiled coyly.

They sat down at the small table which Joshua had taken the trouble to dress in a white and gold linen tablecloth, coasters, candles and he had a bottle of champagne cooling in a crystal ice bucket, all of which he had borrowed from Lucy and Richard earlier that morning! He fell silent as he placed the poached salmon on the table and reached to the counter for the sautéed potatoes, a favourite dish of Angelina’s, something that he had taken the trouble of finding out from Lucy.

Once he was seated, he reached over for her hand and looked at her pensively. “Angelina, I have something to tell you, I have been called to my barracks early for peacekeeping duty in Sierra Leone. I have to return for duty in two days. My leave has been cut short by five days.”

The look on Angelina's face said it all; she could not hide her disappointment. She looked at Joshua with curious eyes, studying his face as he searched hers for a reaction.

“Normally, a guy has time to release his affections over time and say and do all the things he wants to at just the right moment. Unfortunately I don’t have that luxury, Angelina. What I do know is that I want to spend every waking minute with you before I leave. I guess what I am asking you is can you take the next two days off work at such short notice? I know it's a lot to ask, but I will be gone for three months and I'd really like to spend what little time I have left with you. Besides, I have one last surprise I would like to share with you before I leave.”

Angelina’s sad expression did not go unnoticed by Joshua,
“Two days, are you sure? I mean, well, we have only just met and now you’re leaving so soon.”

“
I’m sorry, it’s completely out of my control, and if I could change it, believe me I would.”

Angelina, stood up, and walked to the window. She did not want him to see her tears. Joshua stood up and walked behind her; he slipped his arms around her and pulled her to him.

“Will you take the next two days off work? Please, Angelina.”

“
Yes, of course I will, there is nothing I want to do more. I will call my boss first thing in the morning.”

They stood wrapped tightly in each other’s arms, neither one not knowing what to say to the other.
“Come on, let’s sit down. I have cooked your favourite meal I believe; well, at least that’s what Lucy told me! I want to take you to the lake tomorrow. I own a holiday lodge out there, it was left to me by my grandparents a few years ago and I kept it on. I spent many summers there as a kid. I often stay there in the summer. I thought it would be a perfect way for us to spend our last two days together.”

“
Oh Joshua, it sounds just perfect. When do we leave?”

“
I thought first thing in the morning. We could spend the next couple of days away from the world and getting to know each other even better without any interruption.”

Joshua served up an impressive three course dinner polished off by a large bottle of champagne.

“Can I ask you a personal question, Joshua?”

“
Yes sure, fire away.”

“
During a conversation the other night, you mentioned that you had suffered a loss, before changing the subject. Would you tell me about it?”

“
Where do I begin? Well, a couple of years ago, I was deployed in Afghanistan along with my best friend Jason, who was also from this town. We had been out there for just over five months and were due to go home. We had less than two weeks left out there. This one particular day, my unit was travelling in armoured vehicles to a nearby village. Jason was in the armoured vehicle in front of mine a few hundred feet up ahead when all of a sudden and without any warning, we came under attack from insurgents. Jason and three other British soldiers were killed that day after their armoured vehicle was caught in the explosion. Two further attempts to clear and repair the route claimed three more casualties. There were deep ditches all along the road and this provided the insurgents with the perfect cover to plant their explosives.

“
It's not the most dangerous job in the army but it can get pretty close at times. Army bomb disposal operatives risk their lives daily to make their comrades and civilians safe from improvised explosive devices. Sometimes the unexpected happens and we lose a soldier. No matter how expert you are at your job, sometimes things just don't work out. And the day we lost Jason and the others was one of those times. We were taken completely by surprise.”

Angelina had tears in her eyes as she listened to Joshua and how he too had suffered the loss of his friend. She had never felt so close to him as she did right at that moment.

“Now it’s my turn to apologise. I’m so sorry, Joshua. I totally understand your loss; as different as the circumstances are, we have both lost people we love. I know how hard that is to come to terms with; it changes your perspective on life and not always for the better. It’s like you walk through life thereafter with blinkers on, too afraid to open your eyes fully, fearing what you may see. Well, at least that’s how it was for me until I met you. And then you opened my eyes.”

“
It was so hard out there; I have never spoken to anyone about that day. I almost felt guilty for living for a while; it could so easily have been me that day. Sadly, since 2008, the majority of casualties have been from improvised explosives. I could not sleep for a very long time; Jason was in my dreams, calling out to me. I would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, hardly able to breathe. Of course I know there was nothing we could do, but how do you prevent your dreams from re-visiting you night after night? He was too young to die, Angelina, like many soldiers who have lost their lives to this war. But we all know what we are signing up for, we all know we can be posted anywhere in the world at any time, if needed. But it does not make the loss of our brothers any easier when it happens. Jason and I had grown up together, we were inseparable, we went to the same school, the same college and we both signed up to the Army together. We were like brothers, we watched out for each other all of our lives. It felt like a part of me died with him that day.”

Angelina could not speak; for a brief moment, reality had taken hold of her and gripped her like a vice. The realization that Joshua was going away and that anything could happen to him burrowed deep into her heart. She already felt the pain of the possibility. How would she cope with his absence? More importantly, how would she cope with the reality of her impending fears?

“I know what you’re thinking, and please don’t, Angelina. Let’s enjoy the time we have together over the next two days.” He took her hand in his and led her over to the sofa. “I have selected a movie for us to watch, I hope you like it.”

“
Okay, let me guess, is it an action movie?

“
Nope, you will never guess.” He smiled.

“
Is it a thriller?”

“
Nope, this movie is a favourite of mine. Surprisingly enough, it is not an action movie or a war movie, for that matter but it is a movie that makes you realise the important things in life. It’s called
Pay It Forward
.”

“
I love that movie; I hope you have the tissues handy!” They settled down together with their champagne, Joshua dimmed the lights and Angelina rested her head on his shoulder.

She felt complete around him, happy, and she liked that she was feeling this way. She could not believe she had been given a second chance at finding the one, always believing
“the one” only came into a person’s life just the once and there were no second chances. But here she was with her second chance; she had been waiting for Joshua to come into her life all this time, only she never realised it. Opening her heart to someone after so long felt good, it felt free and being held by a man she loved once more was breathtakingly wonderful. To once again feel the warmth of a man's arms lovingly wrapped around her after three years of being alone awakened her to the possibilities of a life not spent alone.

Chapter
Eight

Joshua woke up first; he pulled the sheet over Angelina’s naked body before kissing her on the cheek and leaving her to sleep while he took a shower. Angelina woke with a start at the sound of the door bell ringing. She grabbed Joshua’s sweater and hurriedly made her way down the stairs. On opening the door, she was met by a very startled Richard.
“Hey, I wasn’t expecting you to answer the door. I won’t keep you, can you just tell Joshua I am assuming our morning run is cancelled!” Richard winked at Angelina and then left as quickly as he'd arrived.

“
Who was that at the door?”

“
It was Richard; he said to tell you he’s guessing your morning jog is cancelled!”

Joshua laughed.
“I would love to have seen his face when you answered the door.”

“
It was a picture. I think he was a little surprised.”

“
Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Go jump in the shower and I will rustle up breakfast and then we can head over to your house and you can grab an overnight bag before we head off to the lodge. I have one more surprise for you today.”