Epic: Book 02 - Outlaw Trigger by Lee Stephen Page A

Dostoevsky?”
    “ Yeah. I know he helped me get here and all, but…I got a wierd vibe from him.”
    Scott laughed. “I hate to make you think you’re not special, babe, but everyone gets a weird vibe from him.”
    “ He wouldn’t look me in the eyes.”
    Scott’s brow furrowed. Dostoevsky never had trouble with eye contact. Confrontation was the commander’s middle name. “I’m sorry. I guess that’s just how he is.” They walked for a moment longer, before Scott nudged her side. “He was probably blinded by your beauty.”
    She laughed. “Right. Because he really looked nervous.”
    Scott looked at her appreciatively. That was what he missed. He missed her laugh. He missed her wit. He missed her everything. “It’s good to have you back, baby.”
    “ It’s good to have you back, too.”
    It felt like she hadn’t been gone a day. Every bit of love, every bit of familiarity. It all fell into place as though neither of them had skipped a beat. The touch of her hand was as warm as ever. Nothing had changed at all.

    * * *

    1542 hours

    For the next hour and a half, Scott and Nicole lay awake in bed. It brought back so many fond memories, her being there beside him. It brought back so much normality. The touch of her skin, the fullness of her hair. They were part of his senses just as much as they were part of her body. He still could hardly believe she was there.
    “ What are you thinking about?” she asked.
    “ You.” The truth was broader. He was thinking about them. He was thinking about marriage. He was thinking about Novosibirsk . Somehow, all three of those would have to fit together. They would have to harmonize. He just didn’t know how.
    “ Just me?”
    His hand got lost in her curls. “Maybe a little bit more.”
    She nestled in at his side, turning her dark blue eyes to watch him. “Like what?”
    It was an easy question to pose. It was an impossible one to answer. To even ask, ‘How are we going to make this work?’ would be to indicate doubt. It opened the door to the possibility that there was no answer. That was unacceptable. “Just thinking about what we need to do.”
    “ What do we need to do?” she asked. Her gaze trailed to his lips, then it returned to him.
    “ I don’t know.” It was a truthful answer. He regretted not having something else to say. “I’ll put in for a transfer.”
    “ When?”
    “ Just before the wedding.”
    Her fingertips traced the edge of his neckline. “When will that be?”
    When would that be? It was the same question he’d asked himself every night for months. “There’s so much to think about.”
    Her gaze settled down, and her head rested in the crevice of his shoulder.
    There was much to think about. She had school left. He was already in the middle of his career; her future stared her dead in the face. How could their paths co-exist?
    “ Let’s elope,” she said.
    Scott’s mind stopped. He tilted his head to read her. “What?”
    “ I’ve been thinking about it…for a while now, but especially since Nathan said that today. His wife moved here so they could be together.”
    He propped himself up on his elbow. Was she serious? “Baby, what about school?”
    “ I’ll transfer,” she answered. “I’m sure there must be a university with nursing courses here. I’ll transfer my credits and enroll.”
    “ Sweetie,” he tried not to laugh, “it’s not like moving to another neighborhood. This is the middle of Russia. This is nowhere.”
    “ I know,” she answered, “but God called you here, and He called us together. I’m ready to make this work.”
    She was crazy. Was she crazy? “When are you talking about doing this?”
    “ Now.” She nuzzled against him. “Before I go home. This next week.” Her fingers danced over his chin.
    “ But this is Russia , baby. You can’t even speak Russian.” It went even beyond that. Nursing school was hard enough in her native language. Though she never admitted it, he knew