As he approached the door with his key card in hand, it slid open. Parker stood at the entrance to greet him. She no longer wore the uniform of a marine. She was dressed as a private contractor in military style but non-unit specific gear fatigues. She looked curious for a moment at the bruising on his face. “Should I ask?” “Probably not,” he took her in a firm embrace and lifted her off her feet as he carried on through the doorway. “So how’s life treating you in the private sector?” “Can’t complain about the pay. Few more years of this, and we can live wherever we please.” He seemed surprised. “You think I should follow after you? I thought you loved the Corps?” “But I love you more, and if I can’t have both, then you know what I’ll choose.” He sat down wearily on the sofa, and she sympathetically grabbed a beer for him. “Come on, let’s not make it about this again. You know I’d have stayed if there was any way.” Taylor knew it to be true. Since the war was over, there was little chance of them getting away with their relationship any longer with the way things stood.
