Henry held Fiona close as she slept. They had to talk, which meant he had to wake her soon, but he wanted to hold her just a few moments more. Henry had always heard people tell him that love would find you when you least expected it, and that was what had happened. When he had left the ranch in Texas the previous year, Henry knew he loved Fiona, but he also knew that she was choosing a direction for herself for the first time in her life.

He didn't want to be the one that kept her from following her dreams. He also didn't want to give her up, so he had made sure to talk to her daily when it was possible. There was a moment this evening, when he had seen Fiona for the first time after a year, that he realized time and distance were not going to weaken her hold on his heart, and he prayed that it was the same for her.

Henry must have squeezed her a little too tightly as he thought about it because her eyes drifted open.

"Henry?" she asked, confused before a smile of such sweetness crossed her face. "You're still here." She stretched, and he watched her beautiful body as it moved. "I thought you had to leave."

"I do in about an hour, but we still need to talk." Henry tucked some hair behind her ear as she snuggled into him. It was bliss.

"Hmmm, thank you for sneaking in my window. It was so romantic." Fiona sighed.

"It was a fiasco!" Henry laughed. "There is something about you, beautiful Fiona, that makes me want to do foolish things to impress you."

"Really?" Fiona smiled shyly.

"Really."

Henry watched Fiona sit up and hug her knees to her chest as she turned to look at him. "Do you think Finry will ever happen?" She bit her lip.

"I think it is happening, just at our own pace. You have your goals and dreams to see through, and I want that for you. I have to serve three more years, but we can see each other as much as we can until I'm done with my service." Henry pushed himself up against the headboard of the bed.

"Three more years!" Fiona sighed. "What if I followed you and moved to California?" she asked.

Henry felt his chest swell at the words. It meant she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.

"You know what your family has taught me over the years?" Henry reached for her hand and took it in his. "The world can be a very small place. I would love for you to follow me after you've done what you need to do and finish your degree, but not until then." He gave her hand a little shake.

"But they have good schools in California. I can finish my degree there," Fiona insisted as her jaw took on a determined slant.

"This is the school you have chosen. This is the first time you are doing something for yourself, and you need to see it through. Plus, I can tell being here has changed you. It's given you more self-confidence and made you smile more."

"Loving you has done that, Henry," Fiona whispered.

Henry leaned forward and kissed her hard. "Thank you for loving me. I'm sure I do not deserve it."

"You're not that little boy up in the tree anymore. You're a strong kind man, who takes care of the underdog, even if they don't deserve it like that Dixie woman!" Fiona exclaimed as she snuggled back up to him.

"How do you now I haven't been leading her on and having my wicked way with her?" Henry mused as he kissed Fiona's temple.

Her response was to snort at the improbability of his statement.

"Dixie is the sister of a teammate that we lost this past year." Henry paused for a minute to gather control of his feelings. The pain from the loss of his teammate was still sharp. "I met her at the funeral and she just sort of latched on to me. At first, it was just the occasional email and text, but then it changed to her showing up wherever I was to talk." Henry shrugged. He honestly didn't know how it had gotten out of control.

Fiona shook her head. "You have no idea how great you are, do you?"

Henry shrugged. "I'm just a regular guy." A small part of him would always see himself as that small boy that no one wanted.

"How are you going to get rid of her?" Fiona asked with a frown.

"We're being deployed shortly. I won't be able to have contact with anyone stateside very easily. I'm hoping Dixie will lose interest." Henry was tired of the conversation, and he had to leave soon.

"When are they sending you away?" Fiona's voice broke a little. "Will it be dangerous?"

"I can't say. We're training here for a while. Then we will leave for at least six months or more, and yes, it will be dangerous." Henry gathered her close and flipped her so she was on her back.

"But you'll be around here for a while?" she confirmed.

"I will be, and I will do my best to see you whenever possible," Henry promised as he traced her cheek. "And I will do my best to share more with you. There is a lot I cannot share because of my job, but I will share what I can."

Fiona nodded, her big blue eyes wide as they looked into his. "So Finry is happening?"

"Finry is happening. Are we telling the family?" Henry asked.

"Not quite yet, but we will soon," Fiona promised.

Henry nodded. "I'm going to tell Lee and Kate, if that's all right with you? If something happens to me, they can get word to you."

He could feel Fiona's heart rate speed up at the words, but she nodded her agreement.

"They're coming out to visit me soon, and I would like you to meet them again when they come."

Fiona nodded again, her blue eyes still wide.

"I heard a rumor that Kellan and Charlie are coming back this quarter to teach a few classes. Will you see them while they are here?" she asked.

Henry smiled. "Probably. Although, I see them pretty regularly in California."

Fiona nodded deep in thought. Henry could tell she was already worried about meeting them again.

"Fiona?" Henry asked as he kissed her cheek. "I have to go soon. Can we table the conversation, for now, love?" he asked.

Fiona's breath caught at the word love, and her entire body flushed with delight.

It was an hour later when Henry snuck back toward the window, and Fiona laughed at him.

"Henry, just use the back door!" she insisted with a shake of her head.

Henry grinned. "I'm going to master this window, and part of me feels that if I snuck in, I should sneak out."

"I hate to break it to you, but there was no sneaking involved. It was a neighborhood affair." Fiona giggled as she tightened the belt on her robe, and the sound made it all worth it for Henry.

He threw open the window and saw an older man standing outside the house next door, watering the rose bushes.

"You the Navy man?" he asked without surprise.

"I am. Are you Floyd?" Henry asked as he swung his leg over the window ledge.

"Yep. Mamma!" Mr. Hallaway called. "Henry's leaving."

Fiona was rolling on the bed laughing.

Mrs. Hallaway appeared at the window. "Hold on, young man, I made you some muffins!"

Fiona walked toward the window and greeted Mr. Hallaway.

Bebe's window opened, and Lenora's head popped out. "Muffins?" she asked.

"I thought you were going to sleep across the hall!" Fiona hissed.

"I tried, but Bebe was snoring hogging the bed. Don't worry though," Lenora reached behind her and pulled out some noise-canceling headphones. "I wore these. I bought them when Bebe was dating Jimmy." Lenora shuddered at the memory.

"You had those with Jimmy, and you didn't share the idea?"

"Sorry," Lenora shrugged while her eyes zeroed in on the plate that Mrs. Hallaway was handing over to Henry as he finished climbing out the window.

"What do you have against doors, young man?" Mr. Hallaway asked. "You're making me look bad in front of my girl."

"Sorry, Floyd. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." Henry shook his hand with a grin, and Mr. Hallaway returned his grin as Mrs. Hallaway sighed.

"Hey Henry, how about a muffin?" Lenora asked.

"Those are for Henry, young lady!" Mrs. Hallaway chastised.

Henry leaned in to give Fiona a long kiss goodbye. "At least I know you're not alone," he whispered.

"Never that!" Fiona agreed with a smile as Henry snuck her a few muffins on the down-low.

"I love you, Henry. Be careful," Fiona pleaded.

"I love you too, and I will be extra careful now that I have you to come home to." He gave her another quick kiss then saluted the Hallways before he disappeared around the house.

Fiona nodded at the Hallaway's herself, then closed her window and blinds. It took only a second before Lenora was in her room hugging her.

Fiona handed her the muffins that Henry had snuck her.

"He's a keeper!" Leonora assured her as she led Fiona out of the room and toward the kitchen.

"I hope I get to keep him." Fiona sniffed.

"The way he looked at you, you couldn't get rid of him if you tried." She squeezed Fiona then started talking a mile a minute to distract her.

Henry was right, she wasn't alone, and it made a nice change.