Chapter 2

AJ stood there with Mac's hand caressing his cheek shocked down to his toes at her confession. She loved him? He didn't know what to do or say especially when it had dawned on him that she didn't recognize him when she had started her confession. She had confessed her love for him, AJ, thinking him a complete stranger!

His free hand reached up and lightly touched his mustache, longer hair, and baseball cap. His summer changes must be the reason she didn't know him, but what about his voice? Surely after all the time they had worked together she would recognize his voice. Then he remembered Francesca teasing him about picking up a bit of her Italian accent. She had claimed, with a giggle, that it sounded very strange mixed with his Texas drawl.

What should he do? Should he whip off his hat and tell her it was him? Or should he go home, shower, get a hair cut, and put the ball cap away, then go after her and confess he'd had the same feelings for her all these years?

Before he could make his decision Sarah, for that is how he had always thought of her in his private thoughts, looked up at him and spoke, "I know this is going to sound very odd, but many years ago the man you remind me of almost kissed me and I always regretted that he stopped…" she trailed off almost as if she were embarrassed to go on.

He took pity on her and finished her thought, "You want me to kiss you?" he questioned.

She sighed and started to back away, but he held her hand firmly against his cheek not letting her go. She smiled sadly and with her thumb she brushed his mustache, "It wouldn't really be the same, he didn't have a mustache."

"But you haven't seen him in a long time, or so you said."

"So you're suggesting that I pretend that he has grown one in the last few months?"

"Would it hurt so much to pretend?"

"I would be taking advantage of you."

"Not if you had my consent."

"You'd really let me kiss you knowing that I was pretending you were him?"

As AJ bent his head to kiss Sarah, he was almost paralyzed with fear. A man who had been in combat and faced death more times than he could count was afraid now that he was about to kiss the woman he loved for the very first time. How could he possibly put all that he felt for her into just this one kiss! He needed it to express all of the love he had for her, but here he was about to kiss her under false pretences. He was about to kiss Sarah with her thinking he was just some random stranger that had tried to pick her up in Wal-mart.

To be continued…