{"id":15572,"date":"2025-09-29T21:28:48","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T21:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=15572"},"modified":"2025-09-29T21:28:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T21:28:48","slug":"15572","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=15572","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

I met his eyes steadily. \u201cNo, Derek. I prayed you wouldn\u2019t. But I prepared in case you did. That\u2019s what soldiers do. We hope for peace. But we prepare for wa:r.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night, I tucked Maddox and Brinn into beds in our new, smaller home \u2013 ours alone. Maddox had joined JROTC, inspired by my service. Brinn wrote an essay titled \u2018My Mom, My Hero.\u2019<\/p>\n

As I turned out her light, she asked softly, \u201cMom, were you scared? When Dad sent that text?\u201d<\/p>\n

I kissed her forehead. \u201cNo, baby. Because I knew something he didn\u2019t. Soldiers don\u2019t just fight battles overseas. Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones we fight at home. And I\u2019ve been trained to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I met his eyes steadily. \u201cNo, Derek. I prayed you wouldn\u2019t. But I prepared in case you did. That\u2019s what soldiers do. We hope for peace. But we prepare for wa:r.\u201d That night, I tucked Maddox and Brinn into beds in our new, smaller home \u2013 ours alone. Maddox had joined JROTC, inspired by my…<\/p>\n

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