The Army Doctor's Baby (Romance Novella) by Helen Scott Taylor Page B

flooded back in Olivia's eyes at Sandra's heartfelt words. She had been planning to move out after Christmas, had already started looking for an apartment. Since her mother died, she had been alone. Her father occasionally contacted her, but she was lucky to see him once a year.
    "I'm glad we'll be here with you for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it." And for the first time, she realized she was. This had been a tough year. She had faced challenges she had never dreamed of. Now she had her darling little boy and he was the best thing that had ever happened to her.
    Sandra took Olivia's hand and squeezed it. "I hope Radley marries you and makes sure you stay in the family."
    "If the army ever lets him come home." Olivia stared pensively into the dying fire, all her uncertainties flooding back.
    "At least you've had a taste of what it's like to be an army wife before you take the plunge. You have to love a man very much to put up with always coming in second to his career."
    ***
    While he waited to retrieve his baggage, Radley's finger hovered over the screen of his phone. He longed to send Olivia a text saying, "Back in the UK!" With a sigh, he resisted, and dropped the device back in his pocket. It was unfair to raise her hopes that he would be home for Christmas when he wasn't absolutely sure he would be.
    "There you go," his father said, pointing at the luggage carousel at RAF Brize Norton in baggage claim. "That's yours, isn't it?"
    Radley pulled off his bag and his father picked up his own. They headed out through the bustle of arrivals and departures where forces personnel mingled together with a few civilian family members.
    They left the main terminal building and a corporal met them at the door and saluted. "I have your car, sir," he said to Radley's father. He led them to a black limo and stowed their luggage in the trunk.
    Radley climbed in the back of the car beside his father. Nepotism was alive and well in the British army and Radley was thankful for it. Otherwise he'd be on a bus heading for the train station to find his own way to London.
    Once they were under way, Radley pulled off his cap and ran his fingers through his gritty hair. He was looking forward to a luxury hotel room with a soft bed and a shower. His father opened his briefcase and started perusing official documents. Radley sighed and pulled out his phone again to check his e-mails, hoping there might be one from Olivia.
    "Have you told Mum you'll be home for Christmas?" he asked his father.
    "Not yet." The brigadier didn't look up from his work.
    "It's only three days away. She'll be wondering."
    Finally his father raised his gaze. "I'm almost certain we'll both be there, but I don't want to say anything, just in case. There's nothing worse than letting the women down. It's much better to say nothing, then it's a pleasant surprise when we turn up."
    "Or you hope it's pleasant," Radley said.
    His father laughed. "Very true."
    Radley tapped the screen of his phone. He couldn't resist texting something to Olivia. He satisfied himself by sending the same thing he'd sent many times before. "I love you. R." Although after nearly six weeks with little contact, she was probably growing weary of proclamations of love with nothing to back them up.
    He scrolled to his photos and went through the ones he had taken of George and Olivia. He realized now that he'd taken that special time with them for granted. He hadn't expected his spell of playing happy family to end so abruptly. He wanted that life for real, but it sounded as though Cameron had now staked his claim on George. Radley had no idea how things would pan out when he arrived home.
    The colors of the English countryside whizzed past the window as the car sped down the motorway, such a welcome change from the sepia tones of the desert. He dozed for a while and woke as they entered central London. The car dropped them outside a discreet hotel in Whitehall. He quickly showered and changed into