Reading Mack and Lauren's story was very heavy but there were some light moments too. Eddie really hit it with this one. It allows you inside the mind of a war hero, a man that has seen things no one should but has. Mack has left his comfy world of USA to fight for our country. He leaves right after graduation, leaves his high school girlfriend, leaves his hometown. Eddie starts us with the backstory, we get a glimpse of Mack and Lauren together as teens.
Mack gets injured while on duty and comes back to his hometown for the best therapy a soldier can get. What he doesn't know is that the best person to rehab him is the girl he thought he would never see again.
Lauren is busy taking care of her 9 year old son and working when the town goes crazy over the hero coming home. She tries to fight it but just looking into Mack's eyes takes her back to high school. Mack quickly puts it all together and realizes they have a son together. A son he didn't know about and was never told about. He begins trying to make up for lost time.
These two have lots of overcome before they can completely be together. Mack has issues that he would like to ignore when Lauren isn't willing to. She wants him to not hold get help for himself but for their son. I was teary by the point that Mack is acting out and has no memory of it. One situation has him back in his unit dealing with bombs and the tragedy he went through when he lost his men. It scared that crap out of me, I wanted to hug him, make it all better. I think Eddie had it right though, tough love from Lauren is what Mack needed to see what was happening in his life and to not really overcome it because I don't think you ever do, but to face it and to have support from your family.
This was a really good start and I look forward to reading more from Eddie.
I lost my men. I lost my leg. I lost my career. And all I could think of was Lauren.
I left for West Point with two things: a broken heart and a promise to never let it happen again.
Now I'm back in Colorado as a war hero. F*ck that, I'm a celebrity.
And every woman wants to open her legs for Captain America.
So why do I only want her?
***
Even with one leg, Mack Forrester hasn't lost his swagger.
It's been a decade since he left. But under his tattoos, I still see the guy who broke my heart when he chose his country instead of me.
I told myself I was over it.
Over him.
One glimpse in his crystal blue eyes and I knew it was a lie.
Now he wants me back, but ten years is a long time. There's so much he doesn't know.
Like, that I had his child.