Middle-aged teacher David Grover is traveling home from a conference, but fatigue and bad weather force him to stop at a motel for the night. Unfortunately, the Marine ahead of him at the counter snags the last available room. But despair soon turns to elation when the studly Master Sergeant Bud Williams offers to share. Sharing a room also means sharing a bed, and their one night together turns into much more. Only later does David discover Bud is keeping secrets from him. Once these secrets come to light, their regular weekend trysts end, and David finds it hard to move on. Then David learns Bud volunteered for a tour in Iraq, only to be returned stateside after suffering extensive injuries caused by a roadside bomb. Forgiveness and healing doesn't come easily, but just as things start looking up, Bud's past threatens to pull them apart again. Both men face painful decisions if they hope to find a life together. It's a rough road to happiness -- as much as the rest of the world struggles to keep them apart, all Bud and David can do is battle to get back together since neither is complete without the other.

Rough Road to Happiness

“May I come to visit with you? It is very important.”


“You’ll be alone? I don’t want to see Bud.”


Again the mental picture of the beautiful big strong man who had taken him to heights of passion, lying broken, floated into David’s mind. “Okay. If you think it’s really necessary.”


“Thank you, Mr. Grover. I appreciate your willingness to do this.”


The navy Corpsman had said he was off duty at the weekend, so David told him to visit then. David had to wonder how close the nurse and Bud had become, as well as where he fit into the equation. He found, much to his relief, that he hadn’t spent the time between the Corpsman’s phone call and arrival worrying about it. This he hoped was a good indicator of how far his recovery had progressed.


Chapter 20