Unlikely Lovers

Jeremy woke up in a cold sweat. The dream he'd just had felt so real. Jeremy was about to turn 23 and had just proposed to his girlfriend of 3 years. They'd met at his Pass-in-Review. Caitlyn Sanson was 22, with dark red hair and green eyes. They'd met though the sister of Tyler, a fellow solider in Jeremy's class. The time in boot camp had turned Jeremy from a lanky 6"3' into a buff soldier. Jeremy had enlisted in the Marines to get away from the stigma in his home town. Thanks to his brother's antics, everyone had assumed that he'd be just like him and never amount to anything. Instead, he was now a distinguished solider, making his mother proud. Caitlyn got a paralegal job with Cooper, Neal, and Tate, Tyler's parents' law firm. Her ultimate goal was to become one of their lawyers. Caitlyn grew up in a upper middle-class family and had seen many of the not so lucky. She was only 5"4' on a good day and had curves in all the right places in Jeremy's opinion. In the early days of their relationship, Jeremy had been deployed. Mail day had quickly become a highlight of his week. Like clockwork, Caitlyn had written him at least two letters each week. If there was a holiday, he could expect a care package full of baked goods. She had a knack for making the best cookies. Either that or the grossness of the food had everything tasting amazing. His letters to her had been fewer, but she'd still cherished them. When he'd gotten a chance to come back stateside, they'd been inseparable. They'd gotten their first place together about 2 years ago. They'd found a cute little one-bedroom house with an office. Both had poured over DIY magazines and shows until they'd come up with the perfect decor for their home. Even though Jeremy spent most of his time on tour, he always loved coming home. The engagement ring he'd presented to her tonight at their favorite Mexican restaurant had been the next step in building their future together. The dream Jeremy had woken up from had a surreal feel to it. He'd been sitting in a classroom with colorful decorations. There was a sign on a whiteboard stating "Bring Dad to Class Day". He'd sat there looking at all of the faces in the room. When a little girl, who looked like a perfect mix between him and Caitlyn, talked about why her daddy wasn't there, it broke his heart. The little girl looked to be no older than 7 years old. Scanning the room, he saw an older version of Caitlyn standing in the back with the other parents. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw an older Tyler peering from the doorway. As he woke up, he swore he could still smell Play-doh and paste. Knowing that the dream could be a gift for him to set things up for Caitlyn and his offspring, Jeremy gave Caitlyn a kiss and got up. He just hoped that she knew how much he loved her.