I held my newborn when my uncle saw the marks on my neck—then removed his hearing aids, and my husband realized too late who he was really dealing with.

men often read fear in others as foolishness.

“Dad?” he said with a grin. “What’s wrong with you?”

His father wiped his mouth with a shaking hand.

“Ray Mercer,” he whispered.

Uncle Ray didn’t move.

Derek frowned. “You know this old man?”

His father pressed himself against the wall. “Anyone who survived Khe Sanh knew Mercer.”

I had only ever heard pieces of continue reading …