Some Things Can’t Stay Buried: A Small-Town Military Romance That Breaks and Heals

Because sometimes the words that matter most are the ones you never said

What I Should Have Said by R.L. Atkinson is the kind of romance that sneaks up on you, slowly unspooling the ache of unspoken truths, second chances, and the type of love that lingers even after goodbye. Set in a small town brimming with memories, military service, and past regrets, this instalment in the Anchors and Eagles series carves out a space for characters who are just trying to make peace—with the world, with each other, and most of all, with themselves.

In today’s romance landscape, where emotional intelligence is becoming just as valued as steam, this book hits that sweet spot. It’s tender, it’s restrained, and it’s painfully honest in the way only small-town military romance can be.

Returning home doesn’t always mean finding peace.

The story centres on two former lovers—one a hardened military man back from duty, the other a woman rooted in the quiet, familiar rhythms of their hometown. Years ago, they let their feelings slip through the cracks of fear, pride, and unspoken words. Now, fate—or perhaps just a twist of timing—has thrown them back into each other’s orbit.

The pull between them is immediate, but so is the tension. Because what’s unsaid still hangs in the air. What they should have said—back then, in the moments that mattered—is now threatening to drown them in what might have been.

Atkinson’s writing is laced with longing. Every chapter carries the weight of years spent apart, of memories neither of them can fully shake. This isn’t a story about falling in love—it’s about realizing it never stopped.

Built on silences, regret, and stubborn love

Tropes That Hit the Heart:

• Second-chance romance — a love that didn’t fade, just festered.
• Small town setting — where everyone knows your past… and your heartbreak.
• Military hero — carrying more emotional scars than physical ones.
• Unspoken feelings — the words they didn’t say still shape who they’ve become.

Emotional Threads That Run Deep:

• Healing after emotional distance — this isn’t about betrayal, but timing. And timing hurts.
• Learning to speak the truth — sometimes the bravest thing is just saying what’s been stuck in your throat for years.
• Guilt and forgiveness — not just for what they did to each other, but for what they didn’t do at all.
• The cost of service — not just to the person who wore the uniform, but to the people waiting at home.

R.L. Atkinson never rushes the romance. She lets the silences breathe, enables the resentment to burn, and only then offers the possibility of something new. What makes this book so good is its honesty—love doesn’t erase the past, but it can learn to hold it without letting it destroy what’s still possible.

Who needs to read What I Should Have Said

This book is a soul balm for:

• Readers who love slow-burn military romance with real emotional stakes
• Women who’ve ever wondered what could have been if they’d spoken up first
• Fans of second-chance love stories where reconnection feels both necessary and impossible
• Anyone who finds themselves aching for romance that feels earned, not gifted

If you’ve read the previous Anchors and Eagles book, you’ll love the continuity of tone and emotional depth. But even if you’re diving in for the first time, this story stands on its own, delivering quiet devastation and quiet hope in equal measure.

Final thoughts: Sometimes love waits—but it doesn’t wait forever

What I Should Have Said isn’t loud. It won’t sweep you off your feet with grand gestures. But it will wreck you in the best way—with its stillness, its sorrow, and the profound beauty of people trying—really trying—to get it right this time.

This is a story about missed chances. But more than that, it’s about taking the next one, even when it feels like it might be too late.

So, if you’ve ever looked back and whispered, “What if?”—this book is your answer.

Read it. Feel it. Say what you need to say—before, it’s just another chapter you never finished.