voice dropped.
“Walker’s missing it. His sense of imminent death kicks in like one percent later than everyone else, so he’ll go for it. Hot LZ or not, man, he’s in it to get those guys out. It makes him pretty much the most badass pilot we’ve got here.”
I shoved his head out of my way. “Out. Now.”
“See ya, Ember!” Rizzo called. “Walker, we’ll start without you?”
I nodded and surveyed the damage once Rizzo shut my door behind him. Ember sat crisscross on our bed, her chin held between her hands as she braced her elbows on her bare knees. The smile had vanished from her face, leaving blinking, wide eyes.
“One percent, huh?” she asked, trying to force a smile, which was all the sadder for the attempt. “You might need to tell me where another Kiss is.”
“December.” I breathed her name like it could soothe her soul as it did mine. “It’s not as badass as he makes it sound.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes anywhere but on the screen. “I get it. I do.”
“I’m perfectly safe,” I lied. He was right. I pushed the envelope to where it needed to be, or rather where I felt it needed to be. “I never do anything that I think might get me, or the crew, killed.” That part was true. I was well aware that it wasn’t only me in that aircraft, that I was responsible for more than just the lives on the ground.
She transformed before my eyes, sucking in a breath and sitting straighter, tucking away the fear into a place that I prayed she wouldn’t really examine until she was physically in my arms again.
Seven more months.
“So, I still can’t seem to get the office to fix the disposal,” she said in a smooth, let’s-change-the-subject move.
“What did you stick down it this time?” My memory flashed to the time she set a West Point shirt on fire in the kitchen sink.
“I may have accidentally not seen a fondue stick in there when I started it last week.”
Her face was too damn cute, and I burst into laughter. “Of course you did. Was it at least good?”
She nodded. “Paisley wanted it, so of course I hooked her up. She’s all southern and sweet, but man, there’s a little dragon underneath there, too.”
Ember had climbed up to get the fondue pot she had to have. Maybe it was small, but she’d asked me not to put it where she couldn’t reach, and I’d done it anyway. I’d made this just a tiny bit harder on her, figuring that I’d be there if she ever needed to get it down. But she’d done it without me.
Everything was stationary here, like our life was on pause, but back there, hers was still turning.
“Call Will,” I said, clearing my throat and my asinine thoughts. Like a stupid fondue pot meant anything in the scheme of things.
“I don’t want to bug him. He’s getting ready to leave.”
“Yeah, well, tell him that I said to get his ass over there and fix it. You’re still feeding him every Sunday?” My heart sank a millimeter at the thought that Will was having dinner with Ember and Paisley, and while I was immeasurably thankful that he was there, helping, checking on the girls, fixing stuff they broke…well, I kind of hated him a tiny bit for it, too.
“Sunday night family dinners.” She gave a sad smile. “Just sans most of the family.”
God, I wanted to hold her, to climb through the screen for just long enough to brush my fingers along her cheek. “Soon, babe.”
“You on tonight?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m coming on shift in about ten minutes. I’m serious, you need to send in that application. It’s only for a couple months, and I’ll be home right around the time you are. Win-win.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. Meanwhile, I’ll think about what you look like under that tank top.”
Her laughter bolstered my soul like nothing else could. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You know it.” I stood in my ten-by-ten room, careful not to bash my head on the lofted bed I’d
“Walker’s missing it. His sense of imminent death kicks in like one percent later than everyone else, so he’ll go for it. Hot LZ or not, man, he’s in it to get those guys out. It makes him pretty much the most badass pilot we’ve got here.”
I shoved his head out of my way. “Out. Now.”
“See ya, Ember!” Rizzo called. “Walker, we’ll start without you?”
I nodded and surveyed the damage once Rizzo shut my door behind him. Ember sat crisscross on our bed, her chin held between her hands as she braced her elbows on her bare knees. The smile had vanished from her face, leaving blinking, wide eyes.
“One percent, huh?” she asked, trying to force a smile, which was all the sadder for the attempt. “You might need to tell me where another Kiss is.”
“December.” I breathed her name like it could soothe her soul as it did mine. “It’s not as badass as he makes it sound.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes anywhere but on the screen. “I get it. I do.”
“I’m perfectly safe,” I lied. He was right. I pushed the envelope to where it needed to be, or rather where I felt it needed to be. “I never do anything that I think might get me, or the crew, killed.” That part was true. I was well aware that it wasn’t only me in that aircraft, that I was responsible for more than just the lives on the ground.
She transformed before my eyes, sucking in a breath and sitting straighter, tucking away the fear into a place that I prayed she wouldn’t really examine until she was physically in my arms again.
Seven more months.
“So, I still can’t seem to get the office to fix the disposal,” she said in a smooth, let’s-change-the-subject move.
“What did you stick down it this time?” My memory flashed to the time she set a West Point shirt on fire in the kitchen sink.
“I may have accidentally not seen a fondue stick in there when I started it last week.”
Her face was too damn cute, and I burst into laughter. “Of course you did. Was it at least good?”
She nodded. “Paisley wanted it, so of course I hooked her up. She’s all southern and sweet, but man, there’s a little dragon underneath there, too.”
Ember had climbed up to get the fondue pot she had to have. Maybe it was small, but she’d asked me not to put it where she couldn’t reach, and I’d done it anyway. I’d made this just a tiny bit harder on her, figuring that I’d be there if she ever needed to get it down. But she’d done it without me.
Everything was stationary here, like our life was on pause, but back there, hers was still turning.
“Call Will,” I said, clearing my throat and my asinine thoughts. Like a stupid fondue pot meant anything in the scheme of things.
“I don’t want to bug him. He’s getting ready to leave.”
“Yeah, well, tell him that I said to get his ass over there and fix it. You’re still feeding him every Sunday?” My heart sank a millimeter at the thought that Will was having dinner with Ember and Paisley, and while I was immeasurably thankful that he was there, helping, checking on the girls, fixing stuff they broke…well, I kind of hated him a tiny bit for it, too.
“Sunday night family dinners.” She gave a sad smile. “Just sans most of the family.”
God, I wanted to hold her, to climb through the screen for just long enough to brush my fingers along her cheek. “Soon, babe.”
“You on tonight?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m coming on shift in about ten minutes. I’m serious, you need to send in that application. It’s only for a couple months, and I’ll be home right around the time you are. Win-win.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. Meanwhile, I’ll think about what you look like under that tank top.”
Her laughter bolstered my soul like nothing else could. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You know it.” I stood in my ten-by-ten room, careful not to bash my head on the lofted bed I’d
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