Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“Did you?” I sat up straighter, feeling slightly better now.
“When we got engaged,” Colt replied with a nod. “The only difference now is we’ll do it a little bit before we put a ring on your finger.”
My lips parted before I quickly shut them and slapped a hand over my mouth.
He rumbled a laugh. “Finally, a not-so-subtle hint you pick up on.”
Oh my God!
Lucas leaned over our armrests and kissed my cheek. “How does that sound? Think you can be patient with us a little while longer now?”
I nodded and sniffled and blinked back silly tears.
“Love you, little darlin’.” Colt smiled.
“Love you,” I whimpered. “More than all the sprinkles.”
They both laughed this time, and I was the luckiest boy in the whole world.
Epilogue
A few months later
I’d thought meeting Lucas’s and Colt’s parents was going to be my most nerve-racking experience, but two things had proven me wrong. Firstly, aside from Lucas’s parents being slightly more formal, both their families had accepted me. Apparently, according to Colt’s mother, they’d long since known “the boys” were into some “alternative stuff.”
I liked Colt’s mother and sister the most, and they’d put me at ease very quickly and spent a weekend with us at home last month.
It’d been so fun seeing Colt and Lucas with one of their nieces.
Secondly, seeing Colt fly. That was the most nerve-racking experience, which I’d just decided.
“He’s coming back around.” Lucas pointed toward the sky, near the horizon, and I all but held my breath.
Colt had been staying at Langley for the past week, and today, Lucas and I had come down to visit him. I’d been excited and nervous all day, and now I knew why. He flew so fucking fast! And he’d been right the time he’d said he was an aggressive pilot. He was bold and took risks.
I stared with wide eyes as he did a maneuver to get away from the squadron of six fighters chasing him. He shot straight up and made a loop, only to hightail it out of there and disappear from our viewing point.
Lucas and I, along with a few dozen other people—mostly military personnel, but also some family—stood near the taxiway where the planes eventually parked. From here, I could see two gorgeous Raptors, each one with a maintenance crew hard at work. There was also an open hangar with a Super Hercules parked inside.
I was in heaven!
“There he is again!” I almost bounced where I was standing. It was so difficult to contain my excitement.
Somehow, Colt had broken up the squadron, and he was chasing one of the other F-16 jets, with the other five following.
“That would’ve been a suicidal move in real life,” I said matter-of-factly. My guess was, having researched these training missions a little, Colt had probably been given the order to see how quickly he could disband the formation or something like that. And he’d succeeded. However, in a serious situation, Daddy would’ve been dead. “Any of the other five would’ve just locked on target and fired. Maybe a sidewinder. They are awesome.”
“They are kind of awesome,” a man said behind me.
I turned around and smiled politely. It was obviously a pilot standing there, younger than Colt by perhaps ten years.
He smiled back and extended his hand. “You gotta be Kit.”
Oh, he knew Colt? I shook his hand. “That’s right.”
At the same time, Lucas turned around too, and it became clear immediately that he knew the man.
“Ev, why— I mean, it’s so good to see you. I thought you were stationed in Japan.” Lucas brought the guy, Ev, in for a hug.
“Good to see you too, Sir. I came back yesterday.” Ev smiled widely. “I had dinner with Top in the cafeteria last night, and I swear he spent the whole meal talking about you two.”
I remembered Colt’s call sign was Top.
Lucas chuckled and squeezed Ev’s shoulder. “I do hope he asked about you too.”
Huh. I grew curious. Lucas didn’t appear too many years older than Ev, yet he acted that way. Or Ev acted younger. There was something there.
“Well, he did tell me he was gonna pull some strings,” Ev admitted, almost shyly. “They want me at Eglin in Florida, and I was kind of hoping for this area.”
“Have mercy on anyone who stands in Colt’s way,” Lucas commented. “Hopefully we can welcome you back to the community soon, then.”
I knew it. He was a kinkster. I could sense it.
Ev smiled and inclined his head, then gestured toward the taxiway. “Enjoy the rest of the training mission. I have a meeting, but I wanted to come say hi.”
“I’m glad you did, dear. Stay in touch, okay?”
“Yes, Sir.” Ev offered a last smile to me and then walked away.
“You’ll like him, sweet boy,” Lucas said, and we faced the other direction again. “He used to fly with Colt in South Carolina, and they were deployed together when we met.” He grinned fondly at something, perhaps a memory. “They’re like brothers, those two.”