On top meaning he got to fly super-secret planes at super-secret bases all around the world.
Trouper turned around at Kansas’s bellow.
“Don’t be a pussy! Give it all she’s got!” Kansas ordered through a yell.
Troup gave him a thumb up and then started to climb into the cockpit.
When he was situated, and everything was in place, the plane powered up.
“Damn, that gives me a boner,” Kansas breathed.
“Boner!”
Hiro, my quickly picking up all kinds of bad words son, slapped me against the neck.
Hiro was in a carrier on my back so I didn’t accidentally lose him like I did the first time I was out here watching his father.
“You want me to hold him for a bit?” Kansas asked.
“Not yet,” I said. “He’s good for now.”
He looked at Hiro, then down at my belly.
“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes.
I grinned. “How’s Traci feeling?”
Traci and Kansas had just found out that they were having a baby two months ago. And in those two months Traci had realized just how awful morning sickness was.
“She’s ready to be through this morning sickness phase,” he grumbled. “Cannel was over there when I left. But Traci was in the bathroom puking.”
Cannel had left Toot.
She still loved him, but she hadn’t been able to stand him.
Which sucked for her because she was between a rock and a hard place.
Toot had been reassigned to a different base out of the country, and I had a feeling that Lynn had a lot to do with that.
“There he goes.”
Heart in my throat, I stared as Trouper hurtled the plane down the runway.
Seconds later, it was in the air, and taking off so fast that I felt the blowback.
“Fuck, that’s hot,” Kansas sighed. “I hope they get that out before I’m too old to fly it.”
I snorted. “I think they said they still had at least another year of testing on it before it went anywhere. Didn’t you say that you were getting out soon?”
Kansas sighed. “Traci’s tired of being stationed around the country,” he grumbled. “She wants to put down roots.”
I didn’t blame him.
“Shit, sorry we’re late.”
I looked over to see Trick, Hunt, Sin, Laric, Bruno, Zach, and Lynn sidle up to the gate.
“He buzzed us on our way in, though. I swear to Christ. I almost shit myself,” Zach groaned. “Swear to God, I saw him laughing.”
“Sure you did.” I rolled my eyes.
Zach, having been the closest to me, reached up and took Hiro from my back, tucking him in close to his chest.
“Hey, Hiro,” Zach said as he tickled my boy lightly.
“Hey, Zach.” Hiro smiled.
God, that smile was exactly like his father’s.
One that his father was wearing when he walked toward me a couple of hours later.
“How was it?” I asked, grinning wide, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
Trouper swept me up into his arms, the belly not stopping him from picking me straight up off the ground.
“Amazing,” he breathed as he looked down into my eyes. “Thank you.”
I frowned. “For what?”
“For illegally signing my name and making me do this,” he winked. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was back in it again.”
I placed my hands on either side of his cheeks. “I know you better than you know yourself, Trouper Aoki.”
His eyes glittered. “I’m okay with that, Beckham Aoki.”
• • •