“It does,” he murmured, smiling tentatively. “I’m gonna drive you insane.”
I exhaled a laugh. “You already do, baby.”
His grin reached his eyes there. “All right…let’s consider ourselves off the market, then.”
Let’s.
It was fruitless to rein in the smiling. God help me, but I was with Colt.
“Anythin’ else I can do for you, darlin’?” he drawled.
I inclined my head. “You can come home to me, Captain.”
“Workin’ on it. I promise.”Epilogue 1Nine months.
Two hundred and seventy-seven days, if one wanted to be accurate.
Two thousand days if one went by how long it’d felt like.
Colt’s squadron was coming home to Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina today, and the state was giving them a warm welcome for it being early March. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and we were all waiting for a roar of a greeting from our pilots.
I’d driven down with Colt’s parents yesterday, and his father, James, had told me what to expect today. It hadn’t been on my mind when I’d talked to Colt; that conversation had been all about the fact that he was coming home. That said, James had impressed me with the details of today.
The Air Force came home in style when an entire squadron was returning. Cargo planes with non-flying airmen, missile crews, engineers, intelligence, and others would be escorted by the fighter unit. There were other types of planes that James had mentioned, I wanted to recall something like…tanker? I wasn’t sure. Either way, it was a massive homecoming, and you could tell. The base had gone all out with flags, balloons, live music, and banners.
Families had been here all day. Inside of a huge hangar, there’d been three hot dog stands and a bunch of picnic tables. Each hot dog stand had carried a sign displaying the name of the veterans charity their proceeds went to.
It was overwhelming. And it was quickly dawning on me how tight-knit the military community was. It was a lifestyle. There was no other way to describe it. It was a lifestyle, and there was something for everyone. Support groups, social functions, classes… If you were a service member or if you knew someone who was, there was a place for you.
As the squadron’s arrival approached, most people moved out of the big hangar to wait in the sun. The band kept playing, children were running around, and the energy was buzzing.
We couldn’t see the runway from here, but we’d see the planes fly in. Then they’d taxi in on the vast concrete taxiway in front of us. Maintenance crews had already walked out to the parking ramp where the pilots would pull in under a roof.
“Mia’s late,” James noted.
Mary patted his arm. “She’ll be here.”
“I know. I’m just pointin’ out that she’s late.”
I slid on my Ray-Bans and kept my smirk to myself. If there was one thing I’d learned lately, it was that the Carters were all the same. Mary was the exception. She was the glue. But James, Colt, and Mia were all hell-raisers.
When we arrived down here yesterday, I’d met his sister for the first time. We’d gone out to dinner, and it’d been enough to discover she was basically a shorter, female version of Colt. Cheeky, sharp, lovely, and cocky. A force to be reckoned with.
A ball of nerves dropped into my gut as I checked my watch. They would be here any minute.
Fuck, I couldn’t wait to see him again.
“I’m here! I’m here, I’m here.” Mia ran over to us, carrying two cowboy hats. “I had to flirt with the guy checkin’ my pass first.”
I grinned.
James rolled his eyes.
“I’m glad you’ve got your priorities in order, sugar,” Mary said.
I truly adored this family.
It was probably weird that I’d spent more time with Colt’s parents than him, though it’d happened effortlessly. The Carters were kind people, and family was number one. After my initial meeting with Mary, they’d invited me down for dinner in Norfolk once a month.
They’d even met my own parents.
My father didn’t quite understand my relationship with Colt yet, given how little we’d seen each other, but he would. I had no doubt.
“I spy with my little eye…” Mia squinted at the sky, and I was quick to follow her gaze. Holy hell, finally.
“Why can’t I hear them?” I asked. The music wasn’t that loud.
“Oh, bless.” Mia came over to me and had to stand on her toes to pat me on the head. “You haven’t been around fighters much. You see them before you hear them.”
“Pat me on the head one more time, I dare you.”
She narrowed her eyes at me.
I stared right back. It was eat or be eaten in the Carter family. If you didn’t stand your ground, you would forever be the butt of every joke. A pro tip from Mary.
James snorted in amusement. “He’ll fit right in.”