The Captive's Return (Wingmen Warriors 10)

"Of course not. That's our secret." She puffed a big teasing bubble toward his face. "What a wonderful coincidence for Darcy and her husband that they're both working here at the same time and sharing a room, as well."

The "practicality" of the sleeping arrangements had brought matching big, goofy-ass grins from both Max and Darcy Keagan. The squadron would probably be celebrating another baby shower in about nine months. Someone had actually hinted at having a belated shower for Lucia after she'd called him papa.

He would have to make formal announcements soon. Although the way the gossip mill churned in a squadron, he suspected everyone would know before they touched down. "Max Keagan was already here and when the rest shook down for our crews to fly..."

"You put her on the roster so she could see her husband, you softie."

He leaned by the window, staring out into the stark patch of lawn illuminated by security lights, no manicured gardens here. Just utilitarian grass and a few scraggly rose bushes along the wall. "If my flyers are happy at home, they're stronger at work."

"Admit it. You are a softie inside."

"I'll show you soft, lady." He winked, enjoying the lightness she brought to his life even when they couldn't pursue anything beyond flirting.

He pitched a handful of seeds out the window even though the birds wouldn't feed en masse until morning. They'd all be there in the morning when he woke up, though, thanks to Sara. "My squadron's going to think I've lost it."

"Maybe you don't lose it near enough."

"Like never?"

"You said it, not me."

He tossed another handful without commenting. What could he answer after all? She was right again.

"I've always loved bubbles. At first I enjoyed the way they glistened like clear diamonds back when I had all these airy dreams of a glamorous life." She dipped the straw in the soapy solution. "Then I envied them their ability to float away."

She whispered a tiny trail out the window.

Realization spiraled through his brain much like those soapsuds scattering to the sky. "You blew bubbles at Chavez's?"

"All the time." She kept her face toward the window as if only half with him. "I told him they were for the children, but they were really for me. So I could leave."

The image of the whimsical woman with an indomitable spirit subdued—caged—stabbed through him, hard, unrelenting, until it burned behind his eyes with tears he could never let himself shed but felt all the same.

He understood the depth of her helplessness. He knew firsthand how tough it could be for a strong will to be vulnerable. "When I was a teenager, I used to sit on the fire escape outside our apartment. I fed the birds then watched them glide away."

Her head cocked to the side, hair hanging until it just missed dipping into the bowl. "Our glider date."

"What?"

"You said the birds glided away, which made me think of our glider date when you told me that was the first craft you flew. You fly like your birds."

He'd forgotten how insightful she could be. "I guess I do."

"To leave the rest behind like I did at Ramon's."

Maybe more insightful than he liked. He crumpled the empty bag. "You're reading too much into what I said."

"Am I?" She set aside the bowl and joined him by the window. "Who came out there with you?"

"Sara—"

"You sat there alone to be safe in your neighborhood?"

"Ditch the sympathy." He lobbed the wadded bag into the trash. "I would have been antisocial in a big family in middle-class suburbs. That's the way I'm wired."

"Of course," she said to pacify him, no doubt. She leaned her head against the window frame, staring outside and inhaling.

He sniffed and, damn, the rose bushes outside scented the air. He wouldn't have noticed if not for her. The rise and fall of her chest as she savored the smell proved hypnotic. He reached through the window and plucked a bloom, ignoring a thorn prick, a fair price to pay. When Lucas pulled his arm inside, her eyes were still closed. "I wanted you to know that if a hard-ass like me could watch birds fly away, then you probably shouldn't feel silly about blowing bubbles with your kid and making a few wishes of your own."