Epilogue
SAMANTHA
One Year Later
“Come on, handsome, please leave your shoes on,” I pleaded. “Just this once.”
The baby grinned and kicked his chubby little legs.
“We could put duct tape on the bottom of his socks,” Dad suggested.
“I don’t know how anyone keeps the shoes on babies,” I complained.
“He looks very handsome,” Dad said and took the baby from me. “We better get a move on or we’re going to be late.”
I was nervous as hell. I grabbed the diaper bag and double-checked to make sure we had everything we need. “Okay,” I said. “My will is in my desk.”
“Stop saying that.” He laughed. “You’re going to be fine.”
“I read somewhere that some couples don’t fly together in case the plane goes down,” I said. “They don’t want to orphan their children. That seems like a very responsible decision.”
“Relax,” he said. He tucked William into his car seat. I drove to the airfield, and with my dad carrying the car seat, we made our way through security and to the VIP section. Mitch spotted us and rushed over to greet us.
He gave me a warm hug and a kiss before his attention went to his son. Medusa spotted us and rushed over as well. “Oh, look at the most handsome boy in the world,” she cooed.
Mitch was holding the baby while Medusa cooed at him. The man was hot, but holding our baby made him drop dead gorgeous. Seeing him hold William made my ovaries scream. We had joked around about another baby, but it was all jokes for now.
“Alright, buddy, you have to go back to your grandpa,” Mitch said. “Daddy is taking Mommy for her very first ride.”
“Let’s go get you changed,” Medusa said.
“I can’t believe I’m letting him do this,” I said.
“It’s going to be fine and you deserve this opportunity,” she told me. “We all voted to give you the spot. I think it’s awesome your man gets to be the one to take you up. It will be such an amazing experience for the two of you. You are going to have a whole new understanding of him.”
“I’m excited to go up, but I’m also terrified,” I confessed.
“We do this all the time,” she assured me.
Usually, Mitch was in Number Five. This was a very special occasion and he got to fly Number Seven, which was the two-seater the team used to take up people that were nominated. Before I was pregnant and before I ever met Mitch, I had always wanted to do the flight. This was a dream come true.
I changed into the blue jumpsuit and rejoined the rest of them. William had quite the fan club.
“Ready?” Mitch asked.
“Yes. I think.”
I kissed William and followed Mitch out to Number Seven. I was not the inspector for the team this year, but I trusted the crew. I climbed in and put on the helmet.
“Testing, testing,” he said.
“I hear you.”
“Just relax and enjoy the ride,” he said.
“Be gentle,” I warned.
“I will be very gentle, but I have a feeling you’re going to want me to hit it.” He laughed. “It’s a total rush. I know you and I know how badly you want this.”
He wasn’t wrong. I listened to him talk to the tower as we got the all-clear to take off. Butterflies erupted in my belly as we taxied down the runway. “Ready?” he asked.
“Ready!”
I felt the moment the wheels left the tarmac. The power of the aircraft invigorated my soul. I let out a little squeal. He laughed and increased the speed. “Small pull,” he said. “Remember to clench.”
“Clenching,” I said.
“Pull,” he said.
I felt the G-force. It wasn’t anything bad. I let out a breath and enjoyed the view.
“Ready for a roll?” he asked.
“Slow roll.”
He laughed again and we were rolling over. He righted the jet and we were once again soaring through the sky. “Hey, check your right pocket,” he said.
“What? Right now?”
I had put on the jumpsuit and there was nothing in the pockets that I knew of. I felt like there was a better time to search pockets.
“Just check your pocket,” he said again.
“If there is something gross in my pocket, I will kill you as soon as we’re on the ground,” I said.
“Hurry up,” he said.
The aircraft tilted to the side and we went in a different direction. I reached my hand into the pocket and felt something hard. I pulled it out and saw it was a ring. “What’s this?” I asked him.
“I’m going to assume you checked the pocket.” He laughed.
“I did.”
“That’s a ring, baby,” he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m asking you to marry me. We’ve made a family. I want to make it official. I love you and I want nothing more than to have you in my life for the rest of my days. Will you marry me?”
“You brought me up here to ask me to marry you?” I laughed.
“I wanted to make sure you couldn’t run away from me,” he teased.
“Baby, I’m never going to run away from you,” I said. “Yes, I’ll be your wife. You’re my one true love. I love you more than anything. I love you and our son. We’re going to build a beautiful life.”
“Woohoo!” he cried out and rolled the jet over until we were upside down.
I let out my own whoop as he flew us closer to the earth. It was a little freakish to have this view. He flipped the jet around and did a low flyby over the crowd that was gathering below to watch the show starting later in the day.
“I love you, baby!” he shouted loud and clear.
I heard the guys in the tower chuckle. It was a little weird to know we had eavesdroppers on such an intimate moment, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
He brought the jet back down to the ground and we climbed out.
He helped me down and pulled me against him. He kissed me while spinning me around.
We rushed back to the waiting group. I felt like I was floating. My body was vibrating with excitement. Medusa was holding William with a few of the female crew members gathered around. “Dad!” I cried out and launched myself at him. “I’m getting married!”
“Congratulations,” Dad said with a laugh.
I released him and stepped back to study his face. “You knew.”
He shrugged and looked guilty. “I thought it was a very creative idea.”
“Let’s see the ring,” Medusa called out.
“You knew too?” I laughed.
She smiled and shrugged. “I slipped the ring in the pocket.”
“So you’ve seen the ring.”
“I haven’t seen it on your finger,” she replied.
I held out my hand and let everyone see the beautiful ring. Mitch moved to stand beside me with his arm wrapped around my shoulders. Everyone came by to offer their congratulations. I truly felt like my life was a dream.
I changed back into my normal clothes and joined my dad to watch the final show of the season. It was Mitch’s final show as well. It felt like the end of an era but in the best way. Our lives were moving forward together. We were opening new doors, not closing any doors.
William was wearing his little baby noise-reduction headphones. I watched the show with my dad before heading back home. Mitch would be home later. “Thank you again, Dad,” I said. “I appreciate the help today.”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m glad I got to be a part of this big day. I’m so happy for you. He’s a good man. You did good with him. He’s a good father and you guys have a whole life ahead of you.”
I gave him a hug and said goodbye. After feeding and changing William, I put him to bed in his nursery with the pretty pastel jungle theme.
We were planning to switch it to jets and planes when he was a little older.
I turned on the baby monitor and closed the door before heading downstairs.
Our home wasn’t exactly the one I saw in my dream, but it was damn close.
We had purchased the home a month before William was born.
Things had happened fast. I went from being a single woman on the move with no hope of marriage to having the total package. I lit some candles and turned on some music before opening a bottle of wine. I popped the frozen lasagna in the oven and sat down at the table to do a little daydreaming.
I saw the lights in the window, followed by the garage door opening. I got up and poured him a glass of wine and waited for him in the kitchen. He smiled and held up a bottle of champagne. “Honcho thought we might want this to celebrate.”
“Oh, that looks like a much better choice,” I said.
He put the bottle down and pulled me in for a big kiss. “I love you,” he whispered. “Is William in bed?”
“Yes,” I said. “Hopefully he’ll be down for the night.”
“Good, because I have all kinds of dirty plans with his mama.”
“I like the sound of that,” I said. “I have a lasagna in the oven. Why don’t you go upstairs and shower?”
He kissed me again. “Give me ten minutes.”
He dashed out of the kitchen. I grabbed the bottle of champagne and popped it in the refrigerator.
We had a lot to celebrate. I was so looking forward to the rest of our lives together.
I pulled dinner from the oven and dished us each up a plate.
He returned in exactly ten minutes with his hair still wet.
He was wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
His new tattoo with William’s footprints drew my attention like it always did.
They were placed just below the other tattoo remembering his friend.
We sat down and sipped our wine. “How are you feeling?” I asked him.
“Good. I’m ready for the next thing. It’s time to move on. My Navy family has been there for me all these years, but I’m ready to start my life outside of the Navy. You and William are my family.”
“You’re sure?” I asked him. “I don’t want you to feel like I pressured you into anything.”
“This was my decision,” he said. “I don’t want to be stationed anywhere. I want to choose where I live. I want to decide when I get to see my family. This is the right step for our family. I have zero regrets.”
“Good,” I said with relief. “I love you. I want to marry you tomorrow.”
“Let’s do it,” he said.
I laughed and shook my head. “Soon, but not actually tomorrow.”
“Do you want the big wedding?” he asked.
“No,” I answered. “I want to keep it sweet and simple. Just our friends and family. I was thinking my dad’s backyard.”
“Cheap, I like it.” He laughed.
“Very funny.”
“When?” he asked.
“This spring?” I suggested.
“This spring it is,” he said with a nod.
“And then I was thinking we could have that other talk,” I said coyly.
“The other talk?”
“William told me he really wants a little brother or sister,” I said.
“Oh, he did?” He laughed. “Name the time and place and I’ll make sure it happens. Just call me the sperminator.”
“No,” I groaned. “Definitely not. I think I’d like to wait until we’re married.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be there with bells on. And nothing else.”
I loved his sense of humor. He was rarely serious these days. When he was in the sky, it was all business, but at home, he was this lighthearted man without a care in the world.
I loved my pilot and I felt blessed to fly through life with him at my side.