Logan
Langley AFB
Townsend wraps up the morning briefing, and I scrub a hand down my face. We’ve got a couple of weeks until the next flight demo, which hopefully means fewer hours in the cockpit and a few more hours of actual sleep. I lean forward, grabbing the navy-blue coffee mug in front of me.
As I take a sip, my eyes catch on Lila. She’s packing up, getting ready to head back to her office. She glances my way, gives me a small smile. I flash one back—quick, barely there—before hiding it behind my mug.
Movement pulls my attention across the room. Dalton, arms crossed, smirk in place. His gaze follows Lila as she walks out, and the look on his face says he’s got me figured out.
The door clicks shut behind her, and he shakes his head. “And here I thought she was going to end up with Ryan.”
Ryan gives me a look, already knowing where this is going. He’s the only one I’ve told. Still, he grins. “And why’s that?”
I exhale sharply, rolling my shoulders back, feeling the weight of it pressing down. “Just let it go.”
Dalton just leans forward making eye contact with Ryan. “Because,” he begins louder than necessary, “Logan has a reputation."
Ryan laughs. “Girls love Viking.” He throws in a mock swoon as he says my call sign, clutching his chest like he’s about to faint.
I take a sip of coffee, trying to ignore them.
“Well, now I’m curious.” Dalton smiles into his mug, then takes a sip.
I drag a hand through my hair, sighing. “It’s complicated.”
Townsend lifts a brow. “Complicated how?”
I shake my head, but I know they’re not letting this go.
And maybe it’s time. So, I give them the short version.
Reaper. How I lost him. How it was my fucking fault.
Then Vegas—six years ago—meeting Lila without knowing who she was.
And then the part I hate admitting out loud.
“I should regret it,” I mutter. “Should be able to walk away. But I can’t. ” I glance between them, jaw tight.
She’s it for me. I don’t say it out loud but I knew it when she waltzed into this very room for the first time. She has to be because why else would she have been brought back into my life for a third time?
Silence. Townsend’s arms stay crossed, his expression unreadable. Dalton just tilts his head like he’s piecing it all together. Ryan, of course, already knew, but that doesn’t mean he won’t stir the pot.
Townsend finally speaks. “Yeah, I figured.”
I frown. “You did?”
He smirks. “You’re not as subtle as you think, Viking.”
Dalton snorts. “Not even close. And, honestly? Neither is she.” That earns a low chuckle from the table, and some of the weight in my chest eases.
Ryan cuts in before I can respond. “Have you thought about what’s going to happen when she finds out?” When, not if. “About Reaper?”
I exhale through my nose, my jaw tightening. I knew this was coming. “Yeah,” I say, meeting his gaze. “I have.”
“And?” Townsend prompts.
“And I don’t know,” I admit. “I know I need to tell her. But I don’t want it to be the thing that defines everything else.” I rub a hand over my jaw. “I didn’t know who she was in Vegas and now that I know, I just—I don't know how she can forgive me for Reaper-”
Dalton interrupts. “You didn’t—”
“You weren’t there, Everett,” I say, cutting back in, my voice sharper than I mean it to be.
My guilt leaves this arduous silence between us.
“So she doesn’t know you were at Reaper’s memorial, then? That technically Vegas wasn’t even the first time your paths had crossed?” Townsend asks, grabbing the back of his neck like he needs to rub out the tension my situation is causing.
I glance at the ground before meeting his eyes. “No. She doesn’t even know that I know of Reaper.” Lila has only known me as an F-22 pilot. Even in Vegas because that’s why I was at Nellis.
Ryan crosses his arms, exhaling through his nose. “She told her dad about you?”
That makes my stomach tighten. “She did. Not by name,” I clarify. “Which is probably for the best, because if she had…” I don’t need to finish that thought. We all know General Mercer would recognize my name instantly.
He nods, absorbing that. Knowing that her dad has even a vague idea—that he might already be wary of me without knowing the full story—just adds another layer to this.
“You really care about her,” Dalton says, quieter than the rest. It’s not a question.
I meet his gaze. “I do”
It might be fucked up to admit this—so I don’t—but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re meant to be together. Like every bit of chaos, guilt, and grief that’s tangled our lives over the last nine years wasn’t just coincidence—it was leading us here.
Townsend nods once, a small, approving gesture. Ryan exhales, shaking his head like he’s still processing, but there’s no real resistance there.
“Alright,” Ryan says. “We’ve got your back. Just…be ready for what happens when she finds out.”
I nod. I’ve been ready for a fight my whole life. I just don’t want the battle to be with her.
A beat passes before I clear my throat, shifting gears. “I’m grilling burgers tonight if you want to come over.”
Ryan smirks. “She know you’re inviting us?”
“She will.” I know she won’t care, her friends are coming, too.
Dalton grins, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m in.”
“I’m always down for burgers,” Ryan says.
Townsend shakes his head, chuckling. “Can’t make it. I’ve got plans.”
“Plans?” Ryan raises an eyebrow. “Like actual plans or just avoiding social interaction?”
“Both.” Townsend smirks. “But I’ll take a rain check.”
Ryan laughs, shaking his head, and the conversation ends for now. The weight of everything isn’t gone, but at least I’m keeping one less secret.