“You’ll still be my baby when you’re fifty,” I told him.
He gave me the most dramatic sigh, making both Ace and me laugh. Our eyes connected for a moment, but we shared something in that brief exchange.
Not for the first time that night, I let my eyes travel down the length of Ace’s body. He looked damn good in his dress blues. The uniform fit him perfectly, and each ribbon, or signifier of his accomplishments within the Air Force, left me a little in awe.
A pang of sadness filled my belly also.
Seeing him in the uniform reminded me of all of the years that I’d missed with him. We were high schoolers when he dreamed about being a pilot. I’d envisioned being there as he went through his training and early days in the military.
Yet, I wasn’t present for any of it.
“Does that button mean you were in a war?” Aiden asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. He pointed at one of the badges on the left side of Ace’s chest.
Ace looked down at Aiden and tapped the silver wings. “These symbolize my position as an Air Force pilot.” He moved closer, stooping low to give Aiden a better view.
“Can I touch them?” My son asked.
“Aiden,” I called.
But Ace looked up at me. “It’s okay. Sure you can.”
Aiden ran his finger against the emblem that Ace worked so hard to achieve.
“So cool,” Aiden whispered.
Ace told him a little more about what the different ribbon stripes and metal emblems on his suit meant. Aiden’s attention was glued to him the entire time. My throat tightened up with emotion from watching the interactions between them.
Ace was so good with him. He patiently answered every question Aiden had.
I cleared my throat. “Melissa will be here soon. We should probably head downstairs.”
Ace nodded at the same time the doorbell rang.
“There she is,” I said.
Melissa was a babysitter that Ace’s squadron member, Maple, and his wife Sabrina, often used. She would pick up Aiden and take him over to Maple and Sabrina’s home, a few blocks away, to watch all of the kids together.
“Do you have to stay out all night, Mama?” Aiden asked as we walked down the hall.
I heard the worry in his voice. Pausing, I turned to get closer to him. “What’s wrong, sweetie? You don’t want me to go out?”
The ball was being hosted at a resort hotel down in San Antonio, about a thirty-minute drive away. Ace had chosen to rent a room for the night. A thought that both excited me and made me nervous.
He nodded vigorously. “I do. Mr. Ace needs you to be his date, but it’s just that…” He peered down the hall as if making sure Ace wasn’t around. “What if I fall asleep and have another nightmare?” he whispered.
I heard Ace open the door to let Melissa in.
“Sweetie, have you been having more nightmares?” Aiden hadn’t woken up in a few days from another bad as far as I knew.
“No, but what if I do over there? Everyone will think I’m a baby.”
I shook my head. “No one will think that,” I assured. “Listen, if you get scared, you know you can always call me. No matter what time it is. If you need me to come and pick you up, I will be there, no questions asked.” I cupped his chin. “Okay?”
He glanced over his shoulder downstairs before nodding.
I stood and watched as my son turned and headed down to meet the babysitter. I wondered about his nightmares. He always said he couldn’t remember any of them, but a part of me questioned whether he was honest about that.
“Ready?” Ace asked, once Melissa and Aiden headed out. He held out his arm for me to take.
