I wrapped the black shawl I wore around my shoulders and took his arm. We fell in step with one another as we walked to the car.
“Aiden’s right, by the way,” Ace said as he held the car door open for me. “You look beautiful.” A genuine compliment. I could tell from the sparkle in his eyes.
“Thank you.” My voice sounded breathy. We’d shared multiple kisses since that day at the clinic. The slow, lingering kind that always left me wanting more. Something had shifted in our relationship. We’d gone from resentment-filled ships passing in the night, at times bumping into one another, to a more relaxed state.
We talked casually as we drove to the hotel. Ace told me about his different squadron members and the women and men that made up his flight crew.
“There are three female pilots in your squadron?”
He nodded. “Snake, Piper and Lockjaw.”
“Not their real names,” I said.
He chuckled and shook his head. “I sometimes forget we have real names.”
“I bet.”
“Now that you’ve performed as Flight Lead for your unit and been doing what you love for a while, are you as big a fan of Captain Kirk’s style of leadership?”
“One hundred percent.”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you are.”
Ace had a lot in common with the famedStar Trekcaptain. He was charismatic when he wanted to be, good-looking as hell, loyal. But he could break rank and buck against tradition when he felt it was right.
He’d done precisely that by asking me to marry him when we were only eighteen.
The conversation was easy between us.
When we arrived at the hotel, there was a stream of guests entering the main entrance, obviously heading toward the ball. It was hard to miss all of the navy-blue uniforms.
“Thank you for agreeing to come with me tonight,” Ace said as he helped me out of the truck.
“I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see this up close,” I joked. I swallowed down my unease when my mind reminded me that part of the reason Ace invited me was to be able to show those in the upper ranks that he was a “family man.”
He hadn’t answered me that day in the park when I accused him of using our marriage to gain an advantage in his quest for the instructor position. But deep down, I knew it was true. That, and he wanted to forget me. The only reason he was holding out to sign those divorce papers.
I glanced around the room, taken aback by how beautiful it was. The theme was apparentlyA Midsummer Night’s Dream,since we were entering the final weeks of the summer. Along the walls of the room were imitation tree limbs outfitted with hanging candles. The candles, instead of the ceiling’s overhead fixture, provided light throughout the ballroom. White tea candles lit each table, accompanied by vases filled with flowers that were unique to Texas.
“Looking good, Cannon,” another airman commented behind us.
“I always look good,” Ace said to his friend.
Ace briefly introduced me to Ted, who was a member of his squadron’s flight crew.
“Been a part of the flight crew for years,” Ted said to me. “Tried to get this guy to take me up for a flight, but he no longer flies the F-35s. Chump.”
Ace snorted and laughed.
“It sucks not being able to take one of the crew up in a flight,” he told me once Ted and his date moved on.
“Because the F-16 is only a single-seater, right?” I asked to make sure I had it right.
He smirked. “Right. I used to do it once or twice a year in the F-35. It helps lift their spirits.”
“How so?” I asked, interested.
“Without them, we can’t do our job. Some crew teams spend years working to make sure we’re as safe as possible. It’s nice to get to show them what they spend hours working on from the air.” He got a gleam in his eye. “Nothing looks the same once you’ve experienced it from fifty-thousand feet.”
