He was referring to the competition we’d had on board for the sailor to be first off to greet their family. I won by the slimmest of margins, beating Blondie and a few others, but just barely.
“Maybe you should’ve tried harder.” I smirked.
“I’m going to be standing in line for hours while you’ll already be sipping a cold beer.”
“Sucks to be you.” I chuckled for a second before sobering, not wanting to get my ass chewed out by an officer.
An hour later, our ship was tethered to the pier, and sailors were milling around the deck, waiting to be released. I saluted the commanding officer, being the first one down the gangway from my group. I was halfway down when I saw my father, mother, and Cullen standing straight ahead, smiles so damn big on their faces.
I ran to my parents, unable to walk slowly and play it cool. I threw myself into their waiting arms, forgetting about Cullen for a second because…well, he was Cullen.
“We missed you,” Mom said, kissing my cheek.
“You look amazing,” Dad added, staring at me as if he’d never really looked at me before.
“God, we were so worried,” Mom told me. “I hated not knowing where you were.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad,” I told them because nothing eventful happened the entire time. And besides being boring as hell, it wasn’t the worst thing I could’ve experienced.
I saw a few countries, but only for a short time, mostly spending time on their base rather than exploring. Join the navy and see the world is what they told you, but you saw way more water than you saw land or other cultures.
“Did you get to shoot the big gun?” Cullen asked as he stood next to my father, looking so much like him.
“I shot the big gun, Cul.”
“Right on.” He smiled, giving me a chin lift like he respected that.
The kid played too many video games and his brain was fried, but I knew he’d be in my shoes in a few years. He wanted to follow in Dad’s footsteps more than I did. He’d probably end up a SEAL too, something I would never do.
“Hungry?” Dad asked, taking my duffel bag from my hands. “We thought we could grab something to eat before giving you the night to relax.”
“Oh.” I glanced around, hoping to see someone else, but finding no other familiar faces. “I thought maybe…”
“You thought Austin would be here?” Mom asked, having heard all about him every time we talked while I was gone.
Austin hadn’t disappeared after we’d said goodbye in the parking lot of my building. We wrote letters, something I only did with my parents. He sent me packages filled with snacks, candy, and a few books. We texted when we could and exchanged photos whenever possible. He never stopped flirting with me, and I did the same. Our relationship was a weird mix of pen pal and promise.
“I thought maybe he would be, but I guess I was wrong.” I kicked my boots against the cement, annoyed and disappointed.
“He was out on assignment, sweetheart. It was last minute. He called me a few days ago and told me to tell you he was sorry he couldn’t be here,” Dad explained.
“I understand,” I said, sounding so whiny, I wanted to kick my own ass.
I knew how his job worked. He could be called away at any minute and sent anywhere in the world. I knew it from my father, my mother, and through the limited information Austin had been able to share with me over the last seven months.
Out of the two of us, he was the only one seeing the world. I saw water and more water, while he was sent to far-off places—mostly dumps, as he’d called them—and I was stuck on a ship.
My mother gave my father a weird look before it quickly disappeared. She looped her arm with mine, moving me away from the gangway. “What do you want to eat, baby? A burger?”
“A big fat steak, Mom.” I smiled at her, having missed her so crazy much. “Real mashed potatoes too.”
“Whatever your heart desires,” she said, laughing. “I know the food aboard is awful. A girl can only eat so many salads.”
“Can I stop at home first to change and shower?”
“Your father is hungry. Can you wait on the shower?” My mom shot my dad another quick look. “You know how he gets when he’s hungry.”
“I’m already feeling cranky,” Dad added, throwing an arm around Cullen as he carried my duffel.
