Gage puts his arm around me and pulls me close to his chest. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
I look up at him earnestly. “I’ll be praying for you, Gage.”
He laughs and kisses my forehead. “Save your prayers for Jake and Matt. I’ll be fine. Only the good die young, right?”
I pull away. “Take care of yourself. I mean it.”
He laughs. “I’ve always been pretty good at that.”
“When you get to Iraq, if you see Jake...”
“I won’t. We’ll be on opposite sides of the country.”
“But if you do.” Tears are clouding my vision. “If you do, tell him that I...”
He pulls me close again. “I know, Jess. He loves you too.” He holds me for a minute. “If you see Jaz, tell her...”
“Tell her you’d like to hear from her?”
He shakes his head. “Yeah, something like that.”
twenty
This Moment
It doesn’t feel like we’re headed towards the airport. I read the freeway signs, and I’m almost sure we’re heading in the wrong direction. Michael is driving. Mom, Dad, and Tyler left for their flight early this morning.
“Michael, are you sure we’re going the right way?”
He smiles and keeps his eyes on the road. “We’re going exactly the right way.”
I catch his tone. “But not the right way for the airport.”
“Notyourairport.”
“I’m going to miss my flight.” A flutter of panic settles in my stomach.
“You won’t missyourflight.” It bothers me that he won’t give me a straight answer.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He still hasn’t faced me. “I changed your ticket.”
“You did what?”
“Believe me, it wasn’t easy, but I changed your flight. You aren’t flying out until late tonight. That should give us plenty of time.”
I narrow my eyes. “Plenty of time for what?”
“Do you trust me?” His green eyes are glittering with a secret.
I lean back. “I’m not sure.”
He tries to sound serious. “No, Jess, this is important. You have to trust me. If you don’t trust me, this isn’t going to work.”
“What isn’t going to work?”
“I guess you’ll never know if you don’t trust me.” Whatever it is, he won’t stop grinning.
