"Where are we going?" Rachel asked.
He didn't answer, just pulled her through the sliding glass door into the kitchen. The noise from outside muffled immediately,replaced by the quiet hum of the refrigerator and the distant sound of waves through the open windows.
The kitchen was dim, just the last of the sunset filtering through the blinds, casting orange stripes across the counter. Ghost stopped near the island and turned to face her.
Rachel stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Her hands found his chest, fingers spreading across the damp fabric of his shirt.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in, his other hand coming up to cup the back of her neck. She tilted her head back to look at him.
"Better?" she asked softly.
"Yeah." His hand cupped her jaw. "Needed you to myself for a minute."
Rachel leaned into him. "I like this version of you."
He huffed a quiet breath, lips brushing her hairline. "Which one?"
“The relaxed one.”
Ghost was quiet for a moment. "Spent twenty years not knowing how to do that."
Rachel slid her hands up his chest to his neck, fingers catching in his hair. Close enough now that he could feel her breath against his throat.
"Yeah, well," she said softly. "I wasn't exactly good at it either." He looked down at her, his hand moving from her neck to cup her jaw. "Guess we'll learn."
He kissed her then, slow at first, deliberate, but it deepened quickly. His other hand slid lower on her waist, pulling her flush against him. She responded immediately, her fingers tightening in his hair, her body pressing into his.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing harder. His thumb tracing along her jaw.
"We should get back out there," Rachel whispered, but she didn't move.
Ghost's hand tightened on her waist. "In a minute."
She smiled against his mouth. "They're gonna notice we're gone."
"Let them notice."
He kissed her again, slower this time. Taking his time. The sunset painted orange light across her face through the blinds, and he felt something settle in his chest, something he'd been chasing for years without knowing it.
This. Her. Home.
When they finally pulled apart, Rachel's cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from his kiss. She looked up at him with those dark eyes and smiled.
"Okay," Ghost said quietly. "Now we can go back."
Ghost brushed his thumb across her bottom lip once more before stepping back, taking her hand.
EPILOGUE
The wind kicked up dust as the Jeep rolled to a stop just outside a sprawling hangar tucked at the edge of a private airstrip north of San Diego. The sun sat high over the desert hills, glinting off the corrugated metal siding and casting long shadows across the cracked pavement.
One week since the BBQ. One week since Ghost had told the team about Ghost Division. One week since he'd asked her to move in.
And now this, their future, taking shape in steel and concrete.
Ghost climbed out first, his boots crunching against the gravel. Rachel followed, squinting up at the massive hangar doors and the wide lot that surrounded them. Beyond the fencing, a single other hangar stood off to the west, marked only by a weathered nameplate for a rare aircraft parts company.
"You vet the neighbor?" Rachel asked, her tone light, teasing.
