When the wedding coordinator called for everyone's attention again, she wanted to curse the woman.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll come this way Mr. and Mrs. Cutler are going to cut the cake."
Though Kiko was her friend, she could care less about the flipping cake. When she looked up at Drake he seemed to be of the same mind. "Let's get out of here."
Izzy let him tug her away from the crowd and down the steps to an outdoor kitchen area on the side of the pond. There were padded chairs grouped around a brick fire ring, and it was perfect. Being curious, Drake headed to the grill and started opening the cupboards around it. In one of the cupboards he found a small stocked fridge with bottles of water. He handed one to Izzy as she curled up into a chair, her legs tucked beside her. She left her heels on the flagstones.
"As much as I like Tyler," Drake told her, dropping down into the seat beside her. "This reception is killing me."
She giggled and nodded her head. "Me too. I didn't realize this was going to be such a production. I want to go change into my street clothes. These shoes pinch like a bitch."
Drake settled into the cushion beside her and brought her feet into his lap. When he rested the cold water bottle against her toes she gasped, then groaned when it started to ease some of the burning. "How is your cut?"
He glanced at her, then made a face. "I completely forgot about it. It's fine, believe me. I've had worse."
She was sure he had, but not received during the protection of her. "Maybe I should check it again."
A gleam warmed his eyes. "Maybe you should."
For a long time they just sat on that little couch, listening to the party above them. Drake would rotate the water bottle across her feet before she finally turned to lean her back against him. That seemed to suit them both better, and they settled in to just chill.
They talked occasionally, but for the most part they were quiet. Drake wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she brushed her fingers back and forth over it, ruffling the hair then smoothing it. Drake sighed and stretched his legs out even further.
Izzy felt a bone-deep contentment she'd never felt with another man.
"You ever been married, Drake?"
"Nah. Who would put up with my crazy schedule, gone weeks or months at a time in-country, no way to get a hold of me if something happened."
"Yeah, that could be tough.”
The silence drifted in again.
"What about you?" he asked gruffly.
Izzy grinned into the night. "Well, I've had boyfriends before, but no one to put up with my craziness long-term. I think the longest guy lasted about a year, and that was only because he was too lazy to pack up and get out of my apartment."
That had been a good relationship at first, but he'd gotten a little too practical toward the end. Planning things out and being upset when her plans changed.
"I don't think you're so crazy,” Drake murmured, his voice so low.
Izzy grinned into the night again. She got the distinct impression he was trying to warn her off, kind of. But he was curious about her connections too. If he'd never been in a long-term relationship, then he had to be curious about the mechanics. Plus, he was in the middle of a wedding. In a situation like this it was natural to long for some kind of stability. Tyler and Kiko now had each other to lean upon, no matter how far apart they were. There really was something to be said for having a person in your corner always.
"I would like to be married some day," she admitted. "Have a couple kids to pass on the family genes and take care of me when I get old. And I'd like to be a part of a couple. I envy Kiko in that. She has someone to come home to every night. Well, at least for a while," she corrected. "Not sure when Tyler will next be deployed. I'd like to travel and see the world, but I've slowly come to realize it's just not as much fun if you're doing it alone."
"That's very true," he admitted. "We see a lot of amazing things when we're deployed, but we usually don't have the time to appreciate them. Someday I'd like to go back to these places when they're not in the middle of a war. The people themselves usually just want to live in peace and raise their families. It's the regimes around them causing the strife."
Izzy wondered if he realized how much longing she heard in his voice. She wanted to be the person he wanted to take there.
For some reason she was really feeling emotional, too. Whether because of the romance of the wedding, or what was going on between she and Drake. Maybe both. Her heart was telling her that there was a connection here that she'd never felt before.
"So, what or who do you consider home?" she asked finally.
For an incredible minute he wanted to say her.
They'd known each other mere hours, but his body had become attuned to hers on a harmonic he'd never felt with another person. Yeah, there was the subtle understanding you had with your teammates, but this was very different. For the first time ever, he wondered if this was the person he was supposed to be with. Was the big guy in the sky throwing him together with this girl for a reason? Or was it just happenstance?
He would like to think he had more control over his life than to be sucked into a relationship just because of proximity. No, that wasn't even right. Chemistry. It was chemistry pulling them together. But was it enough to keep them together?
