Rachel grinned. “Obviously. You’re already on the hook for midnight feedings and teenage rage control.”
He sighed. “Better get more ammo.”
MCCLEAN, VIRGINIA
The smell of dinner greeted him at the door. Real dinner, not takeout cartons or pizza boxes. Mike was at the stove, sleeves rolled up, stirring a pot of sauce like it was the most natural thing in the world. Sam sat at the table doing homework, his brow furrowed but calm.
Shannon was leaning against the counter, barefoot, teasing her brother. Her sharp, unguarded laugh carried across the kitchen, and for the first time in months, it didn’t sound like a weapon.
Ford walked through the doorway. “Mmm, smells good.” He took in the scene. “Hey, kids. Dad invited me. What’s the special occasion?”
Mike turned, spotting him. “You’re just in time. Grab a plate.”
Ford raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you cook?”
“Since two weeks ago.” There was no edge in his voice, no hollow echo. Just a man who finally decided to show up.
Shannon glanced over, and instead of the tight-lipped defiance she usually threw his way, she gave him the faintest nod. Ford stepped in, rolled up his sleeves, and took the knife Mike handed him to start slicing tomatoes for the salad.
The storm in the Johnson house had passed for now. For the first time in a long time, the air didn’t feel like it might break at any second.
It was late evening,the kind of quiet that only settled once homework was finished and the TV muted. Sam was sprawled on the couch with a controller in his hands, but he wasn’t really playing. Shannon sat cross-legged on the rug, her Academy appointment letter spread out in front of her like it might change if she read it one more time.
Mike was in the armchair, his scotch half-touched on the side table. He was watching her more than the paperwork sitting in his lap.
Shannon let out a long breath. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Sam looked up. “You can do anything.”
She gave him a half smile. “You’re supposed to say that. You’re my brother.”
“I mean it.” His voice cracked. “You’re the one who always figures it out. You don’t let anyone push you around. Not even Dad.”
Mike lifted an eyebrow at that but didn’t argue.
Shannon looked back down at the letter. “It’s not just school, though. It’s… everything. Discipline, rules, people telling me who to be. What if I screw it up?”
Mike leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Then you get back up. That’s all the Air Force ever asked of me. Not perfection. Just getting back up when I fell.”
Her eyes flicked to him, softer now. “Mom wanted this so badly.”
“She’d be proud of any choice you make.” Her father’s eyes locked with hers. “Shan, I can’t tell you what to choose. You’ve got the grades, the offers, every option in the world. But this one, this one is bigger than us. Bigger than me or Mom. If you want it, I’ll back you all the way. If you don’t… I’ll back you and still be proud.”
Sam nudged her knee with his foot. “Come on. You in a cockpit? You’d scare the crap out of everyone.” He tilted his head and smiled. “In a good way.”
Shannon picked up the letter, folded it carefully, and held it against her chest. “I’m gonna do it. I’ll go.”
Mike let out a breath. “Then that’s it, you’re going to be a cadet.”
She looked at him, almost shy. “You really think I can handle it?”
“I know you can,” he said.
And this time, she believed him.
THREE
CHASE SECURITY SAN DIEGO – 0740 HOURS
