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“But where’s our pilot?”

I grin and point my finger at my chest.

Bella’s eyes widen. “Wait-wait-wait." She frowns at me as she holds up her hands, clearly trying to process this. “You know how to fly a fucking plane?!”

“Yup.”

Bella stares at me like I've just told her I have an even more evil secret twin.

“We’re married. We sleep in the same bed. We’ve shared our deepest, darkest secrets with each other, and we’ve been very physically intimate.” She gives me a stern look. “I’ve seen your toothpaste scale, Dame. And you never once told me you can fly a fucking airplane?!”

A smile spreads across my jaw. “In my defense, I’ve been slightly distracted.”

She scowls. “By?”

“Falling in love with you."

Bella’s mouth opens, then shuts. Then she does it all again.

She glares at me. “You know, it’s super unfair of you to say things like that when I’m trying to be peeved at you.”

“Well, all's fair in love.”

She rolls her eyes, biting back a smile.

“Also,” I shrug, “I knew that I wanted to do this the second you told me you wanted to be an astronaut. So I really had to cram in those lessons.”

Her face pales.

“You…you learned to fly a plane in…a month?”

The grin spreads over my face. I can’t help it.

“Oh you dick!” she finally groans, punching me in the chest as I laugh.

“I’ve been flying since I was seventeen, little nightmare.” I grin as I pull her close and kiss the top of her head. “You’re in safe hands. Ready to fly the friendly skies?”

Oh, she’s definitely ready.

Bella is bouncing in the seat next to me like a kid about to enter Disneyworld for the first time as I taxi to the runway. She squeals in delight, grabbing my knee so tightly that it gets a little dicey at the end of the runway as we’re taking off.

But soon, we’re climbing into the starry night sky as the world below drops away.

I really have been flying since I was seventeen. But I almost forget how within five minutes of being up there. All I can do is look at her as she presses her face to the window, gaping in wonder and laughing in pure joy at the twinkling night sky.

I take us over dark forests and glittering towns. Along the rocky New England coastline. I even do two flyovers of the Knightsblood campus, holding the stick in one hand and her palm in the other.

I think I fall even more in love with her as we soar beneath the stars.

“That was incredible,” she gushes, turning to me after we’ve touched back down. I grin as I taxi us back toward the hangar where I parked the car. I kill the engine, hop out, then help her down.

“Thank you,” Bella says quietly as she sinks into my arms. She chews on her lip as her eyes lift to mine, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes shining.

“Literally any time, little nightmare,” I murmur as I lean down to kiss her softly.

“I love you,” she whispers into my lips. Her arms wrap tighter around my neck as she touches her forehead to mine and stares into my eyes. “I mean I really fucking love you,” she says softly. “It still scares the shit out of me, but…fuck.”

She kisses me, and I kiss her right back.