Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 93284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Thinking back to that night, when Ember told me that story, I found it hilarious too. I’d have gone back in and bought her another piece of cake! My mom had the same sweet tooth, and she always made sure to have something on hand.
A strong gust of wind that sprayed rain into may face made me realize that we needed to get in before we were soaked. Picking up Cheyenne, I maneuvered her through the back door, into the kitchen and headed for the bedroom. Placing her on the bed, I decided to leave her in what she was wearing since it looked comfortable. Leaving out of the room, I made sure all of the windows and doors were locked after I let Chewy out one more time. I opened the door to where Janie was set up in my office to hear her snoring softly, so I headed back into the bedroom.
The only thing that illuminated the room was the glow from the alarm clock. I walked slowly to the bed, forgetting that Cheyenne had picked up today. I lay down beside her carefully, and then pulled her into my arms in our normal sleeping position. If I didn’t pull her close, she would be kicking and hitting me all night, so I had to practically hold her still with my body. Normally I didn’t like sleeping with women. I felt suffocated, needed to be able to move freely, or it brought up memories of being pinned down in a whole in a tiny shack in middle of bumfuck country. We were pinned down for three days until reinforcements showed.
The shrink that the higher ups made me see after to make sure that I was fit for duty said that possibly it would cause me some PTSD, and that it would show at inopportune times. The first time I slept with Cheyenne I was nervous that that would happen, but it never showed. In fact, I’d slept better than I had since I was a little boy since she started sharing my bed.
I snuggled closer to her, smelling her hair. Tomorrow I would try to get done quickly so we could spend some alone time together.
The shrill ringing of Cheyenne’s phone pierced the still night air, and Cheyenne shot to a sitting position, but still unaware of where she was. On the fourth ring, she finally came to enough to answer the phone.
“Hello?” she said in a husky voice.
The sound of her voice was beginning to make me half hard that is until I heard the fear in her voice.
“W-what?” she said, sounding close to crying.
Chapter 10
CHEYENNE
Sam reached around my body to take the phone from my numb fingers.
“This is Sam Mackenzie, what’s going on?” I heard him sat from a distance.
I’m not sure what I expected when I answered, but hearing the news I did was not it. I couldn’t breathe, and my heart hurt. My brain wasn’t sure how to process the information that my brain had just heard.
“I understand. When will the plane arrive?” I heard Sam ask. “Alright, we will be meeting the plane that comes into Love field. Thank you.”
Sam gathered me into his arms and whispered, “You can let go now.”
I buried my face into his neck and cried for what felt like hours. He left me only for a while to make a few calls, but came back to me quickly. I never went back to sleep, I just stayed in his arms, wishing things were different.
∞
The group met outside at 0600 (Sam and the rest of the guys were on military time.) Janie was loaded up in Sam’s Suburban, and we were all standing around it making plans. Ember was riding on the back of Gabe’s bike because there wasn’t enough room in the vehicle, and the seat on Max’s bike was only made to seat one person. Ember didn’t put up much of a fight, but then again none of were capable of much. There just wasn’t anything left in us to spare emotionally. One of our own had died. Blaine was on the back of Elliot’s bike, and Jack and Max were riding alone. I was numb. My heart felt like I put it through the shredder. There was a pall over the group, and no one seemed to know exactly what to say. So we drove. We drove the two and a half hours to Ft. Worth to wait for the plane that was bringing him home to us. Tomorrow would be the funeral.
After two hours of driving we arrived at the airport and parked in short term parking. Blaine stayed in the car with Janie, while the rest of us made our way to the entrance. Sam led the way heading in a different direction from where the other passengers were heading. Sam went to talk to someone, I didn’t know who, about meeting the plane out on the tarmac. Normally they wouldn’t have let this happen the way it did, but Sam had some military clearance, and the airport was happy to help any way they could, given the circumstances.
Sam came out of the office that he had been in with a man that looked like he was a higher up with the airlines. Grabbing my hand on his way, they walked through a maze of hallways that led to a glass room. There we stood waiting for the plane to land.
I saw the plane approach the runway and land with my heart in my throat. The plane then taxied. Once the plane was stationery the official, who I learned was named Jason, led us out into the sunshine. The plane’s door was opened, and the steps were being lined up with the doorway of the plane. People began filing out one by one, heading into the direction of their baggage.
The final passenger who stepped out was the last person that I had thought that I would see today. I gasped, and then started running to him. By the time he got to the bottom of the steps, I had launched myself into his arms and hugged him for all I was worth.