Air Force Hero

by Weston Parker

  “You all right, Jo?” Rosie asked after taking a sip of wine.

  “I will be,” I said. “It’s just a lot.”

  “The fight?”

  “Among other things.”

  Rosie tapped her finger against her glass and waited to see if I was going to elaborate. I wasn’t the kind of girl who easily talked about her feelings, so after a few moments, Rosie started to encourage me with gentle questions. “What else happened while Zach was here?”

  “A lot,” I said again, always falling back on vague answers.

  Rosie arched an eyebrow. “Come on, Jo. You can tell me stuff. It will help clear your mind if you get it off your chest. I promise.”

  I could feel my cheeks starting to get hot. Maybe it was just the wine.

  Rosie giggled. “Did the two of you, you know?”

  So it wasn’t just the wine. I covered my face with one hand and sighed. “We did.”

  Rosie kicked her heels against my sofa cushion and squealed. “Oh man, I was totally hoping you did! How was it? Wait. You didn’t fuck on the sofa, did you?”

  “No!” I blurted out, horrified and blushing even more fiercely.

  “Oh girl, please tell me he rocked your world.”

  I downed the rest of my wine, reached for the bottle, and refilled my glass. “I don’t like to talk about this kind of stuff, but yes, he rocked my world. It was almost too good.”

  “I want details.”

  “Hell no.”

  “Pretty please?”

  “No.” I laughed, shaking my head. “The personal stuff is just for me. But it was even better than the first time we had sex. And…”

  “Yes?” Rosie prompted as she crossed her legs under herself and leaned forward eagerly.

  “I told him about Sam.”

  Rosie stared at me in shock. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. She shook her head and started over, this time giving voice to her thoughts. “Hold up. He knows he’s Sam’s dad? How did he take it? Was he mad?”

  “He took it really well. He wasn’t mad. You know what he said? He said he was sad that he had already missed out on five years.”

  “Oh,” Rose said, resting her hand on her chest. “My heart.”

  “Tell me about it. I felt like an idiot and just sat there crying, completely naked.”

  “Naked?” Rosie asked. “Did you tell him after the sex?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Josephine!” Rosie scolded. She couldn’t keep a straight face though and started laughing. “No wonder he wasn’t mad. He was still riding the high of being in your—”

  “Hey,” I said, cutting her off before the conversation took a turn.

  She sipped her wine and eyed me over the rim of the glass. She looked devious as hell. Her mind was probably racing with dozens of dirty thoughts, as it usually was. “So a lot of things are going to change, aren’t they?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. A lot of things. He wants to meet Sam.”

  “And you’re good with that?”

  “I told him I thought it would be best if we wait a couple of weeks. I want to make sure that Sam doesn’t miss Brett before I introduce another guy. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ll introduce Zach as his father right away. Too much information all at once could send him into a fit.”

  Rosie pursed her lips and nodded. “Probably the right call. Once they get to know each other, it will be an easier conversation to have with Sam, I’m sure. How did Zach feel about having to wait? Does it bother him?”

  “No. He said we should see each other to pass the time.”

  “Like, date?”

  I beamed at her.

  “I’m so happy for you, Jo. Seriously. This is what you have deserved all these years. He’s a good guy.”

  “He is,” I agreed, sipping on more of my wine. I could feel it starting to buzz around in my head, and it was pleasant. For the first time in three and a half years, there wasn’t a crushing weight on my shoulders, pushing me down to the earth and reminding me of how lonely I was. “You deserve the same thing, Rosie.”

  Rosie topped up her wine glass and leaned over to pour the rest of the bottle into my glass. I thanked her as she leaned back in her corner of the sofa.

  “And on that note,” I said slyly. “Where do things stand with you and my brother?”

  Rosie turned as red as I felt. She stared into her wine glass and shrugged, playing off my question like it wasn’t a big deal. “I’m not sure. Probably nowhere. We just like to flirt and have fun is all. I don’t think he likes me like that.”

  I knew for a fact that he did. He brought her up in conversation constantly, and whenever she was around, he lit up like a star on top of a Christmas tree. “Well, do you like him like that?”

  “He’s your brother,” Rosie said, like that was an answer enough.

  “So?”

  Rosie hesitated and swirled her wine around. “Would you care if I was with your brother?”

  “Of course not!” I exclaimed. “Rosie, I’ve been wanting the two of you to get together for almost a year. You both love spending time together. I’ve never seen someone make him laugh like you do. And he would treat you so well.”

  “I really, really like him, Jo,” Rosie admitted, her cheeks burning an even fiercer shade of red.

  I lifted my wine glass. “Another toast, then. To new beginnings. For both of us.”

  Rosie grinned and we clinked our glasses together. We finished our wine and spent the next couple of hours acting like high school girls with crushes on boys on the football team. When it became difficult to keep our eyes open, I went to my linen closet and grabbed blankets and pillows. I made a bed on the sofa for Rosie, and she went to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and took her makeup off. As she did that, I pulled my duvet off my bed and brought it and all my pillows into the living room. I laid them out on the floor and went back to my room, where I changed into my favorite oversized sleeping shirt.

  Rosie was in the living room slipping under the blankets on the sofa when I came back while brushing my teeth. She teased me for being a slob when toothpaste dripped from my bottom lip and landed on my boobs.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, hurrying back to the bathroom to floss and swish mouthwash around in my mouth. After, I turned off all the lights, minus the outside one above the front door, and climbed into my makeshift bed on the floor.

  Rosie sighed and pulled her blankets up under her chin. “I haven’t had a girls’ sleepover since college. And that was only because I had a roommate in my dorm room.”

  “I haven’t done this since high school,” I said. “Unless you count the Coast Guard.”

  I could feel Rosie looking at me in the dark. “Do you miss it?”

  I nodded. “Every day. I miss the sense of purpose. Of making a difference.”

  “You’re making a difference with Sam,” she offered.

  “Thanks,” I said, suspecting she was only trying to make me feel better.

  “No, really. Think about where Sam was just two years ago. Panic attacks on a weekly basis. Frequent trips to the ER because he couldn’t breathe. You’re the only reason he’s gotten better. You’re an amazing mom, Jo.”

  I felt tears leak out of the corner of my eyes and trickle into my hairline above my ears. “Thanks, Rosie. That means a lot to me.”

  “Just don’t ever forget it. A lot of us aren’t lucky enough to have moms like you. He’s a lucky kid. And now he gets to have a dad like Zach?” Rosie sighed. “He’s truly blessed.”

  My heart was stabbed with something I hadn’t felt in a long time, and it took my breath away.

  Joy.

  23

  Zach

  It had been almost a full week since I last saw Jo. We’d been texting back and forth on a daily basis, and she was giving me updates about Sam. She was enjoying spending more time with him than usual and said she was sure Sam would be ready to meet me soon. The last week had been tough without seeing her, so tho
se words made me elated.

  My mother had already gone out and purchased a bunch of science-related toys for her grandson. She knew she would have a little while longer to wait than me to meet him, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her to stop buying things for him. She was happier than she’d been in almost a month, and that happiness was good for her health. She was bright-eyed and full of energy like I remembered her being.

  The only person I hadn’t spoken to yet was Ryan, who I was presently on my way to meet for lunch. I’d texted him and asked to meet up, and he suggested a local diner that served good burgers.

  I pulled into the parking lot and spotted his Challenger. I parked beside him, got off my bike, and headed inside as I tucked my gloves into my helmet. I paused in the doorway as my phone buzzed. I checked the message, which was from Jo, and found myself smiling.

  “I miss you,” was all it said.

  “I miss you too,” I typed back. Then I slid the phone in my pocket and looked around for my friend—and Jo’s brother. I hoped I wasn’t walking into hot water.

  Ryan was sitting in a booth by the window. The seats were cherry red, the tables were turquoise, and the floors were black and white checkered tiles. The place looked like it was straight out of the fifties.

  I slid into the booth across from Ryan as a waitress in an apron and poodle skirt came and stood at the edge of the table. “Can I get you boys anything?” she asked. She was in her late forties with permed brown hair, cat-eye glasses, and purple lipstick.

  Ryan glanced up at her. “Hey, Sherry. Just a bacon cheeseburger for me.”

  “And a water?”

  “You got it.” He smiled, closing his menu and handing it to her.

  Sherry looked at me and raised her eyebrows expectantly. “And you, sugar?”

  “Uh,” I said. Clearly it did not matter to her that I’d just sat down. “The same as him works for me.”

  “Great,” she said dryly, flipping her notepad closed and tucking it into her apron. “Be right back with those waters.”

  Sherry bustled off, and I glanced at Ryan, who had leaned back in his booth and was resting his arm along the back of the seat. There was a smirk playing on his lips, and he shook his head slowly at me. “I should have known.”

  “Ditto,” I said.

  Ryan chuckled and rubbed at his jaw. “So you were as surprised as me to find out Sam was yours?”

  “Give me some credit. I think I was more surprised. Dad.” I pointed my thumbs at my chest.

  “Fair,” Ryan said. “Still. It’s weird. You and Jo? That was enough of a pill to swallow. And now?” He paused as he tried to find the right words. “Now you’re my nephew’s father. It’s fucking weird.”

  “Tell me about it,” I muttered.

  Sherry came back and placed our glasses of water in front of us. I stared at my glass, which was sweating. The water pooled around the base of the cup and started inching slowly outward.

  “But Jo seems happy,” Ryan said. I looked up. “Like, really happy, man. Better than I’ve seen her since she got back from the Coast Guard. It’s like she’s her old self again.”

  “I think that has more to do with being rid of Brett than it does with me.”

  “Don’t be daft. My sister cares a lot about you. So I just have to say one thing about all this, and then I’ll leave it alone.”

  Here it was. The big warning. The thing I’d been bracing myself for all week.

  Ryan took his arm from the back of the seat and leaned forward, clasping his hands together in front of him upon the table. “Don’t hurt my sister. And don’t hurt Sam. This isn’t the kind of thing where you can dip one toe in and change your mind when you get bored in a few months. Not when there’s a kid involved. You get what I’m saying?”

  “Loud and clear.”

  Ryan nodded assertively. Then he leaned back again, and his expression became less severe. “Good. So, tell me, did Brett shit himself when you showed up?”

  There was a reason why Ryan was my best friend. His word was law to me, as mine was to him. He’d said his piece and trusted I understood the full meaning behind it. I wasn’t going to fuck around with Jo. She meant more to me than I could comprehend. And Sam did, too.

  “He wasn’t as big of a coward as I thought he’d be, if I’m being honest,” I said. “He fought back for as long as he could. Had he been sober, I might have had a real fight on my hands.”

  “He’s big as an ox,” Ryan acknowledged with a nod. “Good thing he’s always plastered.”

  “Agreed.”

  Sherry showed up with our food, placing our plates in front of us. The smell of grease, bacon, fries, and onions wafted up toward my nose, and my stomach growled. “This smells amazing,” I said appreciatively, rubbing my hands together.

  “Best burgers in Houston, if you ask me,” Ryan said.

  Sherry put her hand on her hip. “Anything else for you two?”

  “No, thanks Sherry.” Ryan smiled politely.

  She arched an eyebrow at me.

  “I’m good, thanks,” I said hurriedly. She bustled off again to tend to other tables. I glanced at Ryan. “Why is she so scary?”

  Ryan squirted a mountain-sized amount of ketchup on his plate and drowned a fry in it before popping it into his mouth. “She’s always been that way. One of those women you can just tell had a rough go of things when she was younger. Once she gets to know you, she’ll soften up a bit.”

  “I might be too afraid to set foot in this place again.”

  “She’s not that bad.” Ryan chuckled.

  As we ate, we talked about all sorts of things. He told me about his work, and I told him about my Humanitarian Assignment that started in a little over a week. He was enthusiastic about it and cracked a joke about being glad to hear that Sam’s father wasn’t unemployed anymore.

  “That sounds so weird,” I said, leaning back and patting my stomach after I swallowed my last bite of food.

  “Sure does. But you’d better get used to it. I’m sure in a few months, Sam himself will be calling you ‘dad.’”

  I hadn’t even thought about that. Being called dad for the first time was going to be strange. I scratched the back of my head. “Do you think he’s going to like me?” I asked. This question had been rolling around in my brain all week. I was actually intimidated by a nearly five-year-old, and I’d never cared more about what someone would think of me.

  “He’ll like you sure enough,” Ryan said. “He’s a bit shy, so just take it easy with him at first. Follow Jo’s lead. She can read the kid like a book, and she’ll guide you through it.”

  “But what if he doesn’t?” I asked, leaning close to my friend. “What if he thinks I’m an ass or something?”

  “Well, you are an ass.”

  “You know what I mean,” I said, a little annoyed that Ryan would joke about this. I was legitimately concerned.

  He waved me off. “Relax. He’s a kid. If you listen to him and pay attention to him, he’ll like you. It’s not rocket science.”

  “I’m an only child. I had no cousins. I have no experience with kids. At all.”

  “Well, you’re about to get some. Don’t overthink it. By the time Jo decides to introduce you, the time will be right. She won’t move too quickly. He’s a cool kid, man. Which is another reason why I’m so shocked you’re his dad.”

  “Is this joke ever going to get old?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Of course not,” I groaned.

  Sherry came back to our table and cleared our plates. Ryan nodded his chin at me. “My buddy here just found out he’s a father, Sherry. He’s a little scared. You have a few children, right? Got any advice for him?”

  Sherry gave Ryan something that might have been a smile but looked more like a grimace on her serious face. Then she turned to me, balancing our plates on the inside of her forearm. “Always think big picture,” she said.

  I looked at Ryan then back at her. “Could you clar
ify a little?”

  Her expression remained completely neutral. “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Kids will make you crazy. Don’t lose your shit over the stupid stuff. Save it for the big stuff.”

  “Uh, all right,” I said slowly.

  Sherry turned to Ryan. “Happy?”

  Ryan laughed and nodded. “Yeah, thanks. Words of pure wisdom, Sherry. Pure wisdom.”

  Sherry rolled her eyes and left us alone again. I looked at my friend. “She literally scares the shit out of me.”

  “Me too, sometimes,” Ryan admitted with a nervous laugh. He took a sip of water and watched me as I took my phone out of my pocket to see if Jo had sent me another message. There was one, which was just a kissing emoji, and I felt like a damn fool for smiling at it. Ryan cleared his throat, and I put my phone facedown on the table. “How long has it been since you saw my sister?”

  “The same day we gave Brett the boot. Last Friday.”

  “What do you say you call her and take her out tonight? I pick Sam up around six, and he doesn’t come home until tomorrow at noon. The two of you could… I don’t know. Spend some quality time together.”

  “Quality?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.

  “Don’t push me,” Ryan growled. “Or I’ll knock your teeth in. I don’t want to think about you and my sister doing—no. I can’t even say it. We’re sticking with quality time.”

  I smirked. “It’s top-notch quality if you were wondering.”

  “I wasn’t,” Ryan said, glaring at me.

  “I’ll take you up on that, though,” I said, ignoring the dark look in his eyes as I picked up my phone and dialed Jo. She picked up almost right away, and her voice was sweet as honey. “Hey,” I said. “What are you doing tonight?”

  “Nothing,” Jo said.

  “Not anymore you’re not. Be ready by seven. I’m taking you out.”