The Duets

by Quinn, Meghan

  “Take care of the girl, will ya?” I ask Charles, the head of my flight crew.

  “Always.” He thumbs behind him and says, “There’s someone here to speak to you.”

  Clutching my helmet in one hand, and unbuckling my survivor vest so it flaps open, I look over Charles’s shoulder to see Mike standing next to a woman with blonde hair and . . .

  My stomach drops to the floor when for a brief second I think it’s Ryan. My eyes betraying me, I take a step forward, squinting to get a better look. When she brings her hands to her mouth, and I see an excited bounce in her legs, hope springs through my chest.

  Ryan.

  My love.

  I’m not fucking seeing things.

  That is my girl.

  I break into a run and so does she. We meet halfway as she leaps into my arms, her legs easily wrapping around my waist. Her perfume hits me first, followed by the press of her lips against mine.

  I bring my arms around her back and support her as our mouths fuse together. She swipes at my lips with her tongue, and I eagerly grant her access, my mind whirling with what the hell is happening right now, and am I dreaming or is she really here?

  Her hands fall to my cheeks, gripping me tightly, holding me in place, taking charge of our kiss. And I let her, because fuck, I can’t believe she’s really here.

  When she finally pulls away, I get a good look at her. The first thing I notice are her freckles, prominent and proud across her nose and cheeks. Then I notice the pools of water in her eyes, her beautifully bare eyes.

  She’s finally dropped her mask. She’s giving me her true self. God, she’s so exquisite. Her bravery, her love for me, it makes me fall in love with her all over again.

  “Oh fuck, this is . . . I love you so much, baby.”

  With a single tear rolling down her cheek, she says, “Welcome home, Colby.”

  My first welcome home, and how fucking apt that it’s from the first person who truly stole my heart. There might have been two women before her, but they were guides to get me to this right here, to this woman, to the love of my life.

  * * *

  “Come the fuck here,” I say when I shut the door to my apartment. Unfortunately love doesn’t stop the Air Force and military protocol, so even though I wanted nothing more than to take Ryan home, I had to go through a debrief, which could be multiple hours. Instead of having Ryan wait around for me, I had Mike show her to my apartment. I owe the guy a six-pack for being my chauffeur, but it’s well worth it.

  I drop my bag just as Ryan flies into my arms. I bury my head in her hair and encase her, never wanting to let go.

  “Fucking hell, Ryan. I love you.” I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right now.

  “Did I surprise you?” she asks, looking up at me.

  My brows go to my hairline. “Did you surprise me? Yeah, you could say that. I nearly flew out of my flight suit when I realized it really was you.”

  “Would you say it was the best birthday surprise you’ve ever gotten?”

  I chuckle. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  She stands on her toes and places a soft kiss across my lips. “Happy birthday, Colby. I have something else for you, but before I strip down to show you”—I groan in her ear—“I want to talk to you.”

  “Babe, whatever you’re going to say is going to go in one ear and out the other now that you said strip.”

  She tugs on my arm and laughs as she guides me to the couch, sitting me down only to sit on my lap where she plays with the zipper of my flight suit.

  “Do you really think this position is going to help my growing excitement to see you?”

  She playfully swats my chest. “Stop being a perv.”

  “Ryan, it’s been fucking months since I’ve been inside of you. I’m desperate at this point. I’m not a perv, I’m just so fucking needy where you’re concerned.”

  Shyly, she smiles down at me, her eyes blinking a few times.

  “I won’t be long. Trust me, I want to be naked as quickly as you do, but I want to clear the air.”

  Even though I’m already painfully hard, I know this is important to her, and it’s important to me too. I want to know her reasoning for the distance between us as well as why she’s here now. Sex can wait. I want to know that we’re about to start our forever.

  “I’m all ears, babe.”

  Letting out a deep sigh, she says, “Leaving you in Las Vegas was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I didn’t realize at the time how much I relied on you, not only for your love but for the confidence you instilled in me. Even though it almost killed me, leaving was one of the best things I decided to do.” She continues to play with my zipper as she talks. “I was in a bad place mentally, and when I said I couldn’t be the woman you deserved, I was serious. I was so fed up with myself that if I moved out here with you before I was ready, there is no way we would have lasted. I knew if I wanted to make this happen, I needed to get healthy first.”

  “And you did,” I say with a grin. “Rory told me you started therapy.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I should have known you two were in cahoots.”

  “She just gave me vague updates, letting me know you were okay. I needed to know you were okay.”

  I nod, understanding his reasoning. “It took me a while, but I finally reached the point that I could talk to someone. And then your letters showed up. It was almost as if they went hand in hand with my therapy sessions, guiding me along a path of learning to love myself. It wasn’t easy, and I had many tough and truly heartbreaking days, but I can finally say I’m happy and confident, and proud of the woman I am. I knew it was time to claim what is mine again, which is you. I’m strong enough to be your rock, Colby, the girl you can rely on when you come home from deployment or from a long mission. I want to be that girl if you’ll still have me.”

  “If I’ll still have you? Ryan, you never left my heart.” I press her hand against my chest. “You’ve rooted yourself inside here with no chance of getting out. You’re mine, made for me, my forever. I was just waiting for you to realize that.”

  “Well, I see it now. You’ve helped me see my worth, Colby. For once, when I look in the mirror, I see the girl you see, and she falls on the left side of perfect and on the right side of your forever.”

  My breath catches in my throat as my heart beats rapidly in my chest. I grip the back of her neck and bring her to my lips, where I let every last inch of my body melt into hers.

  It started with a simple pool game with the wrong girl, a relationship with a woman that kept the love of my life close to me without me realizing it. Then on one fateful wedding night, a friendship blossomed into something unexpected, something I never believed I’d risk again, but needed. She became an addiction, a soul I needed near mine, and even though rocky at times, I saw and believed in the beauty in our pairing. Both Rory and Sage led me to Ryan, giving me the tools and the understanding of what a real relationship is supposed to be.

  It’s not just about love, but about friendship. It’s easy to fall in love, to be infatuated with another person, but what makes a love last a lifetime is the foundation it’s built from.

  My love with Ryan started as a friendship and rolled into an everlasting bond. Not only do I love Ryan, but I like her. I like her so damn much that all I want to do is spend every hour I have with her, letting her push my buttons and hearing that infectious laugh of hers. And keep her out of the kitchen whenever possible.

  She’s my best friend, the girl who stole my heart, and the forever person I’ve been looking a lifetime for. She’s the left side of perfect. She’s the right side of my forever. She’s my everything.

  Epilogue

  COLBY

  “Are you ready?” Stryder asks, hand on my shoulder.

  The boys are outside, ushering people to their seats, while heaters flank the rows, trying to keep guests as warm as possible.

  “Is she ready?” I ask, turning away from the
window, nerves starting to prickle the back of my neck.

  A sly smile spreads across Stryder’s face. “She’s ready, man.”

  I let out a long, pent-up breath, letting the tension in my shoulders roll away. It’s going to happen. I’m finally going to make her mine, put a ring on her finger, and give her my last name.

  Ryan Brooks.

  Sounds perfect to me. Meant to be.

  “You know”—Stryder walks me toward the door—“if you think about it, all this heartache and confusion could have been avoided if we had gone after the right girls to begin with at the mountain party.” God, that seems so long ago. We were . . . kids.

  I chuckle, the sound vibrating through my chest. “Where’s the fun in that journey?”

  “Uh, it would have been a hell of a lot more fun than going through all the crap we went through.”

  I think about it.

  It would have been easier, but then again, I’m not sure Ryan and I would have lasted if that was the case. I think we needed to be apart, we needed to find ourselves, and be molded by our experiences before we could become the right fit for each other. Before we could become the right people who knew how to love each other how the other needed.

  “The journey was a son of a bitch, but the end result was worth it.”

  Stryder takes me into a small room right outside the venue. Sheer white curtains drape the windows elegantly, the walls are covered in natural wood, and a white love seat set in the middle of the room, finishes the room nicely.

  “She’ll be right in. Do you need anything? A box of tissues?”

  “Get the fuck out of here.” I playfully push Stryder away.

  When planning our wedding, Ryan made it very clear that she wanted to see me a few minutes before the ceremony. It was important to her to hold me and have a private moment before we were turned in every direction after we say I do.

  She didn’t care about it being “bad luck” or taking away the reaction from our guests of me seeing her for the first time. What she cared about was having one special moment with me.

  How could I say no to that?

  Especially after all we’ve been through.

  Shortly after Ryan moved to Korea, her dad divorced her mom. He said it was a long time coming. Ryan has yet to talk to her mom—she was invited to the wedding but never replied—and although their relationship was non-existent, she's grieved the loss. Thank God for Rory's mom, who has loved and supported Ryan in everything she does. Such a great mother figure in her life, and in some ways, mine too. Slowly but surely Ryan has been gaining the strength to let go of the hurtful and awful things her mom said to her, but it’s been a struggle, one we’re working on together.

  We’ve spent the last year in Korea, not the best station, but luckily, we were recently PCSed to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. To say Ryan enjoyed the change of scenery is an understatement, and I’m not too upset about it either because we were able to secure housing on base with a small pool, which means my girl struts around in a bikini seventy-five percent of the time. And her bikinis have been getting smaller and smaller lately.

  When she’s not lounging by the pool, she’s running a blog—something she never thought she’d do—an inspirational one that talks about her journey toward loving herself. It’s been therapeutic and lucrative. She’s made it her mission to instill positive body images in all her followers, which has included makeup tips. Ten-minute videos to show women how to change from applying heavy makeup—their own façade to hide behind—to subtly highlighting their best features. There’s also a seminar in the spring that she’s been asked to present at. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

  There is a light knock at the door and for the first time today, my stomach flips, sending a ball of nerves straight up my spine. This is it.

  “Come here, baby,” I call out, anxious to finally see her, to give her the wedding gift I’ve been hiding.

  The door creaks open, anticipation heightening within me as a peek of white makes its entrance. Slowly, she glides past the door and shuts it behind her, sheltering us from everyone outside.

  I start at her feet where flowy fabric falls over a pair of high heels. My eyes follow a slit off to the side that gives me a glimpse of her tanned and toned leg. Continuing my perusal, I take in her slim waist, followed by strategically placed flower lace that shows her skin in all the right places but covers everything else modestly.

  Goddamn.

  I rub my fingers over my lips as I take in the rest of her. Her blonde hair is loosely pulled up into a bun, with a flower fixed in the back, and she’s applied natural-looking makeup that accentuates her dreamy eyes, but doesn’t hide her gorgeous freckles.

  Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

  And she’s all mine.

  “Baby.” I take a step forward, reaching my hand out to hers, which she shakily takes. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.”

  “You like the dress?” she asks, a little self-conscious. She went alone when she bought it, FaceTiming with Rory for a second opinion.

  “It’s breathtaking. You . . .” I swallow hard. “You made my heart skip a beat.”

  She lets out a long breath and then smiles at me, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m so lucky you asked me to marry you, Colby. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t remind myself how lucky I am.”

  I bring her knuckles to my lips and place a soft kiss on each hand while looking her in the eyes. “I’m the lucky one.”

  Gently, I pull her in close and cup the back of her head, reveling in this moment before we walk down the aisle. We may be moments from committing ourselves to each other for the rest of our lives, but I know deep in my soul, that we’ve been committed to each other since the day we first met, before our minds understood.

  “Do you want your wedding gift?”

  “You got me something?” She pulls away, a crinkle to her cute brow. “I didn’t get you anything.”

  “Tonight, babe, your present to me will be received tonight.” I lean forward and nibble on her ear. “When I strip this dress off you and make love to my wife, that will be your present.” She shivers beneath my touch, and fuck if I don’t want to take her dress off right now. My fingers itch to pull down the zipper, but I hold back, knowing there is something much more important waiting for us a few minutes from now. Truly claiming her as mine.

  “I think I can make that happen,” she whispers, “and I did happen to buy something special to wear for you tonight.”

  I groan in her ear, gripping her tighter, images of her in white lingerie flooding my mind and making me forget all about what I’m supposed to show her.

  “Maybe we skip the reception and go straight to our hotel room?” I run my hand down the side of her dress to the slit where I skim my fingers along her heated skin to the hem of her underwear.

  She pulls on my tie and brings her lips inches from mine. “But what about the cake?”

  “Fuck the cake, baby, I’m hungry for you.”

  She chuckles and pats my chest. “Patience, Colby. It will all be worth it.”

  “I know it will, that’s why I want you now.” I move my fingers past her underwear and to her ass where I grip it tightly. “Let me at least get a taste of you now. I want to fuck you with my tongue so when you’re walking down that aisle, I’ll know why there is a satisfied smile on your face.”

  She cups my cheek. “I’ll have a satisfied smile because the man I’m going to marry is you.” She kisses my lips and then says, “Plus I’m not getting my pictures taken with a freshly fucked face. Sorry, Colby, I love you, but my dad is going to hold my hand in a few minutes, and I don’t need him wondering why I’m still panting with a red face.”

  I chuckle into her neck and release her ass from my firm hold. Damn it, she’s right. “I hate it when you make sense, you know that?”

  “I know, but the minute the reception is over and we’re in our room by ourselves, I promise you, all clothing will be lost and you can lick,
suck, bite, fuck any and every part of me.” Oh fuck. That’s not helping here. She presses another light kiss on my lips before putting more distance between us. “Now what’s this gift you have for me?”

  Knowing there is no way she’s going to let me in that dress, I relent and guide her to the love seat where we both sit, facing each other.

  “Do you remember a while back when we made a bet about what’s considered noon?”

  “How could I forget?” She rubs her tattoo with her thumb.

  “Do you remember when I said I was going to get one too?”

  “Yes, but you never did.”

  “Not true.” I push my sleeve back and show her my arm.

  Written in cursive, on my right forearm are the words right side. In awe, her hands fall to my arm where she gently strokes it a few times.

  “I wondered why you were wearing clothes to bed last night, it was weird.”

  I chuckle. “I didn’t want you to see it until now. This tattoo represents you and the love you’ve forever given me, my right side of forever . . .”

  Tears well in her eyes when she looks at me. “Your right side of forever.”

  “Exactly.” I squeeze her hands and say, “This is it for me, Ryan. You’re it for me. I knew I would get married one day, that I would find the right person, but I never knew the person would be as absolutely incredible as you. You’ve consumed me, taught me about perseverance and strength. You’ve shown me what true, soul-bearing love is, and that it’s the type of love that’s eternal. Whenever I’m flying or on deployment, I know you’ll always be with me, because you’re my forever.”

  One stray tear falls down her cheek and I quickly catch it with my finger before it ruins her makeup. “I love you so much, Colby.”

  “I love you, baby.”

  Stryder was right; we could have made our lives so much easier if we’d chosen the right women first. But this moment right here, experiencing an intensity of love I never knew possible between us, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know in the depths of my soul, that the journey was worth traveling. The journey made this perfect.