Begin Again

Nine

It was the middle of the night and I slept soundly as my fan blew on me, cooling me down from the heat of the California summer. As the mission had carried on, I had failed to sleep in case I received a call or text from the boys so now that I knew that were safe, I felt comfortable sleeping again.

Not long after I had moved in, Brooks set up a doorbell camera on the front door and the chime startled me, causing me to sit up. I slipped on my slippers before groggily walking to the door and peeking out to see who stood on the other side.

Without any hesitation, I opened the door and stared in disbelief at the man who stood in front of me, handsomely dressed in his uniform and two bags sat on the floor beside him.

"You're back," I said softly, the sleep apparent in my voice.

"I love you."

My brows pulled together as I stared at him, my heart threatening to race straight out of my chest. His words echoed in my mind but before I could open my mouth to say anything, he began speaking once more.

"I didn't say it before we left and I've regretted it every minute since. We almost lost Maverick and Rooster and it made me realize that I can't lose anybody else— I can't lose you. So I do, I love you and you deserve to know that."

Tears began to well up in my eyes as he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly. I had never known an embrace as comforting as Robert Floyd's and as much as it excited me, it also scared me half to death that I cared so much about someone so new to me.

"I love you too," I said softly as I looked up at him, gently cradling his face in my hands. "I was so scared that I wasn't ever going to see you again."

"Part of me didn't think we'd make it. I'll tell you everything that I can but for now, I just needed to see you."

"Come in," I said softly as I stepped back.

Bob grabbed his bags and I closed the door behind him. Though I had been awake since he has shown up, it took some time for me to realize that it was the first time he saw me looking like a hot mess with my hair in a messy bun and my baggy Harry Potter pajama bottoms hanging onto my hips for dear life.

"I've flown through a lot of combat zones and none of them compared to this mission," he sighed as he sat on the couch and put his head in his hands before running his fingers through his hair. "There were surface to air missiles everywhere. I keep hearing everyone's voices calling out the missiles we saw on one another playing in my mind."

I frowned and moved to sit beside him, my hand soothingly running up and down his back in an attempt to ease his mind.

"That sounds horrifying."

"The second I saw you, everything got quiet again," Bob admitted before taking a deep breath.

"Probably because it's hard to hear much over how much I talk," I teased with a small smile.

My smile faded as I realized that Bob had more on his mind.

"What is it?" I asked, a slight frown finding it's way to my mouth.

"I also wanted to ask if you'd come with me."

"To?" I asked, my brow raised in confusion.

"Home on leave," he replied. "My parents are anxious to see me and I thought maybe you'd want to come and see what the ranch life is like."

"I have to be in Austin by Saturday but I think I could manage some time in Lubbock," I replied softly with a small smile. "Brooks is supposed to be proposing to my sister and that's something I definitely can't miss."

"He loves her a lot," he chuckled. "All he could talk about was her."

"Kind of sickening, huh?" I laughed with a tired smile. "They're childhood sweethearts. Sickening but sweet."

I smiled at the thought of Mal and Brooks finally getting married after spending what seemed like forever together and it excited me for their future.

"You could always come with me. I know you want to see your family though so I'd totally understand if you didn't want to," I offered, hopeful that he'd want to come with me.

"I think I could manage that," he replied as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close against his side. "I'd better get going. I have one last meeting here first thing in the morning before I leave."

"When do we leave?" I questioned as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I hope I can find a flight," I yawned.

"I was hoping you'd say yes because I might've already got your ticket for you," he chuckled. "Pack first thing and we'll get out of here."

"Sleep here," I said softly. "No funny business or anything. I just need to be with you right now."

"I'm a much bigger gentleman than you give me credit for, you know," he teased as he stood up, offering his hand to me.

I stood up and locked the door before turning off all of the lights. Bob set his bags on my couch and I wandered into my bedroom and he wasn't far behind me.

"I'm having a hard time believing that you're really here," I said as I climbed into bed, my eyes on Bob as he undressed down to a plain white t-shirt and shorts.

"Well believe it," he replied as he turned the light off and climbed into bed beside me, his arms pulling me close and I snuggled against him.

"I'm all yours for the next week," I muttered with a yawn. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he echoed, placing a kiss just behind my ear before we both drifted off to sleep.