Page 25 of A Miracle for the Reserved Flyboy

“I’m a pilot, sir. I fly a fighter jet,” Gary replied, sitting up a little straighter, willing himself to make a good impression. This wasn’t a simple job description; it was part of who he was.

Her dad raised an eyebrow, visibly impressed but not giving much away. “Where are you stationed?”

“Afghanistan, sir.”

Krista’s mom exchanged a concerned glance with her husband, but it was her father who leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. “And my daughter… she knows this?”

“Yes, sir. She’s aware of my position, the travel, the deployments. It hasn’t been easy,” he admitted, not willing to sugarcoat it, “but she knows.”

Her dad exhaled, weighing Gary’s words before he nodded. But his face quickly hardened with his next question. “And you’re not planning on dragging my daughter into some whirlwind of…?”

Before her father could finish, Gary held up a respectful hand, determined to speak his piece. “Sir, with all due respect, I know what you’re about to say. And honestly, Krista and I… well, we have a lot to discuss between now and tomorrow evening. I’m scheduled to fly out early the following morning. If—” he hesitated, realizing how much was riding on these words, “if we’re truly going to move forward, there’s a lot we’ll need to work through. This isn’t a simple situation, and I’d never put her in harm’s way. She deserves the world, and I’d want to give her that or nothing at all.”

His voice faltered at the end, realizing just how crazy this situation was. He’d walked into the home of a woman who hadbeen setting him up on blind dates for days, and now, after such a short time-frame, he was sitting in her living room with her family, explaining his intentions toward her in the hopes that Krista might feel the same way. He hadn’t even kissed her or held her hand, yet somehow, sitting here among her loved ones, he felt more at home than he had in years. It was like something had clicked into place, as if fate had finally found its target.

He wanted this. He wanted Krista, this family, this life. But there was still so much left unspoken, unknown.

The room was silent as her father studied him, his sharp gaze softening just a fraction. And then, he leaned back, folding his arms across his chest with a glint of humor in his eye.

“Well then, young man,” her dad began with a small smile breaking through, “if you’re serious about my daughter, I have a task for you.” He leaned forward, placing a firm hand on Gary’s shoulder. “You help me, and I’ll help you.”

Gary raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. “That’s how family works, now, isn’t it?”

A hearty laugh erupted from Krista’s dad, shaking Gary’s shoulder with friendly camaraderie. “Oh, I think you and I are going to get along just fine,” he said with a grin, giving Gary’s shoulder a final squeeze.

And at that moment, Gary felt the first real pangs of hope, thinking that maybe, just maybe, he’d found more than he ever expected.

Chapter 9

KRISTA

Walkingup to the front door of the house, she was frustrated to see that the porch light was off and the Christmas lights were still unplugged. This meant she would be fumbling around with her key in the dark – and even more frustrating, it matched her mood. She was bummed, felt hopeless, and had no idea how to convey the feelings within her when she could barely sort them out herself. Gary was leaving and if it was truly love, then she was going to be alone for an indeterminate amount of time. And it was completely insane to be thinking of all of this because she had yet to even see how he felt, if he was even interested. There was a good reason the man had reached his mid-thirties without any kids, a wife, or prospects. Was she putting all of her proverbial eggs in a basket that had no intention of becoming a basket… and while she never thought about it before, were her ‘eggs’ now the possibility of babies?

“Oh gosh,” she whispered, feeling it like a punch in the gut. “Is this what baby fever feels like?”

Every time her mother brought it up, Krista had brushed it off. She had no prospects, no leads, no one looked at her like a potential mate because she was always ‘the matchmaker’ who was pairing up people – and with several weddings under her belt, she was successful at it. But now, for the first time ever, she was wishing, hoping, dreaming of a future that other women fantasized about and it was a little alarming.

She had her career, a life, and had been saving for a home. She was proud of the fact that she didn’t need a man in her life – or hadn’t until now. Now that his departure was looming on the horizon, she really wanted to keep in touch with Gary to see if anything was there for him, too.

Kneeling in the darkness of the front porch, she felt around and grabbed the plug. Patting her hand across the brick, she finally touched the metal insulated plug covers and opened it, inserting the plug. The soft Christmas lights immediately shone, illuminating the space, and she sighed, already feeling lighter. When she had a home someday, she wanted to put them up every year just to cast this glow that felt so welcoming.

Rising to her feet, she heard the front door open and nearly sighed. She was home, and things were safe. This is where she felt loved and comforted… a place to recharge. She would eat, take a second to breathe, sort her thoughts, and then track down Gary. He was staying with Cajun, so it shouldn’t be too hard to do, but then again, he mentioned he had ‘things to do’ before leaving – whatever that meant.

“Hi baby,” her mother began, smiling at her. “I’m glad you are home. I was worried about you.”

“Rough day,” Krista said quietly, nodding. “I finally got the stage set up, and it looks great.” Walking past her mom, she dropped her keys on the entryway table like usual and hung her purse on the hall tree near the door, removing her coat. “I thinkit will hold up unless we get some freak snowstorm like two years ago.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Something smells good…” Krista began, turning, and her words died in her throat as Gary, who was sitting at the table with her father, rose to his feet. He stood there, looking at her, his dark eyes luminous as he waited.

“We’ve got company,” her mother offered behind her in a hushed voice.

“I see that.”

“Hello,” Gary began and hesitated. “Could we talk for a moment?”

And to her shock, her father patted Gary on the shoulder like they had known each other for years, whispering something to him.

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