Page 53 of Flyboy

She almost didn’t leave a message, but then she said simply, “Hey. Miss you.”

She turned off the phone, shut down the WiFi, and turned off the generator. Falling asleep to the sound of waves lapping and the gentle rocking of her boat was one of heaven’s greatest gifts.

The next morning, helicopter blades woke her. She sat up, wiping sleep from her eyes. Her heart flipped a couple of times. She hurried up on deck and squinted into the early morning sun toward the sound.

A government-issued bird approached. She could tell it wasn’t going to be a flyby. She moved to the railing, wondering. And hoping.

When it got close enough, she laughed into the wind at Colton’s face, leaning out the opened door. She waved back.

Then he held the intercom radio to his mouth. Over the loudspeaker, she could make out his words over the sound of the blades whipping in the wind, keeping the helicopter hovering slighting above her position. “Can I drop down?”

She grinned, thinking for a moment, then nodded and waved him to come.

He didn’t wait another second before jumping down into the water.

She lowered the ladder over the side and ran for a towel.

When his face popped up, water cascading off of him, his hair beautifully mussed up, he said, “I heard someone missed me?”

“It’s the strangest thing.”

He climbed out and walked to her outstretched towel. He ran the towel through his hair and looked around. “All this beauty to look at, and you missed a sorry cowboy pilot?”

She stepped closer. “It’s like everything I do is missing something.”

His eyes lit. Then he stood close enough she could see his skin underneath his wet shirt. She could feel the heat between them, even though he was drenched with the cold northeastern ocean water. She stepped even closer, his wet clothes brushing against her dry ones.

“You’ll get wet.” His voice was low, husky, inviting.

She wrapped her arms around him, immediately drenched through. “Thanks for coming.”

“I’ve learned something over these last few months without you.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

He got as close as he could without actually kissing her. She felt the cold from the ocean off his mouth. She felt the puffs of his breath on her lips. “Everything I do is missing something too.” Then he pressed his lips to hers, capturing her in a great love that seeped through everything between them. Tendrils of happiness, joy, and completion filled in all the lonely gaps, and at once, everything that had been missing all these months was now found. She wrapped her hands tighter around his shoulders.

His fingers spread, and his palms slid across her back, lowering down to her waist. He pulled her closer, and she tried to capture more of his mouth, more of him.

After a moment she hoped would never end, she noticed the area around them had once again grown quiet. “I think you lost your ride.” She mumbled against his lips.

“Hmm?”

“They left you.” She pulled away. “Is that a problem?”

“Not for me.” He searched her eyes. “But, they are ready to come back and get me whenever you think it’s time to give me the boot.”

“How about a sail to Nantucket and a fixer-upper project this summer?” Her eyes sparkled.

“As far as invitations go, that is the best I’ve heard in years.” He cradled her closer. “I love you, Ivy. In case that isn’t clear. I love you. And I’m sorry I scared you. And if I could, I would keep you blissfully safe and unscared for the rest of your life.”

His words flowed through her, igniting her insides with the power of his words. “I love you too. And I wouldn’t stress too much about keeping me safe. I should tell you. I swim with sharks now.”

The shock on his face, the horror of it in his mind, almost made her laugh, but she knew what it felt like to worry for the safety of the person you loved. “But I won’t tell you about it if you don’t tell me about whatever you do.”

He looked like he might complain or have another opinion about her shark swimming, but instead, he just nodded. “Deal. That seems fair.”

“Good, now, let’s get you out of that shirt.”

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