Page 12 of Forever Flirting

Ghazni, Afghanistan

X-Ray walkedinto the barracks from his vacation and Alex looked up, smiling at his wingman… before his smile faded, looking concerned. X-Ray was always fairly easy-going and liked to joke around, but this man before him wasn’t the same.

X-Ray looked upset – and something was definitely going on.

Alex watched as Hot Cakes, one of the other pilots, walked up to his wingman and whispered something to him. He guessed that the two were a lot closer of friends than he was – or Alex was just really jaded when it came to life nowadays.

Who could blame him?

Mallory was barely civil – and it wasn’t that he expected her to fawn all over him, but he was Caleb’s father and would like updates a little more often than once every few months.

He sent his son everything through Amazon now simply for the ‘delivered’ notification status that came through via email. She never informed him that the toys arrived or that Caleb liked what Alex had sent him.

No, she would email him a very coolly structured email – treating him like a stranger or bitter enemy.

Yo Sperm-donor,

Caleb turned two today and has eight teeth. He got his flu vaccine at the doctor’s office and weighs thirty-one pounds. He is thirty-five inches tall. Thought I’d let you know he’s doing well and extremely healthy.

Here’s a picture of Caleb eating birthday cake.

Bye,

M A L L O R Y

* * *

Her rare emailsalways made him frustrated and annoyed.

Alex was sincerely trying, and knew nothing about his son – except that his mother held grudges for eternity simply by the way she signed every single email that she had ever sent him with her name drawn out in bold letters.

Yeah, Alex was a jerk. That night was a terrible mistake on his part – but he was at least trying since he found out about Caleb. Didn’t that count for something?

He sent diapers, formula, and clothes for the little boy… hoping and praying that they were the right size. He mailed teething rings, a little Popper walker that popped balls annoyingly as you pushed the toy, and a few Matchbox cars… because what boy didn’t like toy cars?

Yeah, he might be stationed out here, but he didn’t plan on being an absent father in Caleb’s life. He was going to try his best to make some sort of effort or impact, so long as Mallory let him…

Alex sighed heavily.

“Did you get married?” Ghost asked quietly, pointing at X-Ray’s hand. “I thought you said you were never getting married…”

His eyes flew across the room in shock – zeroing in on the bright blue wedding band on X-Ray’s finger. Sure enough, the pilot was wearing one of those weird silicone bands on his left ring finger. Vapor had done the same a few months ago, but that guy was only engaged.

“Never say never, Ghost…” Hot Cakes laughed easily. “Many of us have said that, and all of us lied through our teeth.”

“Why is it the guys that don’t want to get married end up finding that special person… but those of us who are desperately looking, who believe in Happily Ever After, cannot find our way out of a cardboard box?” Ghost muttered in disgust. “I try… but they don’t look at me twice. ‘I’m too nice’,” he mocked, holding up his fingers in air quotes.

“I’ve got a friend that will set you up with a girlfriend…” Hot Cakes’ voice carried across the room as silence fell.

Several of the men looked at each other, and you could have heard a pin drop. Houdini, Paradox, and Maestro shared a distinctly uncomfortable glance at each other, while several of the other guys smirked.

They all knew Sparky was talking to someone already, X-Ray was now suddenly married, and that only left a few single men left in the group.

“Houdini is going to be staying with Alpo and Glory…” Reaper volunteered, looking at Hot Cakes knowingly.

“You’re setting him up,” Sparky jeered in delight, and Handsy rolled his eyes in the distance.

“WHAT?” Houdini balked, turning extremely pale and looking around in horror. “I don’t want a girlfriend! You said for me to…”

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