Page 17 of Surrendering the Skies

Ash glanced back over his shoulder. “Looks like you have some more people waiting to pay their respects, and I don’t want to hold up the line.” He patted his mother’s arm. “Let me make a few more introductions with Geneva and I’ll be right back.”

Together, they moved down the line of family members, starting with Ash’s brothers and progressing to more distant relatives. She reciprocated their warm greetings, eager to learn more details about the people she’d only seen on brief video calls or heard passing mentions of. Despite the tragedy that had brought her to Dorann, she valued the opportunity to see another part of his life, one she sometimes considered a mystery.

As she chatted with one of his sisters-in-law, she snuck peeks in his direction, observing the way he interacted with his family. Her heart brimmed with affection for him, as his love for them was so clearly displayed. There had been a time when she’d worried about integrating him and their relationship into her identity at home, away from their jobs, and she hoped for the same smooth acceptance into this new world.

The sight of another familiar face across the room interrupted both the ongoing conversation and her private thoughts. Her pulse raced when she spotted Marcus entering through the double doors, and then a knot formed in her stomach when she saw he hadn’t come alone. Adele walked beside him, her arm looped through his, ever the portrait of elegance and grace.

“Excuse me,” Geneva said to her new acquaintance. Gritting her teeth together, she hurried over to them, figuring there was no point in delaying the inevitable. “Marcus, I’m so glad you were able to come.”

“Of course.” He extracted himself from the other woman’s grasp long enough to give her a brief hug to accompany his greeting. “It’s good to see you, Geneva.”

She forced a smile, attempting to feign polite astonishment. “And Adele! I’m surprised to see you here. It’s such a long flight from Pasurea.”

“It goes faster when you’re not alone. I didn’t mind keeping Marcus company at all.” Her brow furrowed as she reclaimed his elbow. “It’s terrible, what happened with Ash’s father. I know we’ve only met one time, but I also wanted to offer my sympathy in person.”

“How sweet of you.”

She trailed behind them as they made their way over to Ash. On some level, she knew her annoyance at Adele’s presence was irrational, but she couldn’t quell her negative thoughts. As she watched them repeat the same solemn introductions and exchanges she’d just gone through, anger simmered inside her, though she wasn’t sure why. Even if she accepted the relationship between her, Ash, and Marcus would never be the same again, no matter how much she wished otherwise, there was no one to blame, no single valid target for her frustration.

After allowing herself the indulgence of shooting one more infuriated glare toward Marcus’s back, she took several deep breaths and rejoined them, standing by Ash’s side. Having such a tangible reminder of the hurt she still felt seemed especially cruel considering the somber nature of the occasion, but she tried to remember her primary reason for being there. While the conversation continued, she slipped her hand into Ash’s, lacing her fingers through his. Her own emotional state wasn’t her top priority.

***

Ash shut the door behind him and let out a long sigh. “I won’t lie, I’m glad that’s over with.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Geneva placed her knapsack on top of a low dresser and looked around the room. Less than half the size of the bedroom she’d grown up in at her parents’ house, few personal items remained on display, but one shelf contained an array of scattered books and picture frames in need of a good dusting. She made a mental note to examine them more closely the following morning before her departure, then stood in front of where Ash had sat on the edge of the bed.

“I can’t imagine how tough today must have been for you.” She draped her arms over his shoulders. “But, if nothing else, it’s obvious how much you and your family love each other. You’re a good son and a good brother, even if you spend most of your time zipping from planet to planet, helping to defend our skies.”

One side of his mouth curled up in a half smile and he pressed one of her hands to his cheek. “Thanks. I’ll try to keep it in mind whenever I’m feeling guilty about not coming home more often. Which has been happening a lot lately.”

She felt a twinge of remorse over whatever role she may have played in keeping him away but chose not to burden him with it. “So, you’ll make a better effort moving forward.We’llmake a better effort, because all you have to do is say the word, and I’ll hop on a shuttle with you to go wherever you want…assuming we’re ever granted leave at the same time again.”

He snorted. “I don’t foresee it happening at any point in the near future, but I appreciate your offer.”

“We’ll be on our best behavior and try to accumulate all the time off we can.” She wrinkled her nose as she recalled her last conversation with the admiral.

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” A lengthy yawn escaped his mouth as he stretched his arms above his head. “On that note, I hope you don’t mind if we make it an early night. I’m exhausted.”

“Of course not.”

Geneva stepped away from him. While he unzipped his jacket, she bent over to remove her shoes. “I do have to admit, though,” he said, “it was good to see all those relatives and old friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. I’m touched by how many people came to show their support, especially for my mom.”

She moved her shoes next to the dresser then pulled the elastic out of her hair and stuck it in her bag. “Everyone wants to do what they can.”

“It’s still nice of them.” He hung up his jacket in the closet. “And I’m glad Marcus and Adele were able to come, too. I know it was a long trip for them.”

She stiffened. “Yup.” Turning away from him, she reached for the zipper at her collar and yanked it down. “But I can’t believe he broughther,” she muttered under her breath.

“What?”

Closing her eyes, she tried to push aside her irritation, but she’d kept it bottled up for too long. “I said I can’t believe he brought her. She barely knows you, so there was no reason for her to be there, other than to really drive home the point how everything’s changed and he sees us in a different light now.”

“I don’t think he—”

“It doesn’t matter what his intentions were. It was wrong.” She wrested her arms out of the sleeves and threw the jacket on the ground, no longer concerned about its appearance. Her skirt met a similar fate, and she all but ripped the pantyhose off her legs before leaning her palms on the dresser. “Everythingis wrong. Marcus should be here now, with you, with us. Instead, he’s off with her, probably having a great time in whatever fancy place they booked and—”

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