Chapter 58

58

DEAN

Eight Months Later

I stepped in front of the mirror and adjusted my tie. It had been a long time since I put on a suit. I thought about wearing my uniform but decided to leave it in the closet. This was Sarah's day. I didn't want to steal her thunder. I wanted people to look at her—not me. I'd been supporting her for the last eight months and I didn't regret it for a minute.

It was a new way of life for me. At first, I did miss the daily grind. I even missed PT at the crack of dawn. At first. But now, I liked my life. I liked working at the bar with Jude. We had managed to take care of a lot of the repairs that had been ignored for too long. We thought about really giving the place a facelift but changed our minds. The rundown look gave the place character.

I checked the time and realized I needed to get going. Mo was going to save me a seat, but he would be pissed if I didn't show up at least thirty minutes early. I left the apartment I was renting about three miles from base. Sarah stayed with me when she could, but her time was mostly spent on base. I cherished the time we managed to get together.

The auditorium was packed when I walked in. Thankfully, Mo was who he was and had prime seating, even though he wasn't currently occupying his spot. I craned my neck to see over the heads of everyone else in the audience. The excitement was palpable. Proud parents, wives, kids, and every other familial relation packed into the seats. Next to me, Meg was practically vibrating with anticipation. I scanned the stage and spotted Mo, fully decorated and in uniform, making his way to the microphone.

Karen took several pictures. Her pride at seeing her husband up there and knowing her oldest daughter was about to graduate had her practically glowing.

I glanced at Meg. "How's school going?"

"Good," she said, her gaze looking around the room, searching for Sarah. "A little boring compared to everything that's happening here. But it's alright."

"I'm sure," I replied, studying her for a moment. She looked so much like Sarah, but younger, less hardened by life.

The room suddenly quieted down as Mo cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Today, we celebrate the graduates of this year's Undergraduate Pilot Training program. This group has shown remarkable dedication, resilience, and skill. They should be proud of themselves, as we are proud of them."

He paused, allowing his words to sink in. "They will always look back on this year as one of the best of their lives—even if parts of it felt brutal." There were chuckles and nods of agreement from those who understood the grueling process all too well.

My eyes searched the graduates until I found her. Sarah was standing tall, beaming with pride. She looked radiant in her uniform, her smile lighting up the room. She was top of her class, unsurprisingly.

Mo began introducing each of the graduates by name. I clapped along with the rest of the crowd as each one came up to shake his hand and accept their diploma.

And then it was Sarah's turn. There was a moment's pause before her name was called.

"Next we have… Sarah Thomas."

A chorus of cheers erupted from our corner of the room as she walked onto the stage with a wide grin on her face. My heart swelled with love. Mo embraced her, pride written all over his face.

This was her moment. She had earned it.

The ceremony continued but I was hardly aware of it. My attention focused on Sarah as she left the stage and rejoined her fellow graduates. Her eyes found mine in the crowd. We shared a secret smile that made my heart skip a beat.

The ceremony finally came to an end. The crowd rose to their feet for a standing ovation as the graduates filed out. I managed to weave my way through the throng of people, congratulating families and friends along the way.

Sarah was waiting for me, her cap in one hand and her certificate in the other. Her eyes sparkled with pure joy. "I did it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me.

"You did," I confirmed, my hands resting on her waist. She looked up at me, her smile brilliant. I could see relief in her eyes, but more importantly, I saw pride. She was proud of herself and that meant more to me than anything else. She had earned her spot. She never once rested on her name or her father's connections. She never used our relationship to her advantage.

"Come here," I said, pulling her closer. Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers in a tender kiss. It was a promise of devotion, of love, of commitment. She responded eagerly, wrapping her arms around my neck, forgetting all about the fact we were surrounded by people.

Pulling back slightly, she looked at me with raw emotion. "Thank you," she whispered. "For believing in me. For pushing me. For even setting me straight when I got a little sideways."

"I always will," I told her honestly. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Thomas.

She pulled back slightly, her eyes sparkling. "I like the sound of that."

Before we could say more, her friends surrounded us, shouting their congratulations. Kylee, Rolley, and Clay were all there, despite their own struggles and disappointments. Kylee had graduated but not the guys.

"Can you get a picture of us together?" Kylee asked as she handed me her phone.

"Of course," I responded. The group of friends gathered around Sarah. They posed, smiling. Then of course, the guys had to get goofy. I took several pictures before handing the phone back to Kylee.

"Just a minute," I said, pulling my own phone out of my pocket. "I want one for myself."

They all laughed and posed again, Sarah looking radiant in the center. I snapped a few photos before tucking my phone away again.

Meg and Karen made their way to us. Once again, Sarah was showered with praise.

"Let me get your picture together," I said.

Once again, I played the photographer, getting pictures of Sarah with her mom and sister. Mo would get his chance later. He was surrounded by other officers.

"Meg, let's go find your father," Karen said. "We'll catch up with you guys tomorrow. I'm sure there will be a lot of celebrating going on tonight."

"Thanks, Mom," Sarah said and gave her mom and sister a hug.

Rolley grinned mischievously as he sidled up to Sarah. "Hey, is your sister single?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Sarah rolled her eyes and playfully punched his arm. "Back off, Rolley. You want me to bust your kneecaps so you can't do UPT next year either?"

He laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, I was just kidding."

"Hey, I'll find you in fifteen minutes," Sarah said. "I want to say goodbye to a few people."

"I'll be here," I said.

I watched her walk away with a smile on my face. I remembered the day I graduated. It was a huge accomplishment. I slowly moved to the outskirts of the crowd, recognizing a lot of faces. A lot of my former colleagues shook my hand and asked how I was doing. It was good to see them and hear where their careers were taking them.

Sarah waved at me from a crowd. I gave her a thumbs-up, letting her know she was free to mingle. I was a big boy. I didn't need her at my side all night to feel secure.

"Ryker," Mo said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Mo, good speech," I said.

He chuckled. "I've given so many of those I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."

"I'm guessing this one was a little different," I teased.

He smiled. "Yes, I suppose it was."

Our friendship had been through the wringer, but we were slowly finding our way back. We had spent the holidays with them in Colorado. I knew it was still hard for him to see his little girl all grown up. But he was easing into it. I understood and was perfectly fine with letting him warm up to the idea.

"You must be proud," I said, nodding toward Sarah, who was laughing with her friends.

Mo's expression softened. "I am. She's something special."

"Yes, she is." I nodded. "Top of her class, that's a pretty big accomplishment."

Mo grinned. "I always knew that's where she would finish. She's special."

"I agree."

"She's going to do great things," he said with a proud smile. He watched her for a couple more minutes. "I'm going to take Meg and my wife back to the hotel."

"You're not going to the banquet?"

He shook his head. "If you've been to five, you've been to a hundred. I promised my girls I would take them to a nice, private dinner."

Realizing I wasn't going to get a chance to talk to him later, I knew I had to take the opportunity to do it now. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the moment. I sent up a silent prayer for courage. "Mo, I'd like to talk to you in private sometime soon. There's something I'd like to ask you."

He flashed me a knowing smile. "You have it."

I blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"My blessing," he said, his lips curling into a goofy grin. "That's what you were going to ask me for, isn't it?"

Before I could respond, Mo walked away, leaving me standing there with a grin on my face. I watched Sarah from afar as she celebrated her achievement with her friends. Every now and then, she would glance my way, our eyes meeting across the distance. My heart swelled with love for her.

She came back to me, giving me a big, wet kiss. "Are you hungry?"

"For what exactly?" I teased.

She giggled. "Later. I am officially on leave for the next three weeks. We are going to have a lot of time to do that."

"I hope so because I have a lot of plans for this hot little body."

"Keep talking, and you might just get laid," she said and flashed a smile.

We made our way to the banquet being held in the base hall. There were a lot of speeches, toasts, and enough food to feed an army. The hall was beautifully decorated. A harpist played softly on the stage, creating an elegant and serene atmosphere.

I looked at Sarah, appreciating her beauty. I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Would you like to dance?" I asked softly.

She shook her head, with a playful smile. "Not to this."

I grinned. "Not to this?"

"I'm thinking we need something a little livelier. I want to change and get into something comfortable. I want to let my hair down and really celebrate."

"How about we sneak out?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Lead the way."