58. alessia

58

ALESSIA

Daegan holds me tight. He has his mask on. It's that same creepy sharp teeth signature smile on his mouth. He kisses the top of my head repeatedly before he pulls his mask up just above his mouth to plant one more see you soon kiss.

"I love you, Mrs. Hannibal."

"We're not married yet, Daegan." I scrunch my nose in defiance as I tip-toe to kiss his cheek. He grabs his bag full of equipment and throws it over his shoulders.

That thing has to weigh about a hundred or more pounds.

"You already are Mrs. Hannibal to me. I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that. Plus, I'm sure there's already a little Hannibal cooking in there." He points to my belly.

"Doubtful. Don't get ahead of yourself." I scold him.

I stopped taking my birth control when I first got home after my deployment. He may be right, but that would be fast, and I doubt a baby is growing. I've gotten two periods after I was attacked by Gabe. I expect my next one in the next twenty days or so.

I playfully nudge his chest away, but his combat boots are cemented to the floor. An airforce plane roars behind him, ready to take them where they're needed. Grim and Rooker pass by with their black masks, and Lopez and Kane fall behind me and Daegan.

"I love you, Daegan. Please be careful."

"Always am. I love you too."

"Creature! Let's go!" Grim shouts. I peek over my fiance's shoulder and see the most accomplished Navy SEAL. A huge scythe where his mouth is, but those blue eyes glow against his mask.

"When I come back, we're getting married, and you're going to meet my mother, Margaret." He tells me as he tucks hair behind my ear.

I suck in a breath as my heart flutters with heat.

Daegan turns to leave. He twirls his bullet as he stalks toward the plane, and I watch his favorite knife move against his belt as he closes the distance to the plane.

Kane walks by, and our eyes lock together for a second. His black mask is in his hand, clutching it tight. I stop him, grab his shoulder, and pull him in for a hug.

I care so much about Kane, and I know he feels the same way. It's a mutual relationship of friendship. His kindness and understanding will always be unmatched. He's become my closest friend.

"He won't tell me where you guys are going."

He hugs me tighter and then lets me go just as fast.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon with the type of clearance you have." He pats my head with his military-issued gloved hand.

"You have to tell me how you met this new woman of yours!"

Kane smiles littered with sunshine. He gives me a salute and starts to walk backward. The creases of his dark blue eyes are present, signaling that signature happy smirk.

"Yeah, about that…" his voice trails off with unease.

"Oh gosh, what?" I bark after him. He can't leave me on a cliffhanger like that. The chismosa in me wants to know his secrets.

"It's a long story, but I'll let you know soon. I'm going to leave now before Creature kicks my shit in for hugging you. See you, shortie!"

"Whatever!" I shout at his back.

"Kane! You were going to leave and not say goodbye?" A voice I know because of my time in the hospital rings through our ears. Kane stops, and it takes him a second to gather himself. I watch him turn around and face Ari Rider. She's in a beautiful red summer dress.

He stiffens but then relaxes. His aviator sunglasses are still on, and he grins with pure sunshine.

His cheeks flush a bit, and he stalks back to where Ari stands.

Every step he takes gets faster, and Ari holds out her arms in a friendly manner.

They embrace finally, and she tiptoes as he hugs her. She pats his back three times, and she smiles.

"Please be safe. Bring me back my husband." She pleads as they let each other go. Her brown eyes sparkle with genuine concern for their safety. I shouldn't watch them say goodbye, but it's quite literally happening a few feet away, and I wanted to see all the guys off.

"We always are. And, of course, I will." He reassures her as she holds his hands in hers.

"I've never stopped caring about you, Kane. You mean a lot to me. Just…be careful? He told me this was going to be a long deployment."

He lets go of her hand and clenches his jaw.

"It is going to be long."

He replies as he starts to walk backward.

"You haven't stopped caring about me…but I've never stopped loving you. I'm not sure I ever will." His smile is gone, his voice deep and full of emotion. He scoffs. Looking down at his boots as he walks.

She stiffens, and pain hits my chest.

Kane is always good. He is always happy. He is a good man who loves someone who belongs to someone else. I guess that's life sometimes. Not everyone gets to have their soulmate.

"Goodbye Ari Alvarez! I'll make sure that we both come back home, don't worry."

She relaxes a bit and smiles. He turns around.

Grim watches at a distance from the plane and Ari waves to him. She kisses her lips and holds out her hand in the air.

I watch Kane reunite with Lopez. Lopez twirls a toothpick. He's maskless and notices me watching all of them. They all have camo paint all over their faces, like they're ready to jump in and fight somewhere.

He winks at me, "Adios bonita!"

I pinch my brows together as I roll my eyes and purse my lips.

Always a flirt.

I watch them enter the plane before I give in to my journey back to the parking lot. I'm sitting in my car, listening to music while I watch the plane ascend into the sky. The airplane lights flicker, and the entire airfield vibrates from it taking off. It takes me back to the night we stargazed and pretended that the military aircraft were shooting stars.

Tears fall down my cheek because there's an ache in my chest. I know there's a hole in my heart that will remain until I see him again. The fear about loving someone who leaves constantly is that it hurts each time we say, see you soon. It doesn't get any better with time because there's always that dreadful reality that it can quickly turn into a goodbye when you least expect it.

I rest my forehead on the steering wheel and cry until my body physically can't take it anymore. After all the things I've seen when I was in Iraq, it's hard not to face the cruel reality of their job. With all the intel and information that would spill in, I now look at deployments and missions differently. I look at the Scarred Executioners differently.

These men are incredible, and I admire them.