Present day

Gage opened his eyes with a gasp, the lingering dream of sweet memories fading to only a tendril along the edge of his consciousness. Memories of the night he’d met Felicia.

They’d had a discussion about fate that night. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his naivety about the cruel twists of fate and choices. He’d made so many bad decisions over the years. He shook his head and wiped his hand over his face. No, he didn’t believe in fate anymore. His love life had been fucked up by him and only him.

But that didn’t mean his body didn’t remember and want what he’d once had with the gorgeous brunette. His cock throbbed at the memories of how that weekend had gone. In the end, they’d been snowed in because of a freak spring snowstorm that hit the southern Oklahoma plains. Felicia and he had taken advantage of the time, spending three glorious days and nights in her bed, getting to know everything about each other.

When he had finally returned to the base four days later, he’d been more than halfway in love with her. Eventually, he’d ruined it all.

That particular memory had his morning erection flagging, which was a good thing since he could already hear the twins up and in the kitchen, arguing. The echo of their voices carried throughout the empty house.

He glanced at his cell phone lying beside the air mattress on the floor. Forty-five minutes before the movers were supposed to arrive with their furniture. Maybe if they had their things, the twins would calm down a bit. They’d sniped at him and had been at one another’s throats for days. The stress of this move so close after their mother’s sudden death had pushed all of them to their max tension levels.

He almost set the cell phone down, but then saw he had several missed texts from a local number. Felicia. He opened them.

They were from her. His heart jolted at the knowledge she’d reached out to him, even if it was only about the kids’ dog, and she truly had nothing to do with him personally.

There were several updates...about every two hours throughout the night. The latest had been an hour ago. Ralph holding his own. Think he’s going to make it. Will test further this morning.

Relief flooded Gage. Maybe the twins would relax a bit once he shared this good news. And on that note, it was time to get this day started. It promised to be a busy one.

He rolled off the air mattress and onto the hard wood floor and groaned as his back twinged. While the temporary beds were better than sleeping directly on the floor in the empty house, he’d be glad to have his stuff and real bed here. They had two days counting today to get the house unpacked and situated before the wing change of command, and he reported into his job. Piece of cake, right?

“Hey, asshole. Shut the fuck up!” London’s screamed from the other room, making Gage wince.

His seventeen-year-old daughter had the mouth of a sailor, and she was in a great mood this morning.

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. First task, get the unhappy teens under control.

A few minutes later when he entered the kitchen, London scowled at her brother, but her eyes were filled with tears.

Damn. Those tears made his gut clench. He hadn’t seen either one of the twins cry in all this time until last night and now they didn’t seem to stop. He’d only been able to come home for one day for their mother’s funeral two months ago since his assignment in Japan had been wrapping up. He wouldn’t have been given even that much leave if he hadn’t had to sort through the twins’ paperwork to take custody of them. In the fourteen years since their mother and he had gotten divorced, he’d never had custody of them.

It was a sad state. He was a virtual stranger to his own kids, and they didn’t trust him enough to be vulnerable and let him see their emotional turmoil. Last night with the dog was the closest they’d come.

He blew out a loud sigh and examined the twins. “I have no idea what you’re fighting about, but chill. It’s already going to be a long day without you two at one another’s throats.” He held up his cell phone. “Dr. Parks texted me all night long. Ralph is still holding his own, and she’s sounding positive about his prognosis.”

London’s tears immediately dried up as relief flooded her face. “Can we go see him, Dad? Please?”

He glanced over at the clock on the stovetop. “The movers are going to be here in thirty minutes, so I can’t leave.”

London drew in a breath to start arguing with him, but he raised his hand. “Hold on. I’m not through. I can’t go, but I think it would be fine for you two to go to the vet clinic this morning and visit him.”

“Really?” London’s smile hit him in the gut. It was huge and the first real smile he’d gotten from her.

He nodded. “Yeah, I’m a pro at handling the movers. Just tell Dr. Parks that I’ll be in after we finish up this afternoon, or I can come in when the movers break for lunch if she needs me to.” Butterflies kicked up in his stomach at the idea of seeing Felicia again. Damn, he’d missed her over the years, and that fact was driven home now that she was just a few miles away. He wanted to see her...badly.

Austin squinted at him. “You know her from somewhere else, don’t you? You’ve met her before. She said your name last night before anyone told her.”

His kids...they weren’t dumb. He just had no idea how much he wanted to reveal to them. They were still mourning their mother. They probably wouldn’t appreciate knowing that despite marrying their mom, his heart had always belonged to Felicia, especially back then.

“Yes,” he said slowly. “I met Felicia a long time ago. Back when I was in pilot training, and she was in veterinary school in Oklahoma.”

London’s eyes widened dramatically. “And you both ended up here? That’s bizarre.”

Fate. That word from his memories filtered through his brain like a taunting melody. It was a huge coincidence that was for sure.

“Yeah, I had no idea she still lived here.” Although somewhere in the back of his brain when he’d been told of his new command, he’d hoped. When she’d accepted her internship, he’d helped her move to Terravista. Last night, things had been so frantic, it just hadn’t occurred to him that they were taking Ralph to the same clinic where she’d interned.

“Did you date her?” Austin asked, his frown growing even more suspicious.

“It was a long time ago.” Gage glanced at the clock again. “Why don’t you two go ahead and take off before the moving truck boxes your vehicles in. Take some time. Explore the town. This is going to be your home for the next two years. Well, I guess just one year for you guys since you’ll be headed to college next year.”

Suddenly, Austin’s gaze slid to the side. What the hell was that about? He’d thought Austin wanted to go to college.

Damn. He didn’t have time to question the look right now.

“Just make sure you’re back by lunchtime. In fact, if you could bring me something back, that would be great. Whatever you get is fine.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of cash and handed it over to the teens.

London reached for it, but as she tugged, Gage kept hold to make sure he had her attention. “Just remember to text me periodically throughout the day with where you’re at. This is a new town, and I don’t want you two getting lost.”

She rolled her eyes. “This town is tiny. We’re seventeen, and my car has GPS built into it. I think we can handle it.”

There was the petulant teenager he knew and loved. Well, he couldn’t say he loved the attitude, but she was still his daughter, so he dealt with it as well as he could. Interpretation...he bit his tongue and ignored the ’tude. “Text me,” he said with a bit more sternness in his tone.

“Yes, Colonel,” she bit out before snagging the money and flouncing out of the room.

Gage blew out a breath. Austin just smirked and turned to follow his sister out of the house.

Gage rested his palms on the counter and deep-breathed for a count of five. Coffee. He needed coffee to deal with this day. Luckily, he’d made enough moves over the years to know to travel with a coffee pot and all the essentials in his vehicle. He went to the counter and opened the box to the new, top-of-the-line, one-cup brewer that he’d brought in the night before.

He was inhaling the steam from the caffeine when the doorbell rang. The movers were here. Let the chaos ensue.

***

FELICIA HAPPENED TO be in the waiting area, discussing scheduling with her office manager, Patty, when the twins walked in. They weren’t officially open for business yet, but they’d left the door unlocked so the staff could come in. Felicia knew the kids were anxious to see their dog, so she smiled at them in greeting.

She’d been too focused on Ralph to really pay attention to the teenagers when she’d met them last night. Both kids heavily favored Gage. They had his thick, dark hair, his green eyes with flecks of silver and gold in them, and his good looks. Gage had always been a gorgeous guy, and his son looked almost just like he had when she’d met him. But his daughter surprised Felicia. Who knew Gage’s good looks would translate into a feminine version so well?

Most teenagers had to deal with being horribly awkward and a little odd looking as they grew into their adult bodies. Well, that certainly wasn’t the case with the Winston kids. They were both beautiful.

Who was their mother? She hadn’t come in with them last night, and Gage hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring, but as a pilot, he wouldn’t. Jewelry of any sort wasn’t allowed in the jets.

The idea of Gage being married hurt, but it only made sense. They hadn’t seen one another in eighteen years. He certainly hadn’t acted like a priest during that time. Hell, he hadn’t even managed to stay monogamous during their relationship. The idea that he might have remained celibate was ludicrous.

But she had Steven now. It didn’t matter who Gage had in his life.

She shook herself free of her musings and stepped forward to greet the kids. “I bet you two want to see a certain golden retriever. I was just back there, and Ralph was eating some breakfast. Come on back, and you can check him out for yourself.”

“He’s really going to be okay?” the girl asked.

Felicia took in the worry lines between the girl’s eyebrows. “What’s your name?”

“She’s London,” the boy answered. “I’m Austin.”

“Cities...I like it.” Although that really didn’t sound like something Gage would have done, which just went to prove that she had no idea who he really was besides some love-swept, rose-colored, fantasy man she’d created in her young head when they’d been dating long distance.

Austin rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Our mom named us.”

Now that made a bit more sense. She unlocked the door to the kennel room and indulged her curiosity. “And how old are you guys? Will you be going to the local high school?”

“Seventeen,” London answered. “And unfortunately, yes.”

Felicia tried not to flinch at that age. Seventeen. That meant it was very possible the twins had been conceived before they had broken up. It definitely had to be a near thing. Had he cheated on her the whole time they’d been together? Her chest hurt. How could the idea of that still hurt so much?

She and Gage had been over ages ago. She should be completely over him. It was obvious he’d gotten completely over her, if she ever meant anything to him at all.

“So, seniors or juniors?” Either age would be a hard time to move. Those high school years were already so drama-filled, and being a kid of the military wasn’t for the weak. At least they had each other.

They arrived in front of Ralph’s cage, and as he stood, his tail wagging to see his kids. London cooed as she greeted Ralph.

Austin was still paying attention, though. “We’ll be seniors. And you didn’t answer her question. Is Ralph going to be okay?”

Felicia smiled at him reassuringly as she reached across to open the cage. “I’m going to open this, but don’t let him come out. We’re trying to keep him as immobile as possible, so he doesn’t dislodge his IV.”

London nodded solemnly as she reached into the cage and buried her face in the sweet dog’s fur. The dog took a deep breath as if he needed the reassurance from his owner just as much.

Felicia smiled. Good owners with happy pets...the best blessing for any veterinarian. She turned back to Austin. “Right now, I’m cautiously optimistic. As you can see, he’s feeling much better this morning, but we’re still monitoring him to see if he has any organ damage from whatever he ate yesterday. So far, it looks like his breakfast is settling well, and that’s a very good sign. Ralph may just be one of the lucky ones since you all were so quick thinking when he started having problems. Nothing’s guaranteed at this stage, but he looks good.”

Relief flooded the boy’s expression, and he reached toward Ralph. It was like he had been waiting for confirmation that the dog would live before he allowed himself to reach out. An interesting self-defense mechanism.

Patty leaned into the doorway to the kennels. “Dr. Parks, your first appointment is here.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Patty. I’ll be right there.” She turned to the kids.

London’s eyes widened. “We don’t already have to go already, do we?”

Felicia pressed her lips together tightly. She really shouldn’t allow the teenagers to stay back here by themselves, but she also didn’t have the heart to kick them out yet. “You can stay for just a bit longer. Ralph is scheduled for an abdominal CT scan in about thirty minutes. You can stay with him until the techs come to get him prepped. Okay?”

“Thank you!” London sprang up from the floor and threw her arms around Felicia. “For letting us stay and for saving his life.”

“I’m just doing my job,” Felicia said as she extricated herself from the girl’s embrace.

She started to leave, but Austin’s voice stopped her. “My dad told us to tell you that he’ll be in after he finishes with the movers. Is that okay?”

Seeing Gage again? As her heart leapt in excitement, she worried that it was entirely too okay. She shouldn’t be counting down the minutes until that happened again. She nodded. “That’s fine.”

And then she rushed out of the kennel area before the way-too-observant kids read something on her face that she sure as hell shouldn’t be feeling for a married man with a family.

Besides, she had Steven now. And he was great. So much better than Gage had ever been.

Maybe if she told herself that enough, she’d begin to believe it.

***

THE AFTERNOON AT GAGE’S house had devolved into chaos.

With every broken or slightly damaged item London unpacked that had belonged to her mother, the more unhinged she became. “It doesn’t matter.” Her voice sounded tight. “What’s one more ruined thing in this journey from hell that you’ve brought us on?”

When she began crying over a hideous bird sculpture, Gage had had enough.

He clapped his hands and hollered into the house. “Okay, all Winstons file in. It’s time for us to take a break, get out of here for a little bit, and find something for dinner.”

Slowly, the twins slogged in, both of them glaring at him like he’d told them they needed to go out in the field and forage for their meal.

God save him from overdramatic teenagers.

Gage nodded his head at Austin. “You want to drive?”

Austin shrugged. “Sure. Where are we going?”

“How about we go and check on Ralph? I need to talk to Dr. Parks about when he can come home, and then we’ll find someplace to eat dinner.”

Austin nodded, and they all filed out of the house and got into Austin’s truck.

“You know,” Austin said as he took the loop around town, “you never did tell us the whole story with your history with Dr. Parks.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” London added with her eyebrows raised at him in challenge.

Gage rubbed his hand over his tired face. He so didn’t want to get into his tragic love life with his teenagers, but they obviously weren’t going to drop it. “Okay. I’ll give you the short version of it. I dated Dr. Parks for a couple of years, but we never lived in the same town. It was just too hard to do the long-distance thing. Neither one of us were mature enough to handle the stress that so much time apart put on our relationship.” Meaning...he hadn’t been mature enough to handle it. He was the one who ruined it all and broke both their hearts.

“Did you love her?” London asked, and for once her tone wasn’t filled with attitude or spite. It sounded like she really wanted to know.

“I thought so at the time, but we were going two different places in our lives. I was in the Air Force. You guys know how much I’ve moved.” The kids had never been part of those moves since he and Chelle had gotten divorced so early. “There was no way she could have built a vet practice and a life with me at the same time. Our lives were at crossed-purposes. We just wanted to believe something else at the time. The relationship was doomed to fail.”

“She broke your heart,” London said softly.

Gage shook his head. “We broke each other’s hearts. It just wasn’t meant to be. Besides, if it had worked out with her, I wouldn’t have you two, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.” He could say that and truly mean it now. Back then, the reality had been very different.