The morning after Felicia’s impromptu dinner with the Winstons, each minute on the clock dragged by. Gage planned to come in to pick up Ralph at ten. At nine thirty-five, she was about to jump out of her skin. She couldn’t tell what she felt more...anticipation or dread.

So when she looked up at a knock on her office door to find her best friend, Billy, smiling at her, all she felt was relief. “Hey, you. How did you know I needed to see a friendly face this morning?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t. But I got your text from last night and was in town, so thought I’d drop by to see what’s going on.”

She’d sent him a text to let him know that when he was within reach she needed to talk to him. This time of year, his herd was up on the BLM land of the mountains, so reaching him could be hit or miss.

”You have time for a coffee? I’m in between patients right now.” And this would give her the perfect out so that she wouldn’t have to see Gage again. One of the vet techs could handle Ralph’s release.

“Really?” His voice rang with disbelief.

She never left her practice in the middle of the day unless it was for a house call for one of the local ranches. “Yeah.” She locked her computer, grabbed Ralph’s file with his latest completed tests all showing good numbers, and her purse. “Let me just go give this to Patty, and I should be able to escape for about forty-five minutes.”

Billy followed her to the reception area, his cowboy boots echoing along behind her on the faux wood floor.

She reached across the counter and laid the file by Patty’s computer. “I don’t have any appointments right now,” she told her office manager. “The Winstons should be in soon to pick up Ralph, but I’ve already told Mr. Winston everything he needs to know. Basically, Ralph is fully recovered.”

“Okay,” Patty said slowly as she glanced behind Felicia to Billy in question.

“I need to talk to Billy about something, so we’re going out for coffee. I should be back in plenty of time for my eleven o’clock.”

Patty frowned down at the file.

Kamber, another vet assistant, walked up. She nudged Patty and tapped the file. “The Winstons. This is that guy that Briggs was talking about. It seems Mr. Winston and Dr. Parks have some sort of mysterious history. He said their chemistry together even got him hot and bothered.” Kamber sent her a mischievous smile. “You wouldn’t be avoiding Mr. Winston now, would you?”

“Of course not,” Felicia scoffed ignoring all three of their curious, interested looks. “I just need to talk to Billy. Text me if there’s an emergency.” She tugged Billy out of the vet clinic before anyone said anything else.

Her face felt hot as they got into Billy’s truck.

He looked at her suspiciously, but didn’t say a word until they pulled out of the parking lot.

Felicia blew out a breath of relief. She’d done it, had managed to avoid seeing Gage today.

“So,” Billy said slowly. “You want to explain what’s going on?”

Felicia shut her eyes with a big huff. “No, not really, but I will. Remember back when we first started getting close, there was a guy I was all broken up about?”

“Of course. I gained ten pounds that year by eating ice cream with you as I commiserated with your heartbreak.”

“Exactly. That was Mr. Winston—Gage. It took me forever to get over him, but I did it. I’m finally, finally moving on and have a great guy in my life. And what happens? Gage shows back up. Dammit, Billy why does fate hate me so much?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Billy’s vibrant green eyes widened. With his distinct Latino-style coloring, those eyes were riveting. “Back up. Your old boyfriend is here?”

“Yes,” she said miserably as he parked his truck at their favorite coffee shop, Espresso Life. “Gage is Gage Winston. He’s the new wing commander at Vandeman. He and his twin teenagers came in with their dog just as they arrived in town. He’d eaten something poisonous in the woods up in Snowcroft.”

“The dog had eaten something poisonous, not Gage, right?”

“Yes.” She snorted out a laugh as they got out of the truck and went in and ordered.

This is why Billy was her best friend. He could pull her out of any funk. After Whitney had died and Gage had broken her heart, their friendship had become a necessity in her life.

But their perks of friendship worked both ways. Whitney’s death had hit Billy really hard. Felicia had dealt with her heartbreak using ice cream. Billy had dealt with his using alcohol. It took them both a while to learn that their vices weren’t doing anything to fix the pain. They leaned on one another to break their cycle of dependence, and she now had an incredibly close best friend. She was even closer to Billy than she’d ever been with his sister, Whitney.

“What about Steven?” Billy asked as they sat down at a small table.

“What about Steven? We’re fine. Just because Gage is in town...that doesn’t change anything.”

Billy frowned at her. “Um, Fe, I’m thinking that the fact that you just ran from your own veterinary clinic to avoid seeing him means that it might signify something. Do you still love this guy?”

“No,” she scoffed. “That was eighteen years ago. He broke my heart when he cheated on me. Hell, he has seventeen-year-old twins. I haven’t sat down and done the nitty-gritty math, but I’m thinking if I did, I’d find out he probably cheated on me with their mother.” And god, that made her chest hurt. She rubbed it. That meant he’d been sleeping with multiple women back then, not just the one she knew about for sure.

Billy frowned as he accepted their coffees from the barista. “Are they still together?”

Felicia shook their head. “No, she died recently, but it sounds like the marriage only lasted for a couple of years after the twins were born.”

“So, he’s single?”

Felicia traced the lines of the shop name on her paper cup. “He didn’t say as much, but that’s the feeling I get.”

“Does he want you back?”

“I don’t know.” She tossed up her hands. “He said he missed our friendship. He knows I’m involved with Steven. In fact, Steven and I were on our way out for a date when he showed up with the sick dog.” A date that Steven had emphasized as special and she’d cancelled in favor of taking care of Gage’s dog. Guilt twanged beneath her breastbone. Steven deserved someone who treated him better, who could at least make him a priority.

She let her forehead drop to the table. “God, I suck at men. This is why I don’t do relationships. It’s just easier not to.” But as she said that, she knew it was a lie. Both Gage and Steven had brought her so much happiness. Even if her relationship fell apart with Steven now, she wouldn’t want to give up the happy experiences of her last six months with him. The same could be said about her time with Gage.

“By the way”—she lifted her head and wrinkled her nose at Billy—“I’m going to owe you a favor. I may have kind of offered Gage’s son a job on your behalf.”

Billy’s eyes widened, and he barked out a laugh. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, but he’s a good kid.” She rushed to explain the details. “He seems kind of lost. His sister has all these definite plans for what she wants to do in life, and he just...doesn’t. He talked about exploring new things to see if something piqued his interest. He’s grown up in a suburb outside of Atlanta, so I doubt he’s even seen a working ranch. It would be great if you could show him what it’s all about and maybe open up some new ideas for where he might want to go after high school.”

He shook his head, even though his eyes were filled with good humor. “Felicia, I am nowhere close to a guidance counselor. “

“I know that. If nothing else, he’s a strong, young kid that you can use to help out with all the manual labor. You know you’ve been thinking about hiring someone. Now you don’t have to worry about going through the whole hiring process. You’re welcome.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why I ever even try to argue with you.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying for years.” She smiled at him. “Oh, and I think working with you might help Austin. I get the feeling that he may be gay and still in the closet.” There had been a definite vibe between him and Briggs, but he’d been careful about not letting Gage see it.

She glanced down at her watch. “Oh, look at the time. I better get back to the clinic.” She jumped out of her chair and rushed out of the coffee shop before Billy could react.

But unfortunately, they’d come in his truck, so she couldn’t escape very far.

He strode out of the coffee shop behind her, stopped, and stared her down over the hood of his truck. “So if I’m understanding you correctly, your old boyfriend is in town, and you’re a bit conflicted over that, but you can’t seem to step away from the whole situation. So I’m going to have to hire his son and guide him through the gay life.”

She gave him a sharp nod. “I always knew you were smart.”

“You’re really lucky I like you.” He just shook his head as he unlocked the truck doors. They both got into the truck.

When they arrived back at the clinic, she didn’t see any unknown cars in the parking lot. She’d missed Gage. That was good.

Before she opened her door, she turned to Billy. “Thanks for listening to me and everything to do with Austin. I’ll text you his phone number so you can call him and set it up to meet him. I owe you.”

“Yes, you do. And I’m going to collect when it comes to vaccinations this year.”

She winked at him as she climbed out. “I can agree to that. Thanks, Billy.” She waved him off as he drove away.

She could breathe freely again as she entered the vet clinic. She’d been gone less than an hour, but avoiding Gage had lifted a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. If she were a braver soul, she’d take the time to examine just why it mattered so many years later. But she wasn’t ready to explore that. Not yet.

***

AS THE OUTGOING WING commander made his farewell remarks to his troops for the Change of Command Ceremony, Gage looked out over the personnel of his new wing. Sweat dripped down his spine under his dress blues, but he stayed in position, not letting his discomfort show. The large hangar where they all baked in the New Mexico summer heat had never been meant for large gatherings like this, but in the Air Force, they didn’t do air conditioning for ceremonies...they did hot, echoing, metal airplane hangars.

He tried to distract himself as he looked over his new troops with a critical eye, but instead of being able to focus on the mass of soldiers, his gaze kept straying back to his kids.

There had been so many ceremonies like this over his career...promotion ceremonies and various command changes, but this was the first time he’d had civilians show up to support him. Chelle had never been able to come when they were married, because the twins were too young and active to control during the austere ceremonies.

But that had never bothered him all that much. The only absence that had really upset him was the promotion ceremony Felicia has missed. He hadn’t handled her missing it gracefully.

***

18 YEARS AGO

After two days of packing and unpacking a truck to move Felicia from Oklahoma to New Mexico, Gage was dog-tired. It probably hadn’t helped that he’d driven from Georgia to Oklahoma in a single day. And that was after working a four-day exercise at his base in Georgia where he did nothing but catch catnaps in between flights and briefings.

But he couldn’t get more leave than these four days to help her out...one day to get to Oklahoma, one day to get Felicia packed up and driven to New Mexico, one day to unload in New Mexico, and then one day to drive back to Georgia.

He’d known going into it that it would be exhausting, but the reality had been worse. He was tired and sore and cranky, but the truck was empty. Now he just had to convince Felicia to set up her bed first, so they could anoint her new apartment in style.

He slid the roller door shut on the back of the rental moving truck and dragged himself up the stairs to Felicia’s third floor apartment. If he never saw those stairs again, it would be too soon.

When he entered, Felicia was on the phone. “No, it’s no problem, Dad. I knew you and Mom would have to work. That’s why I coerced my big, strong boyfriend to come out and help me move.” She winked at him. “Are you sure? That’s a long way to drive just for dinner.” She listened to her dad. “Okay, let me ask him.”

Felicia pushed the mute button on the phone. “My parents really want to come up from Las Cruces and meet you. Are you okay with going to dinner with them tonight?”

Fuck, he so didn’t want to meet her parents. Not tonight. He wanted to order a huge pizza and make love to his girlfriend, not necessarily in that order. They’d been dating over two years now, and that entire time they’d lived in separate cities and states. That made him selfish when he got time with her. If he had his way, he’d never let her out of bed when they were together. And this was his last night here.

“Felicia, I’m exhausted. I want nothing more than to fall into bed. I’ll meet them next time I’m here. Right now, I’d make a really piss-poor impression on them, and that’s the last thing I want. Besides don’t they have to work tomorrow, too?”

“Yeah,” she said, the reluctance in her voice palpable.

“Then they don’t need a late night, either, baby.” Her parents lived a little over an hour and a half away. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Let’s keep it just you and me tonight.”

He could feel the shiver of anticipation that rolled through her body and knew he’d won. Thank fuck. He loved Felicia, but was not in the mood to kiss up to her parents tonight. He needed to tackle that task after he’d had some decent rest and had spent a good week getting reacquainted with Felicia’s delectable body. No. Right now, all he needed was Felicia in bed. And then he’d snag a few hours sleep before heading back for that hellaciously long drive to Georgia in the morning.

Fuck, he hated that she lived even farther away from him now.

***

THE NEXT MORNING CAME way too fast. Felicia had been unusually quiet, but she didn’t like him leaving anymore than he liked leaving her. Maybe when she finished with this internship, they could finally talk marriage. He’d just been waiting for her to finish with veterinary school. This internship was the last step in that process. He just hated that she’d had to move farther away from him to Terravista, New Mexico to do it.

He pulled her in for a final hug and kissed the top of her head. “I’m going to miss you, but it won’t be too long this time before we see one another again. You’ll be in Georgia next month for my pinning-on ceremony.” He’d be pinning on captain. Finally, he’d be making enough money so that he could feel comfortable making plans for their future—an engagement ring, a house, and a new car that Felicia desperately needed.

She stiffened in his arms before pulling away. She shook her head. “I thought we’d discussed this. Gage, I’m not going to be able to take off. I’m just starting this internship. I’ll be low man on the totem pole. I can’t start next week and immediately ask for vacation time.”

They had discussed this, but he’d thought he’d convinced her to at least try. “It’s important for you to be there,” he said, ignoring how whiny he sounded. But dammit, he’d wanted to share this with her. He’d been there for all her big moments, and she hadn’t been at any of his military ones. He was tired of being the one who always had to put out the effort and travel the distance between them. “This is an important ceremony for us and our future.”

She scoffed out a half-laugh and gave him a mocking look. “Meeting my parents last night was important for us, too, but you didn’t care to make the time for that.”

“So this is payback for not wanting to lose any of my time with you?” Fuck, he was so damn exhausted. He didn’t want to fight with her.

“No.” She blew out a breath and tossed up her hands. “You have to see how impossible this is, Gage. Internships are hard to get. I was so lucky to get this one with Whitney. They made a special exception to accept two interns instead of just one. To throw that generosity back in Dr. Hernandez’s face...I just can’t do it. I need to be here for the work I committed to do.”

He shook his head. “Yeah, I see where your commitment is. Forget I even asked.” And then he stormed out the door and headed back to Georgia without even a goodbye kiss.

***

PRESENT DAY

That fight was the beginning of the end for Gage and Felicia. Six months later, they were over. No marriage with the woman he’d really loved, although he’d already bought the engagement ring. There’d be none of the future he’d envisioned for the two of them.

He glanced over to where the maintenance group all stood at attention. The squadron commander, Major Steven Hardesty, stood front and center, watching Gage rather than listening to his soon-to-be former commander talk.

Gage straightened his already tight shoulders. That was his competition, the guy that stood between the possibility of him and Felicia rekindling their romance.

Did she love Steven? Did he treat her right? If he did, Gage would try to be happy for her. Looking back, Gage knew he hadn’t treated her right. He’d tried, but he’d been too immature, too self-absorbed to be the boyfriend she needed him to be back then.

He glanced over at the twins in the front row, looking bored out of their gourds. For all the mistakes he’d made over the years, though, he couldn’t regret that his biggest mistake had left him with them. His kids were amazing. Having them here was more incredible than he’d ever imagined...which brought him back full circle to why he’d gone off on this tangent of thought.

For the first time ever in his career, he had someone in his corner. Someone—actually two someones—who were here to support him. That felt pretty damn incredible. That felt more powerful than any jet flight ever had, and he never thought he’d be able to say that.

Up until this point, he’d thought that flying an F-16 was the most incredible high he could find. But in the last few days, he’d come to realize he might have underestimated the impact the power of love could have in his life. He still floundered when it came to his kids, but the contentment of having them under his roof every day was astounding. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d been missing with them all these years.

He had one year to fix that before they set off on their own paths. He planned to take full advantage of that time...in between running an entire Air Force base wing. Should be a snap.

Aw, hell, who was he kidding? Either one of those propositions would be a full time job, but he planned to do his best with both. As he stepped forward for the exchange of the guide-on, he glanced over at the twins. His kids and this wing had to be his priority over the next year.

He didn’t have time to even think about chasing after his first love, but he wanted her back so he’d have to figure out a way.