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“Yeah,” Christian said with a dreamy sigh. “But that’s because he’s a big softy under all that no-nonsense attitude.”

General Winter’s opening gambit when dealing with a troublemaker was a hardass glare. Nick had to fight to keep his face neutral when the expression, probably born of habit, immediately turned to one of exasperation. Nick couldn’t claim to be an expert on Christian, but based on reputation, he was pretty sure the man wasn’t usually so flippant.

“Thank you, Christian,” General Winter muttered, gently nudging his husband off the desk.

Nick watched as Christian pushed back with his knee, giggling again. His eyes drifted toward the edge of the desk, and he let out a soft sound of understanding. An open crystal decanter sat beside two glasses. One of the glasses still had an inch of dark liquid, and the other was empty.

Another giggle, and Nick realized Christian was a goofy drunk.

General Winter cleared his throat. “Did you need something, Engel?”

Nick felt his lips twitch but fought hard to keep his expression neutral. “Yes, sir. Since I’m going on leave tomorrow morning, I felt it necessary to inform you that where I’ll be, there is no landline, let alone a cell tower.”

General Winter tilted his head gently to one side. “No contact?”

Nick shook his head. “Holiday with my family, and where we’re going, they prefer to have no contact.”

“Interesting,” General Winter muttered, pushing Christian out of the way so he could view Nick clearly. “Though I can’t say I disagree with the logic.”

“We did the same thing for our honeymoon,” Christian informed him happily.

General Winter ignored him. “I assume the same will be true for your teammate.”

Nick wasn’t sure if that was an indication of him forgetting Matt’s name or if it was just a respectful nod to knowing they were close and still considered each other a team at the end of the day.

“Yes, sir.”

General Winter nodded. “Understood. I wouldn’t worry too much about what happens here. Barring a disaster, I doubt we’ll need you here.”

“I’m sure a few more than usual will be too hungover to train effectively,” Nick said.

“Indeed. We have things well in hand.”

Christian eyed the bottle with interest, stealthily sliding the glass with liquid in it. “He means I usedmyfree time to helphimorganize his fancy soldier party.”

“Yes,” General Winter agreed easily, grabbing the glass from him before it could reach Christian’s lips. “That’s true. Your help has been invaluable and is why I haven’t gone completely gray.”

Christian pouted. “I like the gray.”

General Winter’s cheeks flushed. “Anything else, Engel?”

Nick jerked his head, pretending he was back in boot camp so he wouldn’t break. “No, sir.”

“I appreciate your head’s up. If you’re all done for the day, go home.”

It wasn’t quite a curt ‘dismissed,’ but it was all Nick needed to know his presence was desperately not wanted. Christian was still pouting and kept shooting General Winter a pleading expression. From the strain Nick could see on the general’s face, the older man wasn’t going to be able to resist much longer.

He snapped a quick salute. “Have a Merry Christmas, General.”

Christian grinned. “Get going before he implodes from embarrassment.”

Nick didn’t need to be told twice, quickly backing away before the general lost his composure. He had just witnessed a part of General Winter’s life he was sure very few people had. Nick could understand the separation between worlds, though he hoped it wasn’t for fear of what others might think of him. If anything, seeing General Winter so obviously in love and enjoying himself made Nick like the man a little more.

Well, and maybe feeling a little envious too.

Nick was turning thirty in a few months, and for some reason, it was altering his views on some things. He’d always wondered what he was going to do about his career. Military careers could be prosperous, but while you were still part of a select team, you weren’t always sure if you’d end up higher on the ladder or released back into the wild, relearning how to be a civilian. Personally, despite the horror some soldiers had shown, Nick rather liked being relegated to a desk. After a decade of fighting life or death so consistently, he was okay with a bit of peace and quiet.

Unlike his younger self, however, he found his attention wasn’t so much on the future or even wondering if he would live to see it but more on the things he was missing. Foremostamong them, he could only look at couples like the general and Christian and feel a tug in his chest.