Page 94 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

One Year Later

David hummed as he marched down the path to his home.

He’d stayed later in the office than he would have liked, but he had to make a few last-minute adjustments.

His assistant was not the most adept and struggled under the job's demands.

As such, David was forced to take on a great deal, which increased his already substantial workload.

However, it wasn’t all bad, as his work had been gradually reduced over the past few months.

His gut feeling for Oscar Reyes had turned out to be on the money.

The man had proven very good at the job once he’d gotten a handle on the full scope of his duties.

David quickly found many responsibilities he’d taken over for Operations slipping back where they belonged and straight into Reyes’ capable hands.

David stopped at the gate, gazing up at his home with a frown.

It wasn’t the first time in the past couple of months that he’d spent longer at work than usual.

In truth, he could have dealt with everything the next day but chose to stay in the office.

His house felt so lonely without Christian around to spend a few nights a week with him.

For almost a decade, David had loved the peace and quiet of his house.

Then he’d begun dating Christian, and his home was filled with glorious noise three to four times a week.

Christian loved music when he did just about anything and loved singing along.

He was also fond of dancing to the music, whether or not he was clothed.

Then there were constant conversations, with Christian always ready to fill the silence and talk to David about anything and everything, approaching every subject happily and excitedly.

David’s peace had been shattered and replaced with something infinitely more valuable.

Life.

But now, Christian was gone. Studying law in Boston.

It had been a hard decision for him, but inevitably, he’d decided a military career was not for him.

The last week of Christian’s time at Fort Dale had been beautiful, filled with desperate lovemaking and bittersweet talks long into the night.

Yet, he’d had to leave, flying out to move in with his sisters, who were overjoyed to have their brother around.

David sighed, swinging the gate open and walking up the front path.

They still talked, of course, and video-called when they could.

Messages were shot back and forth all day, some clean and some not.

David had no problem sharing compromising pictures of himself with Christian, something the other man found both arousing and amusing, considering David’s history.

Unlocking the front door, he stepped inside, dropped his bag, and flipped on the light.

“Honey, I’m home,” he called into the empty space.

A head popped up from the darkness of the living room. “Hi, honey.”

David stumbled back, gripping the doorway. “Jesus Christ!”

Christian’s laughter echoed through the house. “Someone’s jumpy. Maybe you should cut down on the caffeine.”

David brought a hand to his furiously pounding heart. “Good Lord, Christian, you scared the sense out of me.”

“I can tell,” Christian said, flopping over the back of the couch with a devilish grin.

“You are aware I’m nearing fifty, right? You could give me a heart attack,” David accused as he stepped closer.

Christian looked up at him, frowning. “That’s not funny. And considering your ticker is still as good as ever, highly unlikely.”

“How did...which one was it?”

“Troy.”

David sighed. “I will be having a little talk with him.”

“Like hell you are. I have the goods on him.”

David raised a brow. “The goods?”

“Yep.”

“Oh goody, now you’re having clandestine talks with my medics.”

Christian hopped over the back of the couch and immediately darted for David. Knowing what was coming, David held his arms out, grunting as Christian’s body collided with his. Christian slid his arms around David’s neck and held tight, grinning.

“I missed you,” Christian whispered.

David’s frown melted away. “I missed you.”

It had only been a few months, but it felt like an eternity since he’d held Christian in his arms. He was warm in every way the word could be used, and his weight against David felt like a drowning man’s first breath. David pulled him closer, savoring their first sweet kiss in three months.

“So much,” David added against his lips.

“Good,” Christian said, running a thumb against the base of David’s neck.

“How did you get here?” David asked, still holding tight to him.

“It’s Spring Break. I’ve got two whole weeks all to myself.

My sisters wanted to do something, but all I had to say was I was gonna come here, and they shut right up.

Lily says hi and that she can’t wait to meet you.

And I’m sorry, but she’ll probably call you Daddy Winter,” Christian added with a grimace.

David blinked. “Pardon?”

“Don’t ask. And when she does, don’t react. Otherwise, it’ll just encourage her.”

“I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”

“Don’t be. You’ll like Mary more. Well, once she pulls off the big sister act, she swears she won’t do it, but she will anyway.”

David raised a brow. “I’m glad you didn’t choose sales as your vocation. You’re not good at that.”

“I sold you on me, though, didn’t I?” Christian asked with a wicked grin.

“That you did.”

“And now you get me for a whole two weeks, all to yourself.”

David hummed. “You know, I could probably get away with taking the next two weeks off.”

“Seriously? Oscar’s been that good?”

“Oh, yes. And I’m overdue for a vacation.”

Christian’s blue eyes lit up with excitement. “Two weeks of just us, here and being us?”

David grinned. “Christian. You’re not stationed here anymore. You’re not my subordinate.”

“Out of bed,” Christian said with a grin.

David ignored him, even as his gut tightened at the thought. “We don’t have to be a secret anymore.”

“Oh. Shit, you’re right,” Christian said with widening eyes.

David nodded. “So, yes, two weeks of us being here, being us. But two weeks of me taking you out to eat at my favorite places you can’t get takeout from. Two weeks of trips to the beach, seeing shows, or just walking around and enjoying the weather.”

Christian stared up at him in wonder. “I...had got so used to it. I never realized we were free.”

David kissed him. “I can finally show off the man I love.”

“And so can I,” Christian murmured against his lips.

But it was late, and he had Christian in his arms with every intention of keeping him there for hours.

They could face the next day with new possibilities, no longer forced to keep themselves secret.

David was going to take advantage of every moment and love every minute of living their life, showing their love, out in front of the world without a care.