I pulled Sam under my arm and kissed her forehead and then her lips, putting all my joy, incredulousness, and hope into it. This moment was perfect.

“Now, soon-to-be aviators. We all know that you didn’t get here alone. In Army Aviation, we have a tradition. You ladies put up with late nights, early mornings, absent spouses, irritated, worried, over-stressed spouses, and I’d bet that more than a few of you know the 5&9s as well as they do.” Laughter rolled over the small crowd. “So, gentlemen, invite your ladies to stand, and pin them. They’ve earned it.”

Fuck. What was I going—My velvet box appeared in front of me. “You didn’t think I’d actually lose Paisley’s wings, did you?”

“You knew. Asshole.” I was too relieved to have her wings to actually be angry.

He had the audacity to wink as we stood. I offered my hand to Sam, and she stood slowly, unsure of herself. “I’m not your wife.”

“Not yet.” I grinned at the way her jaw dropped. My fingers fumbled with the chain, finally working the tiny clasp and securing it around her neck. The wings rested exactly where I knew they would, in gorgeous contrast to her perfect skin. “I wouldn’t have made it through without you.”

She laughed. “That’s not true. If anything I was a deterrent when I was here, and I’ve been gone over two months. This one is all you.”

“First, you became my motivation.” I bent down to her ear. “Second, you play a mean game of strip 5&9,” I whispered and kissed the delicate shell. She shivered, and I tried to remind my dick that we’d agreed to no sex. Her lips parted as I kissed her gently. “And just because you weren’t here doesn’t mean you weren’t with me every day.”

Applause sounded in the room, and we were dismissed to begin dancing as the music came to life through the speakers. Couples headed out to the floor, but I didn’t care. I was too busy kissing the woman I was completely and utterly in love with.

“Gray.” Dad’s voice met us as we walked up the sidewalk to the house after the ball.

I stopped mid-step, Sam tucked under my arm, wrapped in my dress blues jacket to keep her warm.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

His gaze flickered to my friends, and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Paisley spoke up. “How about we all head inside where it’s warm?” The group mumbled assent, and Sam looked up at me.

“Do you need me?” she whispered.

“More than you’ll ever know, but I can handle this. Want to go wait in our room?” Our. Yes, I said it on purpose.

“Okay.” She kissed my cheek and turned back to my dad. “It was nice to see you again, Mr. Masters.”

He gave a genuine smile. “I am relieved to find you here, Sam.”

I waited until she’d shut the door before I spoke to him. “Well?”

“You graduate tomorrow.”

“I am aware.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why do you make everything so hard?”

“I get it from my father.”

“Just because I don’t approve of what you’re doing doesn’t mean that I don’t love you, that I’m not”—his throat worked—“incredibly proud of you, and what you’ve accomplished. My worry doesn’t diminish that.”

“You almost ended my career.”

“For which I am incredibly sorry.” The apology was enough to stun me. “Look, Gray. I should have believed after the accident. I should have believed you when you told me you could handle flying. I should have trusted you, and I didn’t. I was so busy trying to protect you that I didn’t realize I was suffocating you. Did I want you to come home and work at the shop? Of course. Do I realize that Joey will probably surpass us both in boat design? Absolutely.”

“Then let her have the shop.” The wind bit through the thin material of my dress shirt.

“Grayson.”

“You want my forgiveness? Prove you’ve changed, that you won’t hold her rightful place hostage.”

“It’s still your place, too.”

“It hasn’t been in years. Sure, I helped a little with The Alibi’s design, but it was mostly Joey, and you know it. You may want me, but you need her. Let her prove it to you if you don’t think she has already.”

“How?”

“Give her the reins at the Miami show. Let her hire a crew and race the Pineapple Cup.”

“She’s softer than you think, Gray. It would crush her to lose.”

“Joey won’t let you down. She doesn’t know how to fail.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked off in the distance, a pose I knew meant he was deliberating. “Okay.”

And just like that, I was free, the last tether chaining me to North Carolina cut. “Okay.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I’m here, and I’ll be there tomorrow if you want me. There’s nothing in this world that could stop me from loving you. Whether you graduate first or last, I don’t care as long as you’re happy. I’ll…trust you to be safe.”

It was all I’d ever wanted, but I still couldn’t stop thinking that Sam was upstairs. Time to make her my first priority.

“I’m glad you’re here. I really have to go spend time with Sam, Dad. I only have her for a few hours.” I was sorry, but I wasn’t.