Stone hadn’t moved, but his eyes caught the light, steady and unyielding. Calm and loving, Stone’s nod gave him a silent answer.
After a brief smile, Dave turned back to the call.
“I can. And there’s something else you should know. A week ago, the doctors diagnosed me with hypertension. I’m on daily meds for it—manageable, but it’s a reminder. My body’s telling me it’s time.”
The President’s expression softened, the steel in his eyes shifting to something closer to concern. “That makes sense. You’ve given enough, Dave.”
Dave inclined his head once. “It’s been an honor, sir.”
“It’s been mine,” the President said.
The line clicked silent, the screen fading dark.
For a long moment, Dave sat in the quiet, the weight of the words hanging between him and Stone.
Retirement wasn’t just a thought anymore. It was real. All the missions, the years, the blood—they’d finally led to this.
And Stone had heard every word.
Dave looked at him—the storm-colored eyes steady and unyielding, the faint tension in his jaw, the silent strength that had carried them both through fire.
Calm. Loving. His anchor in every storm. The sight cut straight through the steel in Dave’s chest, loosening something he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
He stood and walked into his man’s arms.
The fire in the main house burned low, throwing shadows across the walls.
Most of the crew had scattered—Rip and Boston trading barbs in the kitchen,
Winter and Black outside smoking, Sage buried in cables somewhere. Law and Real were locked in a battle of chess with Azrael nearby. Crow and Rebel were curled up on the couch, reading.
For once, the ranch felt more like home than a command post.
Dave stood near the hearth, the warmth seeping into bones that had carried too many winters. Stone came up beside him, silent as always, and handed him a cup of hot cocoa.
The quiet itself pressed them closer.
“So…” Dave murmured for Stone’s ears only, turning just enough to catch his eyes. “One month.”
Stone nodded, the firelight painting his profile in gold, and the whisper came softly. “Close to Christmas. We should get the teams together.”
Dave’s mouth curved, soft. “We should.”
For a long moment, neither moved, just stood shoulder to shoulder, the glow of the fire wrapping around them. Then Stone’s hand slid over his, rough palm warm and certain. Dave turned fully, searching the storm-colored eyes that had anchored him for years.
“You sure about this?” Dave asked quietly.
Stone’s lips twitched, the closest thing to a smile. “I’ve never been surer of anything. Areyousure?”
Dave leaned in, closing the space between them. The kiss was unhurried, steady, a promise more than a claim. When they broke apart, Stone rested his forehead against his, breath steadying.
“Very sure,” Dave breathed.
They stood like that, arms around each other, gazing into the fire. Some of the team had stopped and gazed at them, but Dave no longer cared. The life he’d once run from, he now embraced.
For once, there was no mission waiting, no orders hanging over them—just the quiet of a house full of men who’d earned their rest.
Plus, the man at his side, and the certainty of a future they’d face together.
