Page 109 of My All American Girl

46

DEAN

Sarah left shortly after the situation with her father. I had to stay and finish the training session. I did my best to hide the redness on my jaw. I could already feel it swelling.

The old man still packed a solid punch. I was pretty damn proud of myself for not fighting back. He was my friend and my superior. Despite everything that happened, I still respected him. I didn’t like how he talked to his daughter, but I wouldn’t attack the man for it.

As I directed the remainder of the training exercise, my mind was elsewhere. Mo had thrown me off balance. His bitter words had stung me just as much as his punch had. I’d spent my life in the military proving myself, working to get where I was and helping others do the same—especially Sarah.

How could he insinuate that I was using her? As if she was a fling. I would never look at her like that. Any woman. I thought Mo knew me. I supposed I understood a little of what Sarah was feeling. His disappointment was no joke. It hurt. I admired and looked up to him.

After the session, I gave the remaining trainees a few pointers and was finally able to leave. When I got back to my duplex, I let myself in and had barely taken a breath when I heard the doorbell.

It was Sarah, wearing a baseball cap with her hair tucked into it. She had on dark sunglasses and was apparently trying to be in disguise. I quickly gestured for her to come in before taking a quick check around to make sure no one noticed.

I locked the door and pulled the blinds closed. “You shouldn’t be here,” I said.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she said.

She looked so damn guilty. I hated seeing her like that.

“I’m fine.”

“I’m so sorry, Dean,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I’ve never seen my dad punch anyone before. Let me get some ice for you. Your jaw is already bruising.”

I tried to manage a grin despite the pain. “Now I know where you got your right hook from,” I grumbled, cursing my sore jaw.

Sarah smiled weakly but didn’t laugh. I watched her pull open the freezer in the kitchen. I had a couple of steaks and some frozen veggies. She grabbed the bag of peas and walked to me. “Sit down,” she said.

I sat on the couch. She sat down beside me and put the cold bag against my jaw. I winced and pulled back. She said nothing, but I could tell she was worried. I wanted to tell her it would all be okay, that her father would forgive her, but I knew she wouldn’t believe me.

“He’ll come around, Sarah.”

She shook her head. “He always comes around,” she said, her voice breaking. “But this feels different. I always go home for a week. My sister and I spend days at the lake with old friends. Mom and I read our books in the shade in the backyard and drink lemonade. And Dad? We go to the air show and the bar together. We talk about flying and who got promoted. But that’s not going to happen now. He doesn’t even want me there.”

I could see she was trying not to cry, and my heart broke for her. This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen. Because of me, her relationship with her father was damaged. Maybe even her whole family.

“And now, who knows what he’s going to tell the Air Force?” she continued, her voice laced with fear. “What if he tells them everything? What if I get kicked out? What if you get disciplined? Then what will I do?” She kept one hand holding the bag against my jaw and covered her face with her other hand. “How can I go from flying a T6 to a tiny prop plane? Do I have to fly for FedEx?” She looked into my eyes, the realization hitting her hard. “Fuck that. I can’t lose my career, Dean. It’s my first love. It’s who I am.”

I could see the writing on the wall. She was choosing the Air Force over me, and I couldn’t blame her. I had tried to make the choice for her in London.

Her career was everything to her. Mine was pretty important to me. I didn’t think I wanted to lose my career either. Although I was having a hard time feeling as certain about that. Still, I had to make things right, even if it meant letting her go.

“I understand, Sarah,” I said softly. “Let me see what I can do in the damage control department. Maybe I can fix this.”

She looked at me, her eyes full of hope and despair. “How?” she asked.

I took her hands, squeezing them gently. “First, we have to call it. There’s no us. We can’t be together.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. I cupped her face, wiping it away with my thumb.

“It was a hell of a lot of fun while it lasted,” I said, my voice cracking.

She nodded, her eyes full of sadness. I wasn’t exactly expecting her to argue with me. We both knew we had tried. It just wasn’t in the cards for us. We were a forbidden romance.

“I can’t believe he actually showed up,” she said. “Am I really doing that bad?”

“Hell no,” I said, putting my hand over hers. “You know damn well you’re a rock star.”