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“It’s Noelle,” Sam said when she could speak.
“That’s beautiful,” Aero said, and he meant it. It reminded him of Christmas, of snow and lights, happiness, and excitement. It suited her.
“Thank you,” Sam smiled. “You told me Aero isn’t your real name. What is it?”
Aero blinked. Everyone called him Aero; even the guys in his platoon had called him Aero, and it had carried over to the Iron Dragons.
“Mark McBride,” he said. “Well, my mom calls me Marcus.”
Sam snickered behind her glass, imagining Aero’s mom hollering at him with his full name.
“My middle name is Alexander,” Aero said, sipping his wine. Sharing wasn’t as hard as he expected.
“That’s nice,” Sam said. “Strong.”
Sexy, she thought to herself.
“Where are you from, originally?”
“Kansas. I grew up in a small town outside of Salina,” Aero shared. “Where are you from?”
“Here in Colorado. My parents live in Denver, but when i was a kid we lived in Fort Collins,” Sam told him.
“You told me you have a brother,” Aero prompted, leaning back against the couch and watching her. “Do you have any other siblings?”
Sam shook her head. “Nope, just Anthony and me. He was my best friend growing up.”
“He must be so proud of you.”
“He is,” Sam smiled. “He was front and center at my college graduation. He cried, even if he denies it now.”
Aero chuckled.
“I’m going to see him for Thanksgiving,” Sam shared, tempted to ask Aero to go with her, but that would defeat the purpose of talking to Anthony about him, and it was too soon.
Aero’s brow furrowed, something like disappointment flitting through him. She should go see her brother, take a vacation, and have time away from him. He was going to miss her, he realized.
“Your sisters, what’re they like?” Sam asked, rubbing her thumb in circles on his hand.
Aero’s smile faltered slightly.
“McKenzie and Bethany are twins, but they couldn’t be more different.”
Sam’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“McKenzie’s two minutes older and never lets anyone forget it.” Aero smiled. “She’s loud and bossy. She’s a lawyer.”
“A lawyer? Really?” Sam said, impressed.
Aero nodded. “McKenzie has two kids with her husband, Eric. They should be about ten and twelve now, I think.”
Sam paused. He didn’t know how old his nieces and nephews were?
“Bethany,” Aero continued, “is more of a free spirit. She’s a nurse but spends a lot of time
traveling with different organizations that offer healthcare to people without access to it.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open.
