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“What?” Aero asked, confused by her reaction.
“Your parents raised a nurse, a lawyer, and a soldier,” Sam clarified, and Aero nodded.
“They’re three for three.” She laughed, and Aero smiled.
“Would you believe me if I told you I was the disappointment?” Aero asked, squeezing her hand.
Sam stopped laughing and gave him a soft smile. “That can’t be true.”
Aero sighed. “I haven’t been home in years. My sisters don’t even know where I live.”
Sam felt her heart squeeze. “Why not?”
Aero took a deep breath before telling her, “I didn’t want them to see me change.”
“Oh, Aero.” Sam reached for him, setting her glass aside and wrapping her arms around his wide shoulders. “I’m sure they love you.”
“They do,” he agreed, marveling at how quickly Sam had come to comfort him and how much he liked it. “It’s me that has the problem. I’m the one who pushed them away.”
“Why don’t you try and reconnect with them?” Sam asked softly, resting her head on his shoulder.
“We text each other.”
Sam backed off, not wanting him to shut down. “What about your parents?”
Aero sighed again. “They’re fine, I guess. My mother was a nurse, too, but she’s retired now. My dad was a rancher, but he had a heart attack a few years ago, so he doesn’t work the farm anymore. They call me now and then.”
Aero stared down at the rug, recalling the message he’d received telling him his father had been rushed to the hospital. He could almost feel the sand in his boots and hear the wind outside the tent. He blinked, his blood starting to rush in his ears. No, no, no…
“Aero?” Sam watched as his face went blank, his eyes hollow, like in the restaurant.
Sam’s heartbeat increased. She wanted him to come back to her, but she was afraid to touch him.
“Aero,” she repeated a bit louder, resting a hand on his knee and squeezing.
Aero jumped slightly and gripped her wrist, but loosened his hold almost immediately.
“Sorry,” he said gruffly, breathing hard and looking into her eyes.
“It’s okay,” she whispered, slipping her hand into his and lacing their fingers together.
“I wasn’t there,” he rasped, not taking his eyes off hers. “When my dad was sick, I wasn’t there.”
“Where were you?” Sam asked, the question automatic. She wished she could take it back as soon as the words came out, not wanting to make his discomfort worse, but Aero shocked her by immediately telling her.
“I was in Iraq.”
“Oh. How long were you there?”
“Fifteen months.” Aero gripped her hand tighter. “I came home for three months, and then they sent me back for another year.”
His voice broke, and tears sprung into Sam’s eyes.
“That’s a long time,” she said, swallowing over the lump in her throat.
Aero nodded.
“What’d you do in the Army?” Sam asked, thinking that might be a safer topic.
