Wings of Love (20 page)

“Are you now?” Mac asked.

“Yep, it’s a beautiful morning, and it’s the last bit of time we’ll have together for the next week, and I want to enjoy it.”

“I’d like that,” Mac said.

Brad handed Mac his coffee and kissed him good morning without stopping as he made his way to the bathroom to get showered and dressed.

Mac sat down at the kitchen table with both hands around his warm coffee cup. He bowed his head and looked down into the cup as if searching for an answer. He didn’t want Jack to know about him and Brad, not yet, maybe not ever. But he couldn’t ask Brad to be anything other than who he was, and he owed it to Brad to not act any differently toward him in front of Jack. So how could they be themselves around Jack and not have Jack pick up on their romantic relationship? He was in a no-win situation, and he couldn’t shake this feeling that he was about to lose the only person he’d ever wanted since Lindsey died.

As he was dumping the last of his cold coffee down the drain, Brad stepped out of the bathroom, looking as naturally gorgeous as anyone could look. His wet hair was slicked back, and he was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. He was simply stunning to look at.
Six months ago, I never even noticed another guy, and now it’s all I can do to keep my hands off of him. I’ve got it bad
, he thought.

He met Brad halfway across the room and took him in his arms. He buried his face in Brad’s neck, a spot he realized had become his obsession. He breathed in the familiar scent, mixed with a fresh, soapy smell. He loved to run his tongue over Brad’s skin and savor his taste, and he especially loved the way Brad wiggled when he gently nibbled on the sensitive area.

Brad sensed the apprehension in Mac and tried to reassure him the only way he knew how. He held on and melted into his embrace.

Mac looked at his watch and said, “Time to go.”

“If you’re waiting on me, you’re backing up, flyboy,” Brad said.

They opened the cabin door to a beautiful, bright, crisp morning. Everything was still white and untouched, with the exception of a few rabbit tracks across the patch.

Brad hopped on the snowmobile with Mac right behind him. Mac wrapped his arms around Brad’s waist and hung on tightly. With the push of a button, the engine was whining, and they were gone. Brad took the same route down the mountain they had blazed coming up, and the scenery was just as spectacular. They reached the plane in record time.

“This sure beats hiking,” Brad yelled over the whine of the engine.

“No shit, huh?” Mac replied.

Brad pulled up to the little dock and turned off the engine. He sat on the snowmobile and watched Mac as he climbed into the plane and started the engine while he did his checklist.

Brad could see the hesitation in Mac’s step, something he had never witnessed before, as Mac was always so self-assured. Mac was in distress, and he felt for him, but sooner or later, if this relationship was going to work, Mac needed to come clean to his brother-in-law and daughter. But Brad decided that he would make it as easy on Mac as he could. He would try to not do anything to clue Jack in on their relationship until Mac was ready—if he would ever be ready. He would follow Mac’s lead when it came to Jack.

When the checklist was finished, Mac joined Brad at the snowmobile.

Brad was humming a song he hadn’t thought about since his parents died.

“That about does it,” Mac said. “What’s that you’re humming?”

“Before I share that, can we talk for a minute before you take off?” Brad asked.

“Sure,” Mac said.

Brad looked off into the distance and took in the full beauty of his surroundings. “I know you’re struggling, Mac. I can see it in your every move. And I don’t know what I can do about it.”

Mac turned Brad’s face toward his and said, “Look at me, Brad. I can’t ask you to do anything about it. It wouldn’t be fair to you, and being fair to you is really important to me. I promised you that I would never ask you to be anyone but yourself, and I’ll keep that promise. I—”

Brad interrupted as he turned his head away again. “I know right now that you would like nothing better than for the two of us to spend the rest of our lives tucked away in our little paradise, but that’s not reality, Mac. There’s a huge world out there, and now that I have a second chance at happiness, I feel like I want to experience it all… with you.”

Mac looked out to where Brad was staring.

Still staring in the distance, Brad said, “The song I was humming is a song that was sung at my parents’ funeral. It’s called ‘I’m Gonna Live Till I Die’, and they did. I hadn’t thought about that song in so many years, but sitting here, watching you prepare to leave, brought them back to me. The words say a lot about how I’m feeling right now.”

Brad started to sing the song. “‘Ain’t gonna miss a thing, I’m gonna have my fling. I’m gonna live, live, live till I die.’”

Brad stopped singing and finally turned to look Mac in the eyes. Tears were running down his cheeks, and Mac was heartbroken. He reached up and brushed the tears away with his thumb, and Brad took his hand in his.

“When I walked into that airport,” he said. “I was emotionally dead. I was simply going through the motions of life, and you pulled me through. And now, because of you, I want it all. I want you, Mac, and I want to live because of you.”

Now tears were falling down Mac’s cheeks as well, and it was Brad’s turn to wipe them away.

Brad continued. “Mac, I will be on my best behavior. You mean too much to me to lose you now. I won’t do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Jack, or Zoe-Grace, for that matter. What and when you tell them will be your decision.”

Mac launched toward Brad so hard they both fell off the other side of the snowmobile into a pile of snow.

“Thank you, Brad,” he said. “I just need a little time to adjust, and I will tell them, I promise you.”

Brad put his arms around Mac’s neck and kissed him.

“Hurry back, flyboy,” he said. “I’ll be waiting.”

Mac nodded and stood. He helped Brad to his feet, and together, hand in hand, they walked to the plane. Mac climbed into the cockpit while Brad released the lines. Mac waved as Brad watched the little plane holding his future take to the sky. He watched until the plane was out of sight. He decided to hike back up the mountain and leave the snowmobile for Mac and Jack when they returned.

Chapter 26

B
RAD
got back to the cabin after a breathtaking hike and immediately turned on the VHF radio. Eventually, he heard a static-fused Mac request permission to land, and knew Mac had made it safely to Anchorage. He was carrying in the last load of firewood as he again heard Mac’s familiar voice requesting permission to take off.

Well
, he thought.
They’ll be here in an hour or so, and this should be very interesting.

Brad continued to do chores around the cabin to busy himself until they arrived. He was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the shower, when he heard, “November 4649 Delta calling Wing Mansion, Wing Mansion, do you copy?”

Brad dropped the sponge and ran for the radio.

“This is Wing Mansion. Over.”

“Hey, Brad, switch to channel one eight. Over.”

“Wing Mansion switching to one eight.”

“Wing Mansion to November 4649 Delta. Over.”

“Hey, Brad, how’s it going? Over.”

“It’s going great here. Did you pick up your passengers? Over.”

“All three are on board and whiny as hell. They keep asking for peanuts. Over.”

“Don’t they know that no reputable airline will serve peanuts anymore? Over.”

“I don’t think they saw the memo. Brad, once we land, I’ll walk over to the lodge and get another snowmobile, and we’ll see you shortly. Over.”

“No need, Mac, I hiked up so you boys could have the snowmobile. I knew you’d have luggage. Over.”

“Good man. Over.”

“Yeah, I know. What’s your ETA, Mac? Over.”

“We’ll be on the ground in about twenty, so we’ll see you in just under an hour. Over.”

Knowing Mac had headphones on and the passengers couldn’t hear him, he said, “Be careful, Mac. Over.”

“Roger that, see you in a little while. Over. November 4649 Delta switching back to channel one six.”

“Wing Mansion standing by on channel one six.”

Brad went back and finished cleaning the bathroom, made the bed, and straightened up a little.
We’re a couple of slobs
, he thought as he picked up a pair of Mac’s dirty underwear lying next to the bed. He didn’t want to be gross, but he sat on the side of the bed and put the underwear up to his nose. The richness of Mac’s sweet man scent immediately filled his nostrils. His senses kicked in, and he began to get an erection. He quickly stood and deposited the dirty underwear in the clothes hamper before he got himself in trouble. He picked up a book and headed for the porch to wait for the boys.

Right on schedule, he heard the whine of the snowmobile making its way up the mountain. If Mac was anything, he was prompt, and Brad loved that about him. When the snowmobile pulled up to the porch, Brad stood to greet them. Jack was the first one to hop off. He walked up to the porch to greet Brad.

“Hey, Brad, how’s it going?” Jack asked.

“Very well, thanks,” Brad responded. “How was the flight?”

“Besides the cheap pilot not offering any snacks, I guess it was okay.” Jack chuckled.

Mac climbed the four stairs to the porch and slapped Brad on the arm.

“Passengers these days, you just can’t please them. Especially when they pay the cheap fare, cheap as in
free
!” Mac shouted over his shoulder as he walked into the cabin.

“Let me grab your bag,” Brad said.

“Wow, the maid must have come,” Mac yelled from inside the cabin.

“Yep, she just left, so you better keep the place up, or you’re paying her next time,” Brad replied.

“Jack, come in and let me show you around,” Brad continued.

Walking through the door and looking around, Jack said, “Wow, this place is perfect.”

“Jack, do you remember when I first rented that plane and started flying for the lodge?”

“Sure, Lindsey used to talk about it all the time,” Jack replied.

“Well, sometimes we would come up for the weekend and hike these trails. And believe it or not, this is the same cabin we used to dream about owning. Of course back then, this place was rundown and very basic, but it didn’t matter, because we couldn’t afford it anyway.” Mac continued. “When Brad told me he was buying a cabin, I had no idea it was one and the same. But the moment I saw it, I knew this was it, and I said yes immediately.”

“I’m happy for you, man,” Jack said. “And you too, Brad.”

“Thanks,” Brad said. “Did Zander and Jake have a good vacation?”

“They said they did,” Mac said. “Oh, and by the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited them up for dinner. I thought we would just throw some steaks on the fire and have a little vino.”

“Sounds like fun,” Brad said.

“Great,” Mac said. “Oh and Jack, you can have the loft, and I’ll bunk in with Brad.”

Jack said, “Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out of your bed. I can certainly sleep on the couch.”

“We won’t hear of it,” Mac said. “And besides, it’s easier to manage the fire from down here. Remember, it’s the only heat source we have, and this little place can get quite cold at night.”

Jack looked at Mac with a puzzled expression on his face, then said, “As long as I’m not putting anyone out.”

“Good, it’s settled then,” Brad said.

Once Jack was settled in the loft, he said, “I think I’ll take a walk outside and see what I can see. Do you mind?”

“Help yourself,” Mac and Brad said simultaneously.

When Mac was sure Jack was far enough from the cabin and exploring, he grabbed Brad and gave him a big kiss.

“Careful, Mac, Jack might see us,” Brad said.

“He’s outside. And besides, we get to sleep together,” Mac whispered.

“That was a smooth move, Mac. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to keep my hands off of you.”

“Don’t try too hard,” Mac said. “I don’t think Jack can see through blankets.”

“Lucky for us,” Brad said.

“I think this will work out just fine. I can’t thank you enough, Brad, for doing this for me.”

“You’re welcome. Now get outside and find your brother-in-law.”

Mac stole another quick kiss and skipped out like a giddy Cub Scout.

He searched the grounds until he found Jack sitting on a rock, looking at the view.

“It sure is beautiful up here. I can see why you and Lindsey loved it so much,” Jack said.

Jack moved over a little, and Mac sat down next to him. “I never get tired of looking at this view,” Mac said.

“I know what you mean, man. I wouldn’t either,” Jack continued. “You and Brad seem to be okay.”

“Yeah, he’s a great guy. We get along really well and have a lot in common. I was so lucky that he invited me to buy this place with him.”

“What does Zoe-Grace think of the place?” Jack asked.

“She’s not been up yet. She doesn’t have any time off until Christmas. That girl is taking so many classes; I don’t know how she does it. Her biological parents must have been really smart. Lindsey and I barely made it through college with a two-point-five grade point average.” Mac laughed. “I’m so proud of her.”