Dale felt the voltage zap straight to his chest.
“Incoming,” Cas muttered into his beer.
Smiling, he set his can on the table near his brother. “I know. And just wait until it happens to you.”
Gabe and Mac chuckled in agreement.
Caspian snorted. “Not going to happen. Wouldn’t be right to saddle a woman with my sorry ass.”
Now Gabe and Mac snorted.
“Hate to tell you this, buddy,” Gabe said, cupping Cas’ shoulder, “but the right woman will wipe those thoughts right out of your head, and you won’t have a say in it.”
“Yeah. She’ll show you just how wrong you were,” Mac added with a grin.
Cas grunted. “Civilian life has made you two delusional.” His brother huffed, lifting his beer for another drink.
“What are you boys conspiring about now?” Sadie asked as she approached.
“Just reliving our heroics,” Dale replied with a grin, as she slid an arm around his waist, and he tucked her into his side. “You know, the usual.”
Cas chuckled, nudging Gabe. “And by heroics, he means that one time he tripped over his own feet during a mission.”
“Hey, that was a tactical fall,” Dale shot back, laughing along with the others. His brother had never been on a mission with him.
Damn Cooper and his big mouth.
Mac clapped Gabe on the shoulder. “Well, as much fun as this is, I think Carter is about to mess up the grill. Let’s go see if he needs a hand.”
Gabe muttered something under his breath, then shot Dale a knowing grin. “Time to leave you two lovebirds alone. We’ll make sure the burgers don’t burn.”
“And I need another beer,” Cas said. “Carry on.”
As the guys headed off, Sadie leaned into Dale, resting her head against his shoulder. “Tactical fall, huh? I’m impressed.”
Dale chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her sweet curves in tighter to his body. “What can I say? I like to keep things interesting.”
Sadie looked up at him, her eyes soft with affection. “You certainly do, Dale Taylor.”
God, he could get lost in those beautiful brown eyes of hers.
He lifted his hand to lightly brush her cheek with his thumb. “You make it easy, Sadie. I never thought returning home could feel this good.”
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze never leaving his. “Home is wherever you are, Dale. I love you.”
His heart swelled at her words, and he leaned in until they were practically nose to nose. “I love you too, Sadie. And I’m not going anywhere, you know that, right? You’re stuck with me.”
Sadie’s lips curved into a tender smile as she whispered back, “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
With that, Dale captured her lips in a gentle, lingering kiss. It was a kiss filled with promise, because he wanted to convey with quiet certainty that they were building something real and lasting together.
When they finally pulled back, their foreheads resting together, he grinned. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of that.”
Sadie chuckled softly, her fingers tracing his jaw. “Good, because I don’t plan on letting you.”
As they stood there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, a small moving van pulled into Sadie’s driveway.
“Harper’s finally here.” She smiled. “I can’t believe it.”
Dale noticed the way Cas’ attention zeroed in on her, his usual smirk turning into something more thoughtful.
Sadie caught it too and looked up at him with a thoughtful look of her own. “With time and some luck, maybe those two might find their own versions of home.”
They shared a smile, watching as Harper climbed out of the van, completely unaware of his brother’s interest.
Meeting Sadie’s gaze, Dale leaned down and winked. “This is going to be fun to watch.”
