there and join the party. Are you feeling better?”
Linnzi gave me a bright smile. “Yes, and you’re right, I’ve kept you entirely too long.”
“Nonsense, I’ve always loved talking to you, Linz.”
As we walked out of the kitchen and out toward the backyard where it sounded like everyone was, Linnzi asked, “What type of planes do you fly, Nolan?”
“Fighter jets. F-22, F-35, F-16, T-38, to name a few.”
“Wow!” she said with a laugh.
“I like planes, what can I say,” I replied with what I hoped was a sexy smirk. I liked seeing the way Linnzi reacted to me.
She tripped, and I quickly reached out and grabbed onto her. “You okay?”
With a quick nod, she replied, “Fine. I’m fine.”
“Good, wouldn’t want to see you get hurt,” I said with a look of concern in my eyes.
“Thank you. By the way, what’s your rank in the Air Force?”
“Captain.”
She smiled softly. “Captain Nolan Byers.”
I stopped in my tracks, and we faced one another. “You know my last name?”
With a slight frown, she thought for a moment. “I guess I do. I think Saryn might have mentioned it when she told me you were coming to the party, but yeah. I guess I remembered.”
Before I had a chance to say anything, I heard a sweet little voice call out to me.
“Uncle Nolan!”
Linnzi and I both turned to see Liliana running toward us. She had obviously not seen me earlier in the kitchen.
I bent and scooped her up and started to kiss her as she let out a string of laughter.
“I missed you, Uncle Nolan!”
“Aw, I missed you too, sweetheart. Don’t tell anyone, but I brought you a gift too!”
She covered her mouth and giggled. “I won’t! Promise!”
I set her down and fixed her party dress. She grabbed onto my hand and started to pull me away. “Come on, you have to meet my friends!”
With a quick glance over my shoulder at Linnzi, I shrugged. “Talk later?”
Linnzi chewed on her lip for a moment before she called back, “I’d love to.”
And just like that, a five-year-old girl pulled me away from the woman I loved, the same woman whom I hadn’t been able to talk to in eight years. My heart pounded in my chest, and I wanted nothing more than to run back to Linnzi, to see what other things about us she remembered. But I knew I couldn’t. I was as scared as I was excited to find out what she remembered.
As Liliana dragged me over to her little group of friends, I caught a glimpse of Linnzi following behind us. I wasn’t sure about the feelings that were assaulting me right now. A part of me was over the moon that she knew who I was. Or at least she had seen me in Paris and felt the need to follow me. It was clear she knew we had a connection. I could tell by the way her eyes kept drifting down to my mouth, and by the way she studied me, that she knew we had been more than friends. She felt the pull between us as much as I did. At one point during the party, I caught her giving me a good once-over, and it made my cock jump in my pants.
After giving a few of the kids airplane rides, I was worn out.
Saryn called out for everyone to come over to the table where all the food was set up. I was glad it was a warmer day for February, so most of the party was held outside.
“Let’s get this cake going before Nolan Jr. finds the second one!” Truitt called out.
Nolan came running up to me, and I reached down and picked him up, putting him on top of my shoulders as we made our way over to his birthday cake.
Truitt looked at us as we walked up and broke out into a wide smile. “He somehow knows he has a connection with you,” he said as he reached up and tickled his son, who pulled on my hair. I had long since given up on my cowboy hat.
“It’s the shared name. Isn’t that right, little man?” I said as I looked up at the little boy. He had chocolate all over his face. At least, I hoped it was chocolate. He grinned back.
“Okay, on the count of three we’ll all sing happy birthday!” Saryn called out.
I lifted Nolan off of my shoulders and handed him to Truitt.
“One! Two! Three!” Saryn cried out. We all sang happy birthday