The noise of the speaker coming to life rang through the space. “If everyone would kindly keep your seats, we have a local hero in our midst, and the Captain would like him to exit the plane first.”
Some flights did this, while others didn’t. It wasn’t something that bothered me, nor was it something I craved. It was just part of the job, a way civilians liked to show respect. We didn’t do this job for the recognition, though. We did it because we believed in the United States, our country. It’s the land of the free, because of the brave, as my mother would say. I was a United States Marine. I served my country with honor, courage, and commitment. There wasn’t a single thing in my life I was more proud of than my time in service.
The crowd looked around with groans on their lips. This was something else. Some people were pissed that the Captain would take five minutes to let someone off first. Everyone was so caught up in the hustle and bustle of their lives, their very freedom, that to be on this plane was something taken for granted. I know the cost of these luxuries we have in America. Things most people will never even be able to imagine. Just like now, they give you the snide eye or say something moronic, but all I could do was think I fought so you could act like an ass and say whatever you want. It wasn’t worth the time to get angry about. Life moved on.
The world pressed on.
The flip side to the inconsiderate fucks were the others. Those were people happy to sit and wait, with some even giving us a round of applause. Each person had a different view of seeing a Marine or supporting the military in general. It was the freedom for them to choose their path; that was why we did what we did. Why we spent sleepless nights in the smoking hot desert and put our lives in jeopardy every minute of the day.
I stood for the red, white, and blue. My country. The one I fought for so the people on this plane could moan and groan about being inconvenienced. It was what it was.
It wasn’t like my seabag didn’t give it away. The large waterproof green duffel bag had been my life for four long years. While packing it certainly took practice, I had packed up and carried mine on. My high and tight haircut, standard military order also, did nothing to hide the fact that I was a member of the service. The United States Marine Corps to be exact. Oorah!
The cockpit opened, and the Captain stepped out and walked straight to me. Rising from the chair, I stood in the aisle, as the Captain offered his hand. “Thank you for your service.”
Shaking his hand, I nodded in answer. There were no words that needed to be said.
“Get home.”
Yep. It was time to go home and see how my life would be now. What had changed? What was the same? Who would hate me, which I knew a lot would. And by some miracle, who would give me a second chance? The hate, the consequences, they were all part of it. Could I overcome the shadow of the boy I once was? This was yet to be determined. My goals, my thoughts, my entire being was different than the person I was when I left here last time. They didn’t know that, though, and I wasn’t so sure anyone cared to give me an opportunity to find out who the man I was today happened to be.
Without missing a beat, my eyes scanned the space ahead of me. My mother, also known as Blaze, was the first person I saw as I exited the plane, tears streaming down her face. Her hand in a fist over her lips as she tried to breathe. She’d always been beautiful, and that hadn’t changed one bit. Even with tear streaks running down her face. She loved me in a way I didn’t understand before, but I treasured it now.
Next to her was my father, Andrew, but he went by Tug. He had a wide smile on his face. We had shit to work out, but he was obviously happy to have me home. There was a time I never thought we would be in this place, but I’m damn sure glad we were now. It took a long time. When he told me he was proud of me two years ago after meeting me for a visit, the tension in our relationship began to slightly uncoil. There was a lot more to go, but it was a start, and I’d take it.
What I didn’t expect was the shock to my core as I saw the members of the Ravage MC and their women all standing behind Mom and Dad. Some with signs, holding them up high.
All. Of. Them.
Cruz and Princess. GT and Angel. Buzz and Bella. Breaker and Shaina. Rhys and Tanner. Ma and Pops. Cooper and Bristyl. Deke and Rylie. Austyn and Ryker. Green and Leah. Nox and his woman, who I hadn’t yet been introduced to, but Mom had told me about her. Axel. Raiden. Booker. Mazie. Every single one of them stood in front of me.
A huge gut punch was Emery and Jacks. Jacks hated me and had every right to. I’d hate me too if the shoe was on the other foot. That bridge gap would take years to heal, if it ever could be. I wasn’t going to hold my breath, or death would meet me faster. I’d earned his backlash for a lifetime, that was certain.
Emery.
The memories flooded through me, but I pressed all the emotions down. God, the woman who I’d thought about so many times over the years. She was stunning even now. There had always been something about Emery to me. Her smile and ease to be around. I’d always thought she’d be mine, but that wasn’t the plan.
She would forever be the one who got away. As long as she was happy, then I was happy for her. It was time to let that go, for good. No going back. That door was bolted shut forever.
It blew my mind seeing everyone welcoming me home.
Just like the people who grumbled and were impatient, I was once in that mindset. I couldn’t see outside of my own boundaries or understand real loss, real sacrifice, and just how big the world really was. This right here was something that I didn’t understand before I left for the Marines. It wasn’t something that I could wrap my head around because I was blind to see it.
Now, I understood.
They were all family.
My family.
A family I had taken for granted. A family that truly meant everything to me now. I once was blind, but now I see, and I saw it all clearly. A family that was as strong as they came. One where blood most certainly wasn’t thicker than a Ravage MC bond.
One that wouldn’t be letting me slide into the fold easily. That I knew for a fact. The Ravage MC didn’t back down, especially from protecting those they considered family. Never back down had become sort of a motto with them, if one could call it that. I crossed lines I knew better than to cross. I burned bridges that could possibly take an eternity to rebuild. Hard work wasn’t something I feared or shied from.
Fuck, I had a lot of explaining to do.
It would be painful, I had no doubt, but I wanted this and wanted to be part of the Ravage MC family.
“Hey, Mom,” I greeted strongly, even though inside I was stunned by them all. She said nothing and pulled me into her arms, holding me tightly as I dropped my seabag to the floor so I could embrace her. There was nothing better than a mother’s love and a mother’s hug. She had always been my biggest supporter. She was the definition of unconditional love. I didn’t deserve this, but I was damn sure thankful for it. Her sobs were choked as she started to hiccup, her body shaking. “It’s okay. Calm down, Mom.”
“Yeah, right. She’s been bawlin’ since we got in the damn car,” my dad commented behind Mom with a small grin on his lips. He was teasing. Something else new to experience as father and son. We didn’t have this ease between us until recently. This was something I craved as a boy, even though I couldn’t recognize it at the time. My dad and I were oil and water, fire and ice through my childhood. We never seemed to click, to bond. Now that we had, I couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on my face because this was everything. The small things that I learned could see me through any hard times.