Page 44 of Forever Fallen

“Sure. Anytime you need it.”

“I’ll let you know for sure on Monday at work.”

“No worries. Do you need help? What’s up?”

“I’m emptying Sophie’s apartment and getting my things out of storage. I’ll probably need to make a few trips with it…”

Sophie felt herself melt, realizing he had meant his words in earnest. He wasn’t going to let her do any of this alone and intended to take up the mantle ofhusbandto heart.

“I’ve got a list of things that I want to get done before I fly out in three weeks and that’s at the top for me…” Ryan said quietly.

“Why don’t we load up several cars and cut it down to one or two trips? Valkyrie asked bluntly. “How big is the apartment? How much stuff do you have?”

“It was a studio,” Sophie interjected, saving Ryan, because he had never been there before. “We don’t have much there, do we? A few dishes, a recliner, and a small bed. Most of it was disposable put-together items I bought over time due to necessity, and falling apart now. We already talked about junking some of it.”

She saw Ryan’s grateful glance her way. She was covering their story for him without question.

“Her personal things,” he confirmed. “I never moved any of my stuff out of storage because it was a hassle… and my plane is there.”

Sophie tried not to let her surprise show at his words.

His plane?

Ryan had…an airplane?

“What do you have?” Alpo and Thumper asked at once in unison, looking just as shocked as she felt.

“An old Cessna that I bought,” Ryan said quietly. “It’s not the greatest, but it flies.”

“Why on earth are you paying storage in Azle?” Glory said aghast, laying a hand over her heart and looking at Harley – and then her husband. “And why do I not have my hands on this airplane yet? How long has it been sitting? Did you drain the fuel? Have you maintained it?”

“Because,” Ryan began, smirking, as he answered Glory’s questions all at once in rapid fire. “I don’t know. Five years. Yes… and of course, I did. I intend to fly it again someday.”

“Then it sounds like we have a project and Flyboys will need to clear the schedule for a day this week. We’ll get as much as we can from Sophie’s… then we can get to Azle, grab the plane, and bring Reaper’s stuff to their home here. The plane you can store for free at Flyboys. There is zero reason you should have it just sitting there, rotting away.”

“How much do you have in the storage unit, Reaper?”

Ryan shook his head sadly – and she realized that he probably didn’t have much at all left from his former home, having already told her he had to liquidate most of it.

“A few boxes of memories and that’s it. It’s all sitting in an air-conditioned rental unit about five-foot wide and five-foot deep.”

“Yep,” the other men nodded. “We can get you moved easily.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes… although it won’t be Valkyrie, ‘cause Marisol is ready to pop any day now.”

“It’s true,” Valkyrie smiled proudly at his wife who blew him a kiss. “Take my truck and just leave me something else to drive – just in case.”

CHAPTER14

SOPHIE

Hours later,feeling exhausted mentally and sluggish from the margaritas that were obviously spiked more than once by Glory or someone else, Sophie held Ryan’s hand as they stepped up onto the wooden porch towards the front door of the house.

“Why don’t you get comfy, and I’ll make us some hot cocoa?” he offered gently.

“Could I just have some chamomile tea tonight? I’m afraid that I’m sloshing already… and by the way? Your friends were trying to get me drunk,” she drawled slightly, smiling at him lazily.

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