Page 65 of Keeping Penny

Even his job seemed easier, knowing he had someone—two someones—to go home to at the end of the day.

For the first time in his life, he dreaded getting the call that they were scheduled for deployment. He didn’t want to leave Penny and Bowie. They were completely capable of living their lives while he was gone, but he didn’t want to miss a minute of time with them.

He was besotted, and he didn’t give one little shit.

The topic of deployment had come up a time or two at work, which made Pyro a little twitchy. He was relieved Colvin didn’t seem to be an issue, but a nagging voice in his head said things weren’t that simple.

What he really wanted to do was fly out to Washington and have a chat with the man himself, but Tex had talked him out of it. He said that his friend, Baker Rawlins, had taken care of it, and that he’d be in touch if anything seemed wonky. Tex assured Pyro that he hadn’t found any more significant withdrawals from the man’s bank, indicating he might be paying someone to come to Virginia and collect the debt. There were no emails or phone calls that looked suspicious.

In short, it seemed as if Penny was free to live her life without having to give up her hard-earned money to someone who didn’t deserve or need it.

So Pyro had no idea why he still had a feeling of dread every time he left Penny in the morning, or every time a full workday went by and he hadn’t heard from her. He was clearly paranoid…but after everything that had happened to Zita, Mandy, and Laryn, no one could blame him for being on edge. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He hated feeling that way, but his upbringing had taught him that when things were going well, something usually happened to fuck it up. And the stakes were huge this time around. Because if Penny or Bowie were hurt, he’d lose his mind.

He was getting ready for a training flight exercise with Casper when his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, Pyro’s adrenaline immediately started pumping when he saw it was Penny. She rarely called during the day, knowing he was often busy. If she wanted to reach him, she usually texted. Considering his paranoia, getting a call felt ominous.

“What’s wrong?” he said when he answered, in lieu of a greeting.

She chuckled, making Pyro relax a fraction. “Why would you assume something’s wrong?”

“Because you never call me during the day.”

“Yeah, because I never want to bother you. Are you busy?”

He was. Looking over at Casper by the chopper, doing the checks they always did before takeoff, Pyro lied and said, “Nope. What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you’d be able to meet Bowie at school and walk her home today. Two people called out sick at work and apparently the phone lines are stacked up with really long hold times. My manager asked if I’d be willing to work a few extra hours today. If you can’t, that’s okay, I can tell her no.”

Pyro knew how important her job was, and how hard she was working to build up her savings account. She also loved what she did. She was passionate about educating expectant mothers and helping reassure them when they called with questions.

“Can I call you back and let you know in about ten minutes?” he asked.

“Of course. Honestly, it’s really okay if you can’t. I understand.”

“Just give me a few minutes to talk to Casper and see if it’s okay. I’ll call you back here in a bit.”

“Okay. Pyro?”

“Yeah, sweetheart.”

“I appreciate you. You’ve done so much for me and Bowie. I feel as if all I do is take from you and not give back enough.”

Pyro laughed. “You’re kidding, right? You have no idea what you’ve given me, Pen. The biggest thing is a sense of belonging. I’ve found the family I’ve been searching for my entire life. And I’ve never laughed so much as I have with the two of you. You asking me to walk Bowie home from school isn’t a hardship. I love hearing how her day went and seeing how happy she is to have friends her own age. I love both of you, more than you’ll probably ever know.”

“We love you too,” Penny said immediately.

“Give me a few and I’ll call you back,” he told her.

“Okay. Thanks. Talk to you soon.”

“Yes, you will,” he said.

After hanging up, Pyro immediately headed toward Casper. His copilot and team leader had a small smile on his face as he watched him approach. “Everything all right with Penny and Bowie?”

“Yeah. She wanted to know if I could pick Bowie up from school. She has a chance for some overtime with her work. I told her I’d check with you. I know we’re about to fly, but⁠—”

“It’s fine, Pyro. Go. I’ll go up with Edge after he does his flight with Chaos.”