Wings of Love (13 page)

A smile came over his face while he stood in a soiled T-shirt and boxers staring at a VHF radio.

Once on the ground, he heard Mac switch back to channel sixteen, and he did the same. He felt relieved that Mac was safe on the ground and possibly in enough time to get back before the storm.

He turned on the weather radio for an update and walked to the kitchen to start some long overdue coffee.

The weather forecast said the storm would be approaching the mountain range just before noon, which—if correct—gave Mac enough time to get back before the worst hit. He crossed his fingers that Mac would try to get back, but he couldn’t push. He would be okay alone, but would prefer Mac here with him.

How strange
, he thought as he poured his cup of coffee.
Just four months ago, I was prepared to spend the rest of my life up here in solitude, and now I can’t even spend a few days without Mac. God, have I gotten that attached to him?
He knew the answer was yes, but he also knew that he was setting himself up for the possibility of a big fall.
Mac’s not even sure he wants to pursue a relationship with me. What if I open up to him, and he decides he just can’t do it? What then? Can I take another loss?

He frowned slightly when he realized there were no easy answers. They were both taking a huge risk.
Mac’s not sure if I am ready to move on with him, and I’m not sure Mac can or will move on with me. Something or someone has gotta give.

Brad finished his coffee, took a quick shower, dressed, and poured himself another cup of coffee. It was a little after eight, and by God, if he was going to get snowed in, alone or otherwise, he was going to enjoy the morning.

Chapter 19

A
S
PLANNED
, Mac touched down with Zander and Jake just after eight. He taxied over to his normal dock on the lake, shut down the engine, and helped the guys get their luggage off the plane. Mac kept the conversation light, because he knew they’d heard not only the one-sided conversation between him and Brad, but also the conversation between him and Dan, the air traffic controller. He’d glanced back over his shoulder during the conversation with Dan, and both Zander and Jake were looking at each other with confused expressions on their faces.

Why did I say I was dating someone? They know I’ve been spending all of my time at the cabin
, he thought as he unloaded the luggage.
I don’t want to get into this with them, not now. And besides, it could be nothing. What am I going to tell them? I might be gay. I might be in love with Brad. Brad may not even want me. Oh man
.

Luckily, neither of the guys said anything about the radio conversations as Mac helped them carry their bags to their truck. When they got to the parking lot, they exchanged hugs, and Mac wished them well and agreed to pick them up in a week.

“Have a safe flight back to the lake,” Zander said. “But don’t take any chances.”

Surprised, Mac said, “What? I’m not even sure I’m going back up before the storm.”

“Sure you are,” Jake said. “Just be careful.”

The guys hopped into their truck and waved as they drove away.

What did they pick up on?
he thought as he walked back to the terminal.

Mac went straight to his kiosk and turned on his weather radio. According to the latest update, the storm wasn’t going to come over the mountain range until around noon or so. That gave him plenty of time to refuel and head back up. If all went well, he could be back by eleven.

He called the fuel truck to meet him at his dock, and while he was waiting, he called Zoe-Grace. He got her voicemail and left a message. “Hey, honey, it’s Dad. Just checking in and so looking forward to seeing you at Christmas. I’m headed back up to the lake, so I won’t be able to call you back, but if your plans change, just leave me a voicemail and I’ll get it next time I get cell service. I love you. Bye.”

Keeping his promise to Jack to do a better job at keeping in touch, he dialed Jack’s number and waited for the ring.

“Hello,” Jack said.

“Hey, Jack, it’s Mac.”

“Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Not a hell of a lot. I just did a touch-and-go from the lake to bring Zander and Jake down for their vacation, and I’m fueling up and headed right back up.”

“You do know a storm’s on its way, don’t you?” Jack asked.

“Yes, smart-ass, I know a storm’s on its way.”

“Do you think you have enough time to make it back up?” Jack asked.

“Oh yeah, plenty,” Mac responded.

“Hey, Mac, when am I going to get to come up and see that cabin of yours?”

“What’s your schedule next week?” Mac asked.

“Not much. The boat will be out of the water for some much needed maintenance, and I was planning to just hang around.”

“I tell you what, I have to fly back to pick up Zander and Jake a week from today. Why don’t you fly back up with us and stay the week or however long you want?”

“That sounds perfect,” Jack said.

“It’s a plan then. Be here and ready to fly by nine thirty, and we’ll have a little adventure.”

“Sounds great. Are you sure it’s okay with Brad?” Jack asked.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, but I’ll let you know if anything changes. If you don’t hear from me, then everything’s a go,” Mac replied.

“Good deal, Mac, and have a safe flight.”

“Will do. Bye, Jack, see you next week.”

“Bye Mac.”

F
OR
once, all went as planned, and by nine thirty, he was requesting takeoff. Once he was at cruising altitude, he sat back and enjoyed the ride.

His mind started to wander.
I guess I really do want to try this thing with Brad. But when did I decide that? One minute I was unsure, the next I was telling Dan that I was seeing someone. Boy, that really says it all. I’ve never been gay before. I wonder what it’s like.

Mac, just relax and take it one step at a time. Brad would never push you to do anything you weren’t ready for. But what about Brad? I sure hope he feels the same way. I can’t push him, he’s been through so much. I’ve got to be patient.

B
RAD
opened the front door and was blinded by the bright morning. The clouds were moving in and the temperature had dropped considerably, but the sun was peeking out through a few holes in the clouds, and compared to the cool darkness of the cabin, he felt a little more energized.

While he sipped his coffee, he took a stroll around the cabin again, making sure everything was secure. Once he was satisfied everything was done, he poured himself yet another cup and sat on one of the rocking chairs on the porch. He still couldn’t believe what he’d heard on the radio. He smiled and looked out over the lake, willing Mac’s little plane to appear. He kept an eye out for Mac for another thirty minutes or so and then figured he just couldn’t make it back. The sky was getting that gray look it gets just before it dumps tons of snow on you, so he figured it was time to go inside. He carried both chairs from the porch and placed them just inside the cabin door and then closed the front door. He was loading a few logs in the fireplace and preparing to light a fire to get ready for the dropping temps when he heard Mac’s familiar voice.

“November 4649 Delta calling Wing Mansion, Wing Mansion do you copy? Over.”

Brad dropped the logs and ran to the radio.

“This is Wing Mansion. Mac, are you okay? Over,” Brad asked.

“Wing Mansion, can you switch to channel one eight? Over.”

Brad repeated, “Wing Mansion switching to channel one eight. This is Wing Mansion on channel one eight.”

Brad held his breath, waiting to see if Mac was okay or not.

He sighed when he heard Mac say, “Hey, Bradford, top of the morning to you. Over.”

“Hey, flyboy, great to hear your voice. Where are you? Over.”

“About twenty minutes from the lake.”

Yeah!
Brad said to himself.

“How’s it looking at the lake? Over.”

“Pretty gloomy,” Brad said. “The clouds are moving in fast, and the temperature is dropping. Can you push it a little and get here any quicker? Over.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Over.”

“Okay, I’ll start hiking down to the dock and meet you halfway.”

“Roger that.”

“Oh, and Mac, thank you for coming back up. I’m so glad you’re almost here. Over.”

“Me too. See you soon. Over.”

“Roger that and be careful. Over.”

“This is November 4649 Delta switching to channel one six.”

“Wing Mansion switching back to channel one six.”

Brad could hardly contain himself. He grabbed his coat and tore out of the front door.

Mac touched down on the lake five minutes ahead of schedule. He taxied straight over to the beach instead of the dock. A couple of years back, Zander and Jake had helped him sink stakes to which he could secure cables to keep the plane tied down in the event of high winds. To secure the wings, one end of the cable was hooked to the stake and the other to a grommet on the tip of each wing, while the other two stakes secured the aft by a cable looped over the tail.

With the plane secured, he grabbed his backpack and started toward the cabin. He looked up at the sky.
Brad was right, the
clouds are moving in fast
, he thought.
I
better get a move on
. He zipped up his jacket, threw his backpack over his shoulder, and started on his way.

He felt unusually light on his feet and had a real bounce in his step. About twenty minutes into his walk, he realized he was singing.
Damn, I must have it bad. I don’t sing
, he thought. He smiled to himself and kept walking and… singing. He’d been on the trail a little while when he rounded a bend and something slammed into him and knocked him on his ass.

B
RAD
was about ten minutes into his hike down to the lake when he heard the hum of Mac’s plane above the treetops. Through a clearing, he caught a glimpse of the little plane as it safely touched down on the lake. He said a silent thank you and picked up his pace. In another thirty minutes, he heard Mac’s voice before he saw him. Mac was singing: “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day! I’ve got a wonderful feeling, everything’s going my way.” He made a mental note to tease Mac relentlessly about his lack of ability to carry a tune in a bucket. He laughed out loud and started running down the trail. When he rounded a bend in the trail, he ran smack into Mac, and they bounced off of one another, and both landed on their asses.

Stunned, Mac said, “What the…?” When he realized it was Brad who’d knocked him down, he shook his head and smiled. “Now that’s some welcome, Bradford,” he said as his smile broadened.

“Sorry,” Brad said.

“Don’t be.” Mac chuckled. “No one’s ever this happy to see me.”

“What makes you think I’m happy to see you?” Brad asked.

Mac looked down and said, “Well… I just thought… sorry, I didn’t mean to….”

Before Mac could finish his sentence, Brad pounced on him, threw his arms around Mac’s neck, and planted a big kiss on his lips.

“I’m real happy to see you,” Brad confessed.

“Now, that’s more like it,” Mac said. “But are you happy because I’m back or because you don’t have to be alone for the storm?”

“What do you think?” Brad said with a slight pout.

Brad stood and offered a hand to Mac. Mac accepted it, and Brad pulled him to his feet.

They started back to the cabin, and Mac reached out and took Brad’s hand. They walked hand in hand in silence for a portion of the walk back to the cabin, just happy to be together.

They both stopped and looked up as the first snowflakes of the winter started to float to the ground. Mac suggested they step up their pace, and it was a good thing because they just made it back to the cabin before the winds picked up and the snow really started to fall. They stood hand in hand on the porch for a few minutes as they watched the first blizzard of the winter season move in.

Chapter 20