Wings of Love by Scotty Cade Read Free Book Online

walked together to the front desk. He assured Brad that they would see a good bit of each other in the future.
    Brad made his way to his room, packed his bags, took a quick shower, and crawled into bed. He read until he got sleepy and then turned out the light. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were of Jeff.
     
     
    M AC lay awake in bed, tossing and turning, getting more frustrated by the minute. After an hour of trying to fall sleep, he finally gave up. He got out of bed, got a drink of water, sat in the chair, turned on the reading light, and opened a book. He was reading the same paragraph for the third time when he heard a door close. His room was right next to Brad’s, so he knew it was Brad turning in. He closed his book and rested his head on the back of the chair. His thoughts went immediately back to Brad. Man, I hope he didn’t realize I was about to kiss him. Oh crap, I almost kissed him. He had never consciously thought about Brad in that way—not any guy, for that matter—but it was hard to deny the instant need he’d had to take the pain away when he looked into Brad’s eyes.
    Okay, Mac, your brain is on overload. You can’t keep this up. You need sleep. Besides, it was probably a one-time thing anyway. Quit overanalyzing. You just hopped onto the emotional rollercoaster that Brad was on. It wasn’t that long ago when you were on the same ride. You remember what is was like, and you were just reacting, that’s all .
    Hoping like hell his rationalization worked, he turned off the reading light and got back into bed for the second time in one night. He decided then and there that he wasn’t getting up again, and damn it, he was going to sleep. And he did.

Chapter 11

     
    A T SEVEN o’clock the next morning, Mac walked into the dining room and was greeted by a smiling Brad, sitting at the breakfast table and sipping a cup of coffee.
    “I was wondering if you were ever going to get up,” Brad said.
    “Good morning to you too,” Mac replied. “And just for the record, it’s only seven o’clock.”
    Smiling, Brad said, “I’ve been up since four o’clock. It’s a beautiful morning and looks like great flying weather.”
    “Are you always this chipper in the morning?” Mac asked.
    “Nope, I’m pretty subdued this morning.”
    “Oh man, thanks for the warning,” Mac shot back.
    Zander came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of hot coffee.
    “Morning, Mac,” he said from the swinging doors.
    “What does a guy have to do to get some breakfast around here?” Mac asked.
    “Order it,” Zander said.
    “Fine,” Mac said. “Why does everyone have to be a comedian?”
    Zander nudged Brad’s shoulder and said, “Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, yeah?”
    “Looks like it.” Brad chuckled.
    Mac ordered his breakfast, and Brad had another cup of coffee. The guys went over their plans once more and headed back to their rooms to get their stuff.
    Mac and Brad met at the front desk, where they turned in the keys and said their good-byes to Jake and Zander. Moments later they started for the dock where the plane was tied up.
    “Mac?” Brad said.
    “Yeah, Brad?”
    “Can I talk to you about something?”
    “Sure,” Mac said.
    “About last night,” Brad started.
    Mac mentally froze. Here it comes. I’m so busted , he thought.
    Brad continued, “I really appreciate your support, now and when I showed up here out of the blue. In many ways, I would have been lost without you taking me under your wing. But I think I owe you an apology.”
    “What for?” Mac asked hesitantly.
    “Well, I think I was so wrapped up in my own pity party that I never thought about how my situation might bring back a lot of raw memories for you. Last night, after I broke down yet again and you helped me through it, I looked at you and saw a lot of pain and confusion in your eyes. That’s when it hit me. I just wasn’t thinking clearly, and I’m really sorry.”
    By this