Page 142 of My All American Girl

As the night continued, we moved back to the dance floor. I danced with Kylee again and even danced with Rolley. Kylee joined us, hip bumping me.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Kylee shouted over the music.

“I know!” I shouted back. “We’re officially pilots!”

We laughed, spinning around in a circle. The future was wide open, and for the first time, I felt ready to face whatever came next. As I danced, I stole glances at Dean. He was watching me with that same intense gaze, a mixture of pride and love. I thought back to the very beginning. We had come so close to breaking up for good. I was glad he took action and did something about it.

I danced over to him, feeling bold and carefree. “What are you thinking about?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He smiled, pulling me close. “Just how lucky I am.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice serious. “I’m lucky to have you in my life, Sarah. You’re incredible.”

My heart melted at his words. “I feel the same way about you, Dean.”

He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine. “Let’s make a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“No matter where the Air Force sends us, no matter what challenges we face, we’ll always find our way back to each other.”

I looked into his eyes, feeling the weight of his words. “I promise, Dean. Always. It’s me and you.”

We sealed our promise with a kiss. The world around us faded away. In that moment, it was just the two of us, bound by our love and commitment to each other.

“Get a room!” someone shouted before several catcalls erupted.

We laughed and pulled away. I turned around to look at my friends and very casually flipped them off. That earned a burst of laughter.

Dean just shook his head. “Tell them they’ve got another half hour. Then we’ve got to start closing up.”

I popped out my bottom lip. “Boo.”

“Sorry, baby. Rules are rules. But just think, when we get home, it’s me and you for the next couple of weeks.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Laughing, I turned back to our friends, giving them the thirty-minute warning. They groaned but resumed their drinking and dancing. I turned back to Dean, and he wrapped an arm around my waist.

Once the bar was closed and cleaned up, we said our goodbyes to Jude and the remaining stragglers. Our tight-knit group exchanged hugs and well-wishes for the future. We promised to stay in touch, no matter where in the world we ended up.

Dean walked me to his truck out back. There was a peacefulness that came with the quiet hours of the morning, a stark contrast to the loud revelry not too long ago. My ears were still ringing.

“You know.” Dean started the truck. “I’ve always loved this time of day. It feels like anything could happen. I used to love the red flag drills that had us flying all night.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I replied, snuggling into his side.

Later, as we lay in bed, Dean held me close, his warmth comforting and familiar.

“Today was perfect,” I murmured, my eyes heavy with sleep.

“It was,” he agreed, his voice soft. “I’m so proud of you, Sarah.”

“Thank you, Dean. For everything.”

“Always,” he replied, kissing my forehead. “Now get some rest. We’ve got a whole new adventure ahead of us.”

I smiled, snuggling into his embrace. “I can’t wait.”

As I drifted off to sleep, I felt peace and contentment.