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“I guess they’ll just need to be happy for me having aboyfriennnd, now won’t they?” she teased back – and then grew serious. “They might have a lot of questions for you that you might not be ready to answer.”
“Oh?”
“About us.”
“Giselle,” he smiled softly, reaching out to touch her cheek. “I would be happy to answer anything and have a very nice open conversation with your parents. I want our friendship to grow, forthisto grow, and I don’t have any secrets from you. If you want to know something, then ask it.”
She nodded as the captain started talking again.
They were landing.
CHAPTER15
SPARKY
Tyler, Texas
As they gotoff the plane, Austin couldn’t help but laugh as Giselle dragged him towards one of the vendors that was opening shop there in the airport talking about ‘tchotchkes’…?
“What in the world is a ‘tchotchkes’?” he chuckled and allowed her to lead. His precious girl had her canvas bag across her shoulder and her body was at an angle, dragging him forward, trying to get him to hurry. They had plenty of time because he needed to text Caboose – and then who knows how long it would be before his buddy got here.
“Not ‘tchotchkes’… kolaches! Kooo-laaa-cheese,” she drawled pointedly. “They are the best thing on God’s green earth and a delicacy of Texas that all of us know about. It’s yummy pockets of dough stuffed with sausage and cheese, or fruit, or…holy cannoli’s!”she practically hollered and slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Whoops sorry about that,” she told him – and pointed, putting her chin up in the air and making a face, before dancing in place. He laughed in disbelief at how adorable she was away from military life, and relaxing in the civilian world. She was home – and knew this place.
“Austinnn…” she whined. “They’ve got biscuit and gravy kolaches!”
“So get one?”
“One?One?!This is about to beobscene…” she sputtered distractedly, moving to the counter and immediately ordering. “I need four biscuit-and-gravy kolaches, a cherry kolache, and one Texas mild.”
“They are really mild…” he heard the clerk say.
“Oh – thanks for the warning. I’ll take the hot then,” Giselle smiled and turned to him. “That’s my order. What do you want?”
He stared at her in disbelief – and shook his head. His girl was gangly like him, but he had no idea where she was going to put that much food… unless it was ‘that’ good?
“Double it,” he simply said, having no idea what he was getting into and didn’t want to regret not getting enough.
“Alright!” Giselle fist-pumped the air happily and quickly kissed him pertly on the lips. “You’ll love it.”
“I already do,” he replied simply and hesitated the second she turned back to the counter, talking with the man. She was chattering along as he wanted her profile, marveling at the woman before him… and how the truth had just slipped from him so easily.
He loved her.
“Wait till you try spicy ketchup,” she was talking to him again as the clerk was handing them several warm bags. “Man, I’m going to gain big-time being back home. Fresh taquitos, Whataburgers, Taco Casa chips, Taco Bueno Muchacos with the hot sauce, warm kolaches… I will be going through cholesterol-withdrawal when we go back to Ghazni.”
Laughing, Austin pulled her into his arms, hugging her, and felt her kiss his chin before nuzzling it.
“Let’s find a place to sit down and feed my sweet girl before she starts nibbling on me,” he teased – only to feel her pretend to do so on his chin, causing a sharp sensation to surge up his spine as he giggled.
He actually giggled like a girl.
That was not sexy or hot in the slightest – and she was laughing at him, clasping his hand, and beaming with so much emotion in her eyes that he felt his heart skip a beat.
“Let me show you what heaven is…” she ordered, pulling him towards a table in the distance. “Biscuit-and-gravy kolaches are the best ever and when you bite into them, the flavors just…”
Her voice carried as he only half-listened, marveling at how beautiful and strange life was. He was here, having met the woman he loved by sheer chance. She wanted to show him ‘heaven’…?
