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His hands were shaking and damp.
Come on man, get it together he says to himself.
Phoenix is a clairvoyant and detective wrapped into one sexy little package. She’ll sniff this out faster than a bloodhound with a kid who shit their pants playing hide and seek.
Act cool man. Except he can’t. He’s made one of the biggest decisions of his life, next to his Naval career.
Today, Bradley Nicholas Bradshaw is going to ask Natasha, shit - how does he not know her middle name he panics - Trace to be his wife. Yup. That’s right, Rooster is growing up and putting on his big boy pants today. Except he’s scared he might actually shit those pants like the aforementioned little kid.
Nat has been the love of his life since she stood in front of him at the Naval Academy on induction day, and told him a joke to break the ice, despite his level best to appear brooding and unapproachable. He might’ve not realized it then, but falling in love with her was inevitable. Like breathing. Her quick whit, sexy little body, and infectious smile that did funny things to his stomach and imprinted on his mind, made it a physical impossibility to not fall in love with her. At first he was petrified to say those three little words to her, words he’d never said to anyone except his family, but once he learned she was his safe place, they flowed out like they’d always been there. She’s his best friend, confident, partner, lover, and the most loyal wingwoman. She’s his first and last thought of the day, emergency contact, and “in case he doesn’t make it home” notification. She’s his person he turns to in times of need and the only arms he’ll ever truly seek solace in. She allows him to be the best parts of himself, and doesn’t shame him in his vulnerability. He’d truly be lost without her. She’s home. She’s family. Something he hasn’t been able to say about another person in a very long time. Every time he pictures his future, she’s it. Simple as that. Today is just a formality, right?
Right. He’s pretty confident she’ll say yes but there’s still that part of him that doubts why someone like her would want him. He’s got baggage Fed Ex won’t even touch. Why she’d hitch her wagon to a guy with grandpa style as Seresin puts it, and tragedy written all over him, is above his pay grade.
Closing his eyes he can picture her rolling her chocolate brown eyes at his pity party. She’s never stood for putting himself down.
Centering himself he takes a few calming breaths and gazes out to the ocean. He’s at his beach house waiting for her to come home. They agreed to meet up once she was done with all her coming into port duties. He thought of picking her up, but there’s no way he could drive right now without incident and completely blowing the hole thing with his inability to function.
How he’s managed to fly a jet into battle is beyond him right now.
It’s been a long three months and change that they’ve been apart. Today is the start of their joint leave for the next two weeks before getting underway again. Thankfully their next assignment is together, but still these two weeks to be just Nat and Bradley away from all responsibilities is a welcomed change of pace.
Just then he gets a notification that someone has pulled up to the house, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Here we go,” he says on a prayer to psyche himself up.
He contemplated doing the whole romantic picnic dinner with candles proposal, but ultimately that’s not them. Their love isn’t fanfare and pageantry. It’s simple, pure, and easy. They are takeout on the hood of his car, jokes told between best friends turned lovers, movie nights in, drunken karaoke moments at the bar, and long beach days that lead to nights cuddled up under the stars. He couldn’t think of a better place than right here, just them with the vast ocean as witness, and his home that he hopes to make hers one day soon.
“Honey I’m home,” he hears called sarcastically through the house that filters out the open back door. He smiles and shakes his head. She’s such a goof.
“I’m out back,” he calls to her. His heart rate picks up, not unlike every time he anticipates seeing her after a long leave. Hell, his heart rate spikes after she leaves the room for 5 minutes and comes back, but in this moment he might actually set a record.
She steps out onto the back porch, and the setting sun paints the most gorgeous golden glow on the canvas of her soft skin. She’s breathtaking. He takes a mental snapshot to remember this moment forever.
Hell, he’s missed her. Her touch. Her feel. Her smell. Her everything. His body tingles with the need to touch her.
She sees him in the distance and her face splits into two with a blinding radiance. He swears her smile will never stop being the thing that guides him home.
As if feeling the tingles herself, she takes off running and before he knows it she’s jumping into his arms.
She kisses him deeply and he’s only too happy to return the favor. Kissing her is the single best free-fall feeling, and that’s high praise coming from a fighter pilot. There’s not much that can top the thrill of being strapped to a jet, but kissing Natasha Trace trumps it all.
“Hey there, Sailor,” she teases. “I missed you,” she whispers between kisses as she plays with the hair at his nape while keeping her legs tightly wrapped around him.
He loves that she can let her guard down around him and let her soft side out. It’s one of the single greatest secrets to their relationship. People probably wouldn’t believe him if he told them her love language is physical touch, and she’s like a koala bear who hangs off him. He’s not complaining for the record, just stating a fact.
Pulling back he’s momentarily rendered speechless and stares into her adoring eyes. Her beauty, this moment, and the weight of the ring in his back pocket stealing all rhyme or reason from him. Plus, normally, he’d carry her inside and continue this reunion in a different setting. But not today - as he fights that primal urge. Today he’s got a critical mission - make her his wife for life.
“You ok?” She looks at him quizzically.
See? He knew she’d sniff it out! Okay, well he’s not exactly making it difficult by suddenly falling motionless and mute. It’s now or never he says to himself.
Gently releasing her, he waits until she’s standing on her own two feet before slowly starting to move down to one knee. He reaches back to his pocket and grasps the ring.
He can see the moment her brain clicks onto what he’s about to do, and wishes he had it on camera.
“Holy shit,” Nat gasps and covers her mouth with shaking hands. “Oh my god, Bradley…what...,” she trails off.
“Natasha Trace” he says while taking her hand in his suddenly sure one. Nothing has ever felt so right, and this clarity jolt gives him the confidence he needs to complete his mission. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Even when I was too scared to admit it, and you were brave enough to love me for the both of us. You’ve loved me during our ups and downs, short and long deployments, and have never wavered in your commitment. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and most days I have to pinch myself to believe you’re real. Like in this very moment as I look up into your beautiful face. You’re my home. My compass always pointing the way. Will you do me the incredible honor of always being my wingwoman? Marry me baby, and I promise to give you the world you so deserve.”
“I….Of course…Oh my god, I’m fucking this up…shit I just cursed…Ah!…YES!” she manages to get out as a smile overtakes her face. Rooster barks out a laugh. He thinks this may be the first and only time Nat’s fumbled over her words.
Looking down, he takes her delicate left hand in his and slips the ring, his solemn promise to love her forever, on her finger. It’s a perfect fit. A bittersweet fit. It was his mom’s engagement ring and seeing it on Nat brings a sharp pain of grief, a reminder she and his dad aren’t around to witness and celebrate in this moment. Maverick too he realizes with a second heart pinch.
When he first thought of proposing he started to research rings but nothing stood out to him that screamed Nat. She wasn’t the glittery ostentatious type. She was more simple and elegant. His mom. And he couldn’t think of a more deserving person than Nat to wear her ring.
He knew immediately upon pulling the ring out of the safe, it was the one. It wasn’t the most expensive ring in monetary terms, after all his parents got married out of high school, but it was rich in love and history. The most precious of currencies.
Looking down at the ring, he can tell she loves it by the way she admires and stares at the sparkle caught in the last rays of the setting sun.
“It was my mom’s,” he tells her quietly while stroking her hand with his thumb. Still in disbelief she’s wearing it.
Tears fall freely from her eyes as she looks up at him and cups his face. He turns into her palm accepting the comfort she’s offering knowing this moment, although beautiful, is difficult for him with the symbolism of his parents tragic love story staring up at him.
“It’s perfect and I’m honored to wear it. I love you so much, Bradley,” she says as his newly minted fiancé tips up on her toes to reach him for a kiss. And this kiss hits different, like the universe knows it’s the first in a new chapter.
Natasha Trace Bradshaw. He tries it out. Wait. Lieutenant Natasha Trace Bradshaw that is. It has quite the nice ring to it he thinks. Although…
“Wait, I have one more question for you,” he says with a lopsided smile.
Nat widens her eyes thinking what more could he possibly ask.
“What’s your middle name?”
“You jerk!” She playfully punches him in the arm. Ah. There she is. He can’t have her going too soft on him now.
“It’s Marie, you know like my mother?” She says with an eye roll. Rooster can only sheepishly shrug.
They both burst out laughing as she jumps back into his arms and he carry’s her inside.
Love and laughter trails after them, echoing straight up to the newly dawning night sky where the stars start to twinkle like happy glittery tears. If he didn’t know better he’d think the heavens were celebrating with them.
Huh.
Maybe they are. Maybe. They. Are.