Melting Ice(17)

He hadn’t noticed the compact device in the other man’s hand. Now, it was the center of his focus. “No, not nuts. Just asked Syn to marry me.” He shot them a nervous grin.

Trip shook his head and mumbled something unintelligible.

“In a fucking text,” Jagger shouted. “You moron.”

“What?” He glanced around the cabin, and every one of the guys looked disgusted. Dagger had even slapped a hand over his face. “As if I had another option. I tried to ask in person, but a bunch of jerkoffs dragged me away.”

Coyote sighed. “You tried to propose marriage by shouting at her on a runway while getting ready to jump in a chopper and leave for an undetermined length of time.”

“Go ahead,” Ghost groaned. “Light up the idiot, Zeus. He deserves it.”

“She was trying to dump me. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”

Dagger’s phone pinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket then doubled over laughing. Zeus snatched the device out of his hand and got a wicked grin on his face. They passed the damn thing around until Ice finally grabbed it away from Coyote, who literally howled with laughter.

SYN: Do me a big favor, hon. Pull out your gun and shoot Ice. Thanks!

Ice didn’t even think about it. He yanked open the cabin door and tossed out Dagger’s phone before pulling it shut again.

Complete insanity erupted. Dagger ripped off his harness and lunged at Ice, who was ready for him. Within seconds, the entire team was out of their seats, fists flying. He distantly heard the pilot’s voice through the headset calmly asking for a medical team armed with sedatives to be on the strip when they landed. Then his headset was ripped away, and he heard nothing other than the loud hum of the helo and the sounds of fists hitting flesh.

As the bird set down, it wasn’t medical waiting for them but the MPs. The entire team was carted off to face the commanding officer on duty. It was several hours before he got the opportunity to pull out his phone to find he had eight messages.

His hands shook, and he dreaded seeing a big fat no on the screen. Idly, he wondered if she’d texted any of the other guys and asked them to shoot him when Dagger hadn’t responded.

Manning up, he tapped the message button.

SYN: Hello?

SYN: U drop that bomb and disappear? WTF ICE?

SYN: Um…you weren’t shot, were u?

SYN: Dammit where the hell are u?

SYN: Ice? Don’t do this to me!

SYN: Fine, k. Yes. That was the worst proposal in history but yes.

SYN: Ice?

SYN: I SAID YES! U aren’t getting out of marrying me now, Master Chief, so pucker up, buttercup. And I want a really, really nice honeymoon in one of those places on stilts in Bora Bora. U paying attention? Call me, dammit!

A huge goofy grin spread across his split lip. He ignored the pain as he looked at the guys, unfazed by the swollen eyes, broken noses, and various other injuries. His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat and try twice before getting the words out.

“She said yes.”

As one, team Arapahoe rose to their feet, stood at attention, and shouted, “Hoo-yah, Master Chief!”