Chapter 22 - Welcome Home
Forty-eight hours later, our cutter glided smoothly past the breakwater and into the familiar, welcoming berths of Naval Base San Diego. As the heavy gangway dropped, the crisp morning air carried the distant sounds of city traffic and gulls wheeling overhead.
I grabbed my duffel bag, shouldered it effortlessly, and marched down the metal ramp. Waiting near the pier gates, leaning casually against a sleek black sedan, was Ryan. He wore his crisp service dress blues, looking relaxed and smiling broadly as he spotted me stepping off the pier.
"Hey, Captain," Ryan greeted me as I walked up, tossing me a crisp, playful salute. "Thought I’d provide a secure taxi service for the weary task force commander."
I returned the salute with a smirk, dropping my hand. "At ease, Commander. What are you doing down at the piers? Don't you have a shore duty desk to manage?"
"I’m on leave this afternoon," Ryan replied, opening the passenger door for me. "And more importantly, Lily and your mother are throwing a small gathering at the Coronado bungalow tonight. A proper family dinner. No drama, no high-society cameras, and absolutely no seating charts at the far end of the room."
I laughed, sliding into the comfortable passenger seat. "Is that so? And I suppose my mother is actually cooking this time?"
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"Not only is she cooking," Ryan said as he climbed behind the wheel and pulled out into traffic, "she’s taking cooking lessons from a retired navy chef down at the base community center. She’s trying to earn your official tactical approval."
I shook my head, a genuine, warm smile spreading across my face. The transformation in my family over the last few months still occasionally caught me off guard. But it was real. The superficial veneer had been stripped away, leaving behind something honest, grounded, and enduring.
