Damn you had missed him.

                                    

                                          
Request – Can I have a one shot where Kayce comes back from his last tour of duty overseas? Obviously, this wouldn't have Tate in the picture. Unless that's what you think! Thank you! 
You had only had three 'homecomings' with Kayce. He had done three tours overseas, mostly in the middle east, and all three of them were not like how it was on the news. Since you lived in rural Montana, there wasn't some big airplane hangar where a ton of people stood with tears before running into a sea of military personnel looking for their loved ones. 
Your homecomings were more like this one. 
You were waiting at the airport in Bozeman, in the car line while you looked at everyone walking out. You knew Kayce's flight from Virginia had landed, but you knew he would have to get his bag as well. 
You bit your lip, your eyes looking at each person who came out of the door. So far you were missing him. 
Damn you had missed him. 
Six months was as long as it seemed. It was downright awful, and you were sure the military owed even you some type of payback for the sleepless nights, anxiety-ridden panic attacks, and countless wonderings of where Kayce was. 
This hadn't even been his longest tour, but they never got easier. In fact, you were pretty sure this had been the worst one yet because there had been a severe lack of communication from Kayce during this tour. You knew it had been dangerous, you knew he probably wasn't where he told you he was. 
Damn you had missed him. 
But then you saw him. Coming out of the door with one bag thrown over his shoulder, his other bag in his hand. Leave it to Kayce to hold open the door for two older women as he did. He wasn't in his uniform; he never was by the time he got to Montana. He was just your Kayce, dressed in wranglers and a white t-shirt.
You got out of your car, looking over the hood as he glanced down the line. When you saw Kayce see you, you held up your hand in a small wave. Kayce walked toward you, the smile on his face growing bigger as he got closer. 
You felt your heart constrict, almost as if it was hard to breathe. Your eyes felt weak, tears lining the edges of them quickly as you walked to the front of your car. Your chest was heavy as if there had been this weight over you that was starting to crack. Your throat felt tight, as though you didn't know if screaming or swallowing would help it. You didn't know what to do with your hands as you stood there, waiting for Kayce to maneuver around the people waiting.
The second Kayce stepped off the sidewalk you broke out into a short sprint over to him. He barely had enough time to drop his bags before you were in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist, arms holding his neck tight. It was like everything stood still for a few moments. 
Damn you had missed him. 
You knew you were crying. You always cried as you felt Kayce's hands roam across your back as he breathed you him, his face buried into your neck. He felt solid against you, but also hollow. You knew there were stories behind each line across his skin, each freckle on his cheek. Those stories would be told eventually. 
You pressed your lips to his neck, his skin slightly salty from hot airplane rides and worry. Your lips moved to his jaw, and then his cheek. One of Kayce's hands held your ass so he could lean back enough for you to be face to face. 
"Hey, baby."
That's all Kayce got out before your lips pressed against his. This kiss was different than the previous 'homecoming' kisses. Usually, you and Kayce weren't big on public displays of affection, even after months of not seeing each other. A sweet kiss here and there, but these kisses were usually held for when it was only the two of you. 
But you couldn't help it, because this time was different. This time the fear grew too much for you, there had been too many nights where you cried yourself to sleep, hugging Kayce's pillow to your chest.  
So, you kissed him hard. You drank him in. You re-familiarized yourself with his lips as your tongue swiped against his. His hand on your ass pressed you into him for a second before he moved to your waist. You felt yourself being lowered as you continue to kiss Kayce, your feet gently touching the ground again. 
"Babe." 
You paused, your lips still pressed against his, and opened your eyes. Kayce's caramel orbs stared back at you. He gently pushed your hair back from your face while his other hand held your cheek. 
"Hi," Kayce whispered. 
"Hi," You breathed out. 
Damn you had missed him. 
The two of you quickly got into your car, Kayce tossing his bags into the backseat before hopping in the passenger's seat. You pulled out of the line of cars and headed toward the highway. The drive back to his family's ranch would be almost two hours. 
Kayce kept his hand on your thigh, a gentle silence between the two of you as you drove through the rush hour traffic. Once you were on the highway and out of town, you relaxed more in your seat. Kayce had his window down some, the cool breeze was always something he missed. 
"How bad was it this time?" You asked softly, both your hands on the wheel. 
"About a nine," Kayce said. 
You sat there, letting that sink into you. While you had experienced a horrific time yourself, you weren't over there. Knowing Kayce's time had been his own nightmare did a number on your already fragile heart. 
"How long?" You asked, already feeling defeated but you couldn't help it. 
"How long what?" Kayce looked over at you. 
"How long until you have to go back?" You sighed, trying to prepare yourself for his answer. 
"I'm not," Kayce said. 
"What?" You glanced, not having heard him clearly. 
"I'm not going back," Kayce shook his head. 
"What do you mean?" Your head kept switching from the road to Kayce. 
"I turned in my papers when I got back," Kayce's hand on your thigh squeezed. "M'not going back, baby." 
You had never pulled over faster. Once the car came to an abrupt halt, you put it in park and faced him. 
"Are you fucking serious?" You asked breathlessly.  
"Yes," Kayce smiled at you, knowing full well what he was doing. 
"You're here?" You asked him. "You're staying here?" 
"If you'll have me?" Kayce raised an eyebrow. 
"K-Kayce..." You hiccupped, launching yourself across your console and into his arms. 
It was awkward in the car seat, but you wiggled your way on top of him, limbs tangled up as you cried into his chest. For the past five years, Kayce had been back and forth overseas. He had done this for his family and for himself. He knew he needed training and conditioning and guidance. He also needed to stay out of trouble while still earning a paycheck. But it had been really fucking hard. 
Kayce gently pulled your head up so he could look at you. With you on his lap, you were slightly above him now. 
"We can start that life you've always wanted," Kayce whispered to you and it sounded like a promise. 
"I just want you," You smiled, tears still clinging to your eyes. 
"You have me," Kayce smiled. 
He pulled you in for a sweet kiss. 
Damn you had missed him.