The soft hum of a ceiling fan stirred the heavy summer air in the small Navy housing unit overlooking the base. The faint sound of waves rolled in from the coast, blending with the muffled laughter of a baby somewhere inside. Lieutenant Duke Mitchell sat cross-legged on the worn carpet, his flight jacket tossed carelessly over a chair, his hands steady as he balanced his son in his lap.

“Easy there, little man,” he murmured, his voice carrying that easy Southern lilt that never left him. Pete’s tiny hands reached for the silver wings pinned to Duke’s T-shirt, fingers curling around the cool metal. Duke chuckled, letting him tug. “You like those, huh? One day you’ll earn your own. But not too soon.”

From the kitchen, his wife called, “If you keep winding him up, he’s never going to sleep.”

Duke grinned. “I’m just showing him what keeps his old man in the sky.”

He leaned down and brushed his nose against Pete’s forehead, breathing in the faint scent of baby powder and sunshine. Pete squealed — that high, bubbling laugh that made Duke forget the world beyond these four walls. Outside, a jet thundered past, rattling the windows. Pete flinched, but Duke tightened his hold, rocking him gently.

“It’s all right, Maverick,” he whispered, testing the nickname for the first time. “That sound’s just where Daddy works.”

His wife appeared in the doorway, arms crossed but smiling. “Maverick? Really?”

Duke shrugged. “He’s got that look. Like he already wants to run before he can walk.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head as she leaned against the frame, watching the two of them. The room felt still for a moment — the quiet, golden kind of still that comes before memory turns to myth.

Duke’s eyes drifted to the framed photo on the shelf — his squadron lined up beside their jets, the sky bright and endless behind them. He knew he’d be heading back soon. Another deployment. Another set of risks she didn’t want to think about. But for now, he pushed the thought away and focused on the tiny heartbeat pressed against his chest.

“Hey, Pete,” he said quietly, “you just remember, wherever I go up there, you’re the reason I come back down.”