Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Best damn pilot in the Outer Banks,” Sawyer remarked as he dragged a chair through the sand and sat on the other side of Jagger. “Other than me, of course.”
“And so humble,” I quipped.
Sawyer raised his beer in salute.
“You’re all pilots?” Jagger glanced toward the grill, where Moreno and Garrett argued over timing.
“Nawh.” Sawyer shook his head. “Javier is our best mechanic, and Garrett is a rescue swimmer. His job makes us look like chickenshits. And that’s Goodwin over by the water. He’s another swimmer. Hastings—the guy next to him—is a pilot, though. Those are their wives, Christina and Cassidy.”
“And she knows? Morgan knows?” Josh dropped his voice.
“Morgan knows everyone. It’s not like Jackson keeps her locked away or anything.” Sawyer shrugged.
Josh’s eyes narrowed on me.
“That’s not what he’s asking,” I said to Sawyer before turning back to Josh. “Yeah. Morgan knows.”
Appraising the level of tension, Morgan got to her feet and came around the timbers that we’d get around to lighting here in a few.
“And you know—” Josh started.
“Everything okay?” she asked, taking a seat in my lap and resting her arm over my shoulders.
“We’re fine,” I promised, putting my hand on her bare knee. “They were just asking if you knew that I fly.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I don’t like it, but I know. And honestly, once he took me up and I saw him rescue—”
“You got her up?” Jagger’s eyes flew wide. “As in up in a helicopter?”
“Jagger Bateman, isn’t that what I just said?” Morgan fired back, arching an eyebrow. “Don’t you dare go asking questions about me like I’m not sitting right here.”
I pressed my lips in a firm line to keep from laughing.
Jagger sighed but looked properly chastised. “Fine. Sorry. You actually went flying?”
“I did. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.” She smiled at me, and damn if that didn’t make my chest constrict. “He saves lives. It’s pretty incredible.”
“Who saves lives?” Paisley asked, settling herself in Jagger’s lap while Sam and Ember played with Peyton.
“Jackson,” Morgan answered. “He’s a search and rescue pilot with the coast guard.”
This would have been so much more efficient if we’d just briefed everyone at once.
Paisley blanched. “I’m sorry?”
“Jax is a search and rescue pilot with the coast guard,” Sawyer repeated slowly and at greater volume. “Me, too, and Hastings, over there by the water.”
Paisley blinked at Sawyer, then swung her face toward Morgan. “Honey, you’re okay with that?”
“Whether or not I’m okay with it doesn’t change the facts.” Morgan shifted her legs.
“Well, I know that. It’s just…” Paisley’s worried gaze flickered between Morgan and me. “Unexpected.”
“Everything about Jackson is unexpected.” Her smile was slow as we locked eyes. “And besides, it’s not like they deploy or anything.”
My stomach sank.
“What? Hell yeah, we do. We’re deploying in six weeks,” Sawyer chimed in.
Morgan’s face drained of color, and her body went rigid.
“I’m not going, Kitty,” I said softly, cupping her cheeks. “I’m not deploying.”
She swallowed, but it didn’t take the terror out of her eyes.
“The guys are deploying for three months to a cushy little outfit in the Caribbean. They needed a few of us to stay behind, and because I have Finley, I’m staying.” I kept my voice calm and even despite the panic trying to claw its way out of my gut. It was as if my body was responding to hers, or maybe I was just that scared of losing her.
“Finley?” she questioned.
“Right. I have a family care plan, but they took mercy on me. I don’t have to go.” I stroked my thumbs over her cheeks.
“You’re not going.” Breath by breath, she relaxed.
“He’s ditching us,” Sawyer complained. “But don’t stress yourself, Morgan. We’ll be back by the end of September.”
“You okay?” Fuck, I should have talked to her about it way sooner than this, but I wasn’t going, so it hadn’t been at the top of my list.
She nodded.
“Paisley!” Ember laughed as Peyton grabbed fistfuls of her hair. Then her laugh turned to a grimace.
“I’ve got you.” Sam picked Peyton up, but he didn’t let go of Ember’s hair.
“Peyton Carter Bateman!” Paisley chided, hopping up from Jagger’s lap.
“I’ll get him.” Morgan chuckled and headed over to untangle Ember’s hair from Peyton’s enthusiastic grip.
“Peyton Carter, huh?” I asked. Damn, this guy was everywhere.
Paisley beamed. “Yeah. He’s named after my sister and—”
“Will,” I answered.
Her jaw dropped for a second before she composed herself. “She’s told you about him? Sam told me she was struggling with that—talking about him.”
“It’s hard to ignore that giant truck in her front yard, but yeah, she’s told me what she can.” I tried to offer her a reassuring smile. “And every day she’s capable of a little more.”
Her expression shifted from shock to envy and settled on pure gratitude. “I’m glad she has you, Jax.”
“I’m lucky to have her.”