“True,” he said slowly. “Doesn’t the age thing bother you, though? If we have a kid in two years, I’ll be over seventy by the time they graduate college.”
I’d heard that argument as recently as last year when a friend of mine married an older guy, and it just made me smile. Because while I took the concern seriously and understood his point of view, his age wasn’t advanced enough for me to worry much.
“That’s one way to look at it,” I murmured. “You know what I would see? That you’d be fifty-one when they turn one. Fifty-two when they turn two. Fifty-six when they start school. We’re talking about so many years of milestones and family moments before you start feeling old for real.”
It was easy to see he hadn’t considered my point of view, ’cause he looked like he was trying to hide a smile.
“I feel oldnow,” he half joked.
I leaned forward and gripped the armrests so I could kiss him. Just a quick peck.
“James Hyatt, do you reject the sheer notion of having a baby in the future?” I asked.
He deflated with a sigh and tugged on a lock of my hair. “No, ma’am.”
I grinned. “Do you like me so far?”
He shook his head, amused. “I think I’ve made that clear, hellcat.”
We were totally flight ready.
“Then ask me out on a fucking date, pilot,” I said and kissed him. “I’m not predicting the future. I’m not demanding anything other than a chance to see if there’s more.”
He finally unleashed his smile on me, and he pulled me onto his lap and kissed me?—
I squeezed my eyes shut as the chair squeaked and protested, and a second later, the whole thing crashed to the ground. “Gah!” My stomach did a somersault as we went down.
“Fucking—hell.” James laughed through a painful groan, and I cracked up, sufficiently comfortable on top of him. But this poor man! He’d landed on solid ground and probably more than a few rocks.
“Oh my God, are you okay, honey?” I giggled and scrambled off him.
He huffed a chuckle and slipped a hand underneath himself to rub his ass. Had a rock hurt him? I’d kill the rock!
“Yeah.” He looked my way and smiled. “I’m more than okay.” He grabbed my hand and kissed the top of it. “Have dinner with me when we get home. Then breakfast the morning after.”
I beamed and dipped down to kiss him. “What a wonderful idea. I’d love to.”
And they said you couldn’t teach old dogs new tricks.
CHAPTER 8
James Hyatt
How the fuck had I ended up here?
I’d been perfectly content to truck along as I had, with zero expectations, nothing set in stone, no real prospects or plans, and then Kiera stormed into my orbit and threatened me with a lifetime of happiness and hope.
Hope was a dangerous thing.
So was happiness—and a single “chance” could change everything.
No promises, she’d said. No predicting the future. Just a date to “see if there’s more.”
Well, I already knew there was more.
Andmorewas the shit that gave us things to lose. When we had things to lose, we calculated risks differently. We set different boundaries and changed our outlooks. I could already feel myself more on edge because I’d have someone to protect in the cargo when we picked up three operators outside Jalalabad tomorrow. Because if something happened to her…
It was personal now.
