Page 63 of Falling For Alaska

"The dream?" he murmurs, his lips quirking up.

“Yes but…I don’t know if I can have that. If I deserve it.”

Jack reaches for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. “You do, Alaska. You deserve to live the life you dream of more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He kisses my forehead then continues, “And the answer is yes. I want to b-build that life with you, the-the house, the kids, all of it. The whole thing.”

A breath catches in my throat. "You’re supposed to go back to the city. Your job-"

"I’ll find a way to st-stay, I promise." He squeezes my hand while hope blooms in my chest.

"What about your promotion?"

His irises shine with promises as he presses another tender kiss to my lips. "There’s more t-to life than a p-promotion." I close my eyes, letting myself believe, just for today. "Are you opening the shop today?" he asks, his thumb tracing slow circles on my thighs.

"Yes, I think…I think I need to keep my mind occupied," I admit.

"Then how about we eat your p-pancakes, and I drop you off before heading to the st-station?"

He sets me down on the floor. “Sounds perfect,” I say, pressing a light kiss to his lips. We settle into my small breakfast nook, where sunlight filters through the window. Jack sips his coffee, his foot resting lightly against mine under the table, like couples do in my romance novels.

If this could be my life, then it’s a life worth fighting for.

Chapter Twenty-Two

JACK

I left my girl after breakfast, even though I wanted to stay. Her eyes were still red from crying last night, and she still seemed a bit shaken, but there was something more shining in her gaze this morning. A fire that hadn’t been there before. Hope. Or the promise of it. It was hard to keep my hands to myself when she was there barefoot in her kitchen, making me breakfast, with a pair of jeans hugging her shape and wild hair setting fire to my senses. Alaska's the most beautiful and bravest woman I’ve ever met. Even if I didn’t tell her today, I swore to myself, while she was asleep in my arms, that I would move mountains to find her the best doctors and treatments for her to heal.

As for the legal part, I’ll handle it right now. There’s no more time to waste. They’ve already stolen six years of her life. I’m not waiting another second.

“Captain?” I knock on his wooden door at the end of the corridor, not far from our office.

“Parkson,” he gestures me in, scanning a document in his hand. “What can I do for ya?”

“I…” I clear my throat, his face lifting to weigh me in. “I’ve f-found evidence of the county’s involvement in the d-death of Matthew Jenkins, sir. A t-tape, to be precise, enough to hold them accountable and allow the Jenkins to finally grieve in peace.”

Without losing composure, he orders, “Close the door,” then he leans back in his leather chair, his short hair giving off military vibes, “I know this case, Parkson. Jared and I tried to push it higher, too, but we didn’t have enough leverage back then. I’m not sure you grasp what it takes to go against the biggest heads in the county.”

“The t-tape speaks for itself, sir. They must’ve f-forgotten to pack it. If it were, uh, leaked, it’d spread like wildfire. It shows exactly how much at f-f-fault they were.”

“You sure you wanna do that? You could lose it all. They’d sack you. You can kiss any promotion goodbye.”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright…alright. Let’s watch this tape, and then I’ll call my superior.” I sit and hand him the tape, with a backup already saved to my computer, just in case. We watch it again, and I clench my jaw as my girl gets crushed on screen. She was so young. I wish I’d been there. I wish I could’ve protected her. When the video ends, he leans back, hand under his chin. “We do have a case, Parkson.” His voice is low and serious.

“We?”

“It’s about time the fuckers above us understand the limits of the law. I’ll take it from here. It won’t be pretty, and I already have a few names in mind that should lose their positions, deservedly so.” Running a hand down his tie, he asks, “Do you know what the family’s asking for?”

“Alaska Jenkins, his s-sister… She w-wants an apology letter and doesn’t want her parents involved in any c-capacity.”

He stares at me in silence. “She’ll get one. And probably a large check too.” He pauses. “Is there anything I should know about your personal involvement?” I stare at him hard, unspoken words burning in my gaze. “I thought so.”

“There’s something else too, Captain.”

“Let me guess, you’re looking for a permanent position as an officer now?”

“Yes.”