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This place was more than just an airport. Jax had sought refuge here during the most pivotal point in his life. It was in these very walls that he found his passion in flying, which led him to become a pilot in the Air Force. So what if the place had seen better days? Maybe Livie needed to learn that the important things in life had nothing to do with how fresh the coat of paint on the walls was. It was because of this well-loved airport that he was able to return home to his daughter and provide a stable life for her.

He had some colossal mess-ups in his past, but finally he was getting things right. His bank account may not be padded, but that didn’t mean near as much as integrity and being a good dad. Jax realized that Livie saw him as nothing more than a grease monkey, but that was her problem. He was long past caring what people thought of him.

There was only one female he cared about these days.

“You want more money? Is that it?”

Exhausted with this line of questioning, Jax turned from the plane, stopping short when she’d closed the gap and stood only a few feet in front of him. He’d be damned if that streak on her face didn’t diminish her beauty. She most likely had men falling at her stiletto-covered feet, offering to do anything she wished. She’d be smart to learn he wasn’t going to be one of those men simply because she had a pretty face and killer curves.

Jax’s parents had passed when he’d been ten, and Jax had to live with his grandfather. The man did the best he could, but he was older and tired, with his own set of health issues. So Jax had started hanging around the airport, taking a love to the skies . . . much like the late owner Livie still hadn’t mentioned.

Propping his hands on his hips, Jax leveled his gaze.

“Someone like you won’t get that I’m not able to be bought.” He didn’t care that her cheeks tinged with pink or that the muscle in her jaw ticked. He was pretty pissed himself. “Money has absolutely nothing to do with why I’m not selling my half.”

Livie rolled her eyes. “Please. Everything comes down to money.”

Wasn’t that a sad statement? From her tone, he could tell she fully believed such nonsense. The girl he remembered didn’t feel that way. Livie had raised money for a local animal shelter when she’d been a freshman in high school. She’d formed a group and had taken up an insane amount of donations. Even then she’d had the telling signs of a businesswoman and a leader. He wasn’t much liking the detached woman she’d grown into.

“Loyalty and tradition have nothing to do with my finances and both of those are what makes up this airport. You know there’s more to all of this than just a business transaction.”

When she narrowed her eyes, he didn’t back down. She may not have wanted to address the full picture, but he wasn’t going to let her hide behind the proverbial elephant in the room.

“Well, you’d know it if you’d ever been home in the last sixteen years.”

Her lips thinned and those eyes turned to slits. Yeah, he’d hit a nerve. Welcome to the club. She’d hit one as well barging into his airport and assuming she’d be welcome.

“I can see you’re not in the mood to discuss business.”

Uncrossing her arms, she straightened that already perfectly shaped jacket and hip-hugging skirt. The years had done her an unfair amount of favors. Who knew the woman could get more attractive?

“I am determined to sell this land, Jackson. You can’t be so stubborn just because I’m the one making the offer. It’s a good deal.”

The image of his little girl running through the open hangar, her arms wide, her excitement when she took her first plane ride, the fact that this was his home . . . absolutely priceless. Piper had planted the bulbs last spring, hoping to see them blossom this year, and they had. His daughter had a hand in this place as heavy as his own. In the grand scheme of things, money was just paper . . . kind of like his marriage certificate.

Slowly, Jax narrowed the gap between them. She tipped her head up to meet his eyes, but she didn’t back up. Damn if Livie wasn’t holding her ground. On any other occasion he’d appreciate her tenacity and strength, but not when her sole goal was to dismantle his life. And it was a bit difficult to take her seriously when she had that streak on her cheek.

When he took one more step, Livie reached up and held on to the wing, her eyes widened.

That’s right. She was about to learn who truly held the upper hand on this fifty percent partnership from hell.

“Your offer and your big-city thinking have no place in Haven. You knew that when you left years ago. I may not look like much to you, but believe it or not, I’m more than a plane mechanic.” He focused on his words and not her sweet floral scent. “And there are real people in this town. People who rely on me and my services, services your father started and hoped to pass down to you one day, but you left.”

She pulled in a sharp breath. That’s right. He was going there.

“I doubt my father would want you to turn down such a generous amount,” she countered with a tip of her chin.

Jax couldn’t help but laugh. “If you’d been around at all, you’d know Paul busted his ass to keep this place going. This is more than an airport—it’s a legacy.”

She pursed her pale pink glossy lips. “So, what do you propose then? You want me to just walk away and pretend I don’t own half? Just let you keep going on as if nothing happened?”

Even if she did just that, something major had happened. Paul was gone. Selling this place would seem like he was severing that bond.

Did Olivia even have a clue as to what all her father had done? Did she care? Did she know his reasoning for letting her go so many years ago?

“Think about the lives you’d be impacting.” Reaching up, he gripped the smooth edge of the wing, mimicking her stance.

Livie dropped her hand, tilted her chin up, and offered a smile. “We need to come to an agreement that works for both of us.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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