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“Don’t worry, I’m never going to put you through that again.”
I looked up at him and searched his eyes. They were set with the fierceness of his words and a blanket of comfort and security wrapped around me. I didn’t know what the future had in store, but at that moment, I knew that I never wanted to be away from him again.
“You crazy fucker,” Aaron’s voice interrupted our moment.
Jack’s laugh vibrated through me as I stayed wrapped around him. “Good to see you too, Player.”
He let go of me just long enough to embrace his friend and then wrapped an arm around my waist. I placed my hand on his chest, memorizing the feel of his heart beating under my palm.
A loud crash rang out across the hangar and we all jerked around to look at the source of the clanging echo. “Oh my—” I started to laugh as Hunter raced into the hangar, leading the charge, with Princess right on his heels. They’d been out back playing in the yard but had managed to bust in the side door of the hangar, sending a stack of cartons flying over the floor.
Princess set her sights on Jack and easily amped up her speed to fly past Hunter like a streaking bullet. I released Jack just in time to get out of the way before the sixty-pound yellow lab barreled into his chest. Jack laughed as he wrapped her up in his arms and knelt down to hold her and pet her. “Hey, girl. You don’t think I forgot about you, did ya?”
I teared up watching Jack and Princess together. Hunter and I had gone through our own ups and downs lately but having both him and Princess by my side during the past few days had been priceless and shown me just how sweet that bond could be. “She’s been my shadow since I got here,” I said, reached down to pat her head. Hunter budged in and stole my attention. I laughed softly. “You too, buddy.”
Jack smiled up at me. “I’m glad she was taking care of you when I couldn’t.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.
When Princess was finally satisfied that Jack’s face didn’t need any more licking, she let him go and went back to playing with Hunter, both of them eager to explore the hangar. Aaron shooed them out and we all went up to Aaron’s house. When we got inside, Aaron went to the kitchen and came back with a bag of meat that was still wrapped in paper from the butcher’s shop. “I figured you could use a good old-fashioned American BBQ after living on MRE’s in the desert.”
Jack laughed. “The sad thing is some of those meals taste better than the stuff on the ship.”
Aaron grinned. “I’ll get these grilling up.”
Rachel jumped up from her perch on the end of the couch and went to follow after him. “I’ll help him get everything ready. You two need anything to drink?”
“A beer would hit the spot,” Jack replied.
“Lemonade?” I asked.
She nodded to both requests and disappeared. She came back moments later, handed off the beverages, and then was gone once again. I wasn’t sure if she was just trying to give us some privacy or if she wanted to spend what was likely her last day in Holiday Cove with Aaron.
She’d developed a little crush on him, but I knew if anything happened between them, it would be short lived. Aaron and Rachel had almost nothing in common and while Aaron was a nice enough guy, he was a little rougher around the edges than Rachel usually liked.
“Man, this feels good,” Jack said, sinking into a comfortable place on the couch. He patted his hand on the spot beside him and I curled up next to him, laying my head on his shoulder.
“Pretty perfect if you ask me.”
We all sat around and stuffed ourselves with good food and drinks, talking the afternoon away. All of us were a little surprised when the sun started to dip down over the ocean. After the dishes were done and put away, Aaron and Rachel let us know their plans. Aaron was going to take Rachel back to Newport Beach and drive back up in the morning. Leaving Jack and me with the house to ourselves for the night.
Rachel and I said goodbye, and she made me promise to call her the next day and let her know when I’d be back home. Aaron and Jack exchanged similar goodbyes, and then they left. Both seemed eager to get on the road.
“What’s going on with those two?” Jack asked once they’d gone.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. Well, I have an idea…”
Jack laughed softly and wrapped his arms around me, his hands finding their way to my low back. “Doesn’t really matter. This is what matters.” He brought his lips to mine and I melted against him, letting him take control of every move and sensation as he parted my lips and twirled his tongue over the tip of mine. He tasted like whiskey—the drink Aaron and he had switched to after dinner—and smelled like heaven.
