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But first, I had to get through the night. In a strange twist of events, Noah Scoville ended up turning into quite the ally—at least, business-wise—and had put up the cash to get my charter business off the ground, literally. With his investment, I’d been able to buy two gorgeous jets, kitted out with every luxury needed to draw in top dollar clients. In addition, I’d been able to upgrade the airstrip behind the museum and hire on a part time pilot who could take over for me when daddy duty called. Aaron wasn’t my official partner but was influential in getting my roster built up and was rewarded with a hefty sum for the use of the facility and airstrip.
I glanced at Jackson in the rearview mirror. Yep, everything had turned out pretty damn perfect.
“Baby Boomer!” Aaron cooed as Gemma rocked him in her arms.
I laughed and slapped Aaron on the back. “Kid’s gonna need his own call sign one of these days.”
“You think he’ll be a navy man?” Aaron asked.
“Holly’d probably have a heart attack, but I wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to follow in my footsteps.”
Gemma smiled as Jackson opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Hi, little man. Remember Auntie Gemma?”
Aaron chuckled. “Babe, he just saw you a few days ago.”
“I know.”
“Come on, let’s get a beer,” Aaron said, pointing his chin in the direction of the bar. “After all, you’ll need something so you can give your big speech.”
I swallowed hard. “Don’t remind me.”
Carly and Holly were across the room, chattering away and I smiled. One of the best things about settling down in Holiday Cove was that all of our friends were right here. Carly came over several times a week to take Jackson off Holly’s hands so she could run errands and get things done around the house. Holly was still interviewing nannies who would take over once she officially went back to work in the next few weeks. In the meantime, she had Auntie Gemma and Carly on hand and Rachel came up some weekends to hang out with us.
“Two beers,” Aaron said once we arrived at the open bar. The museum hangar was once again converted into a huge event space, even using some of the leftover decor from the wedding. He’d hired the local florist to deck the place out with fancy arrangements on every table. Carly offered to do the catering, but Aaron had turned her down, citing that he wanted her to enjoy herself. The party was more for family and friends than for the opportunity to expose the business to new or prospective clients—although there were some big fish on the guestlist for that purpose.
The bartender passed over two cold ones and Aaron raised his glass to mine. “You ready for this?”
I nodded. “As ready as I’m going to get.”
Aaron chuckled. “You can cross into a fuckin’ red zone without breaking a sweat but giving a speech in front of two hundred people makes you break out in hives.”
I laughed. “We all got our issues.”
Aaron tapped his glass to mine and then asked the bartender for the wireless mic pack. He switched it on and I drew in a deep breath. “Good evening, everyone,” he started, his voice booming throughout the hangar. All eyes turned in our direction and anxiety swept over me even as I grimaced to keep a smile on my face. “Thank you all for coming out tonight, Boomer and I appreciate it. Are you all having a good time?”
A round of polite applause rang through the crowd.
“Good, good. Now, I’m going to turn this thing over to the man of the hour, but I did have a few things I wanted to say first.”
I cocked my head in his direction, unsure what he was talking about.
He grinned. “Tonight, I’m honored to raise my glass to you, Boomer. You’re more than my friend. You’re my brother. You were my brother in our navy days, you always had my six, and now, in life, I know you’re still watching out for me. Now, as most of you know, this place, the Rosen Air Museum, was my dad’s. He was a navy man himself and when he got out, this was his vision. His heart and soul. He dumped everything into this place. This is the legacy he passed on to me when he left this world. And I’ve done my damnedest to build it up into something he’d be proud of.” Aaron paused and swallowed hard. “Now, I’m standing here with Boomer McGuire. Medal of Honor recipient and damn fine pilot.”
My heart thundered in my chest. I steeled myself and Aaron continued. “I’m proud to know this man and to add him to this legacy. Especially since he and his beautiful wife, Holly, have just had their own son.”
