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Jonah snorts, but his face remains serious. “You regretting this yet?” He takes my left hand in his, his thumb smoothing over my ring.
“No. Why would I ever?”
Earnest blue eyes trace my features. “There was a stretch there, when I woke up, and couldn’t get out, couldn’t move—”
That ball in my throat flares as I’m hit with an image of what that must have looked like from the air. They said they weren’t expecting to find a survivor. They said it was a miracle Jonah survived and in the relatively good shape he’s in.
“And all I could think about was you, and how I was gonna break my promise about finding my way back. How you were gonna wish you’d never met me.”
Fresh tears stream down my face as I shake my head. “I could never regret you, Jonah.” Not if I’d lost him last night, not if I lose him in five years or fifty.
He swallows. “Are you gonna be able to handle me flyin’ again?”
“Jesus. You’re insane.” I can’t help but laugh. “Can we just focus on you healing first?” It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since he nearly died. He won’t be flying again for months. His firefighting days are done for the season, and Jack Thomas will have to find himself another pilot for his rich hunters.
“Yeah, fine. Come here,” he whispers holding his arm out.
Ever so slowly, I ease in and stretch out against his side, balancing precariously close to the edge of the hospital bed. I gingerly rest my head against the crook of his arm. My tears soak into his blue hospital gown. “I know you’re going to fly again, and I would never try to tell you not to. Just please promise me you’ll never take a risk like that again. I’d rather spend a hundred nights alone if it means you were going to come back to me safe at the end of it.”
“That promise, I know I can keep.” He shutters his eyes. The doctor said he’d be groggy.
I bring his hand to my mouth, to kiss his knuckles, and then I ease back to sit, intent on letting him sleep.
“You weren’t alone last night while you waited, were you?”
“No, no … everyone was there.” Toby drove me in my Jeep to Anchorage, where they airlifted Jonah.
“Who’s everyone?”
“Well, not Agnes, but the McGivneys and Marie, and Roy—”
“Roy?”
“Yeah. I was surprised, too.”
Jonah makes a sound, but he says nothing.
“Listen, you need your sleep. I’m going to get Agnes and Mabel before you fall asleep. They’re in the waiting room. George flew them in.”
“Have you told them about their cabin yet?”
I laugh. “No. You can. Take full advantage of their pity for you and make them agree to it.”
He smirks. “Done. Come and give me a kiss first.”
I lean in to press a teasing kiss on his forehead.
“Not there.”
I peck his nose.
He groans.
With a smile, I savor his lips.
Jonah lets out a contented sigh. “I can’t wait to get home so you can wait on me hand and foot.”
“Oh, you think so.” I laugh. It feels so good to laugh with Jonah.
