by Zoe Dawson
“You can stay with me if you’re not going to hang your girlie things over my shower rod.”
“I’m so going to hang all my girlie things everywhere, and I know that you’re going to grumble about it, but secretively you’ll love it.”
He pressed his lips together, trying his damnedest not to smile.
“Yeah, I see the way you’re working at not smiling.” Her grin faded and she said, her voice breathless, “In case you missed it, I said that I love you, Austin, and I want to be with you forever.”
His heart was so full as he said, “I didn’t miss it. I love you, too, Jenna. In case you missed it.”
Releasing a pent-up breath in a rush, Jenna slid her arms around his neck. Closing his eyes against the onslaught of sensation, Austin turned his face against her and wrapped her in a hold, lifting her off the sand, wondering how he had ever managed without her. Grasping a handful of hair, he clenched his jaw and turned his head against hers, something joyous and wild expanding inside him. Inhaling raggedly, he clutched her against him. A tremor coursed through her, and he leaned back. “I can feel the stares of my friends, coworkers, and boss behind me. Would you like to meet them?”
“Very much. I am dying to meet Kai and ask where she shops. Her clothes are to die for.”
He chuckled and clasped her hand. He turned around and everyone cheered. At first he thought it had to do with his reunion with Jenna, but with a jolt he realized they were all waiting to congratulate him—he’d won the competition.
With a laugh, he went through the crowd fist-bumping, shaking hands, and getting his back slapped. When he reached his friends, he said, “Everyone, this is Jenna.”
With a wry smile on his face, Derrick said, “Jenna who?”
Everyone laughed, and Austin introduced her to each of his friends one at a time until he got to Kai. “It’s good to meet you finally,” Kai said with welcome in her voice. “You got lucky with this one.”
Beaming at her, Jenna turned to look at him. “Don’t I know it.”
They went out to celebrate with good food, good company, and alcohol; Austin had bragging rights after his win, the trophy sitting in the middle of the table. Afterward, he took her home to his apartment on the beach.
Once inside, she took her time looking around. “You’re very neat. I like that. Love the architecture and the windows are glorious. Can you hear the surf?” She knelt down and sent her fingers across the strings of his guitar on a stand by the “glorious” windows. The sound was deep and well-tuned, just like their love.
He pulled her down to the couch and picked up his guitar. “I’ve been practicing this for you.” He strummed the strings and sang “Once Upon A Dream.”
She smiled, wiping now and then at her tears as he came to a close. She rose and went to the window as he set the guitar aside. “I’m so happy,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he said, stepping up to her, turning her, his hands gasping the fabric of her dress and pulling it off over her head, displacing those curls and making them bounce back to her shoulders. Her tantalizing mouth turned up at the corners and he made a low sound when he found her in nothing but her panties.
She pushed his clothes off his body with eager hands, and they fell together on his bed with questing hands and delving tongues. He fit himself to her and it felt like coming home.
Afterward, they lay together in each other’s arms and Austin looked out the window. “Look at those stars.”
She turned her head and sighed. “And the surf. It’s hard to decide which is more breathtaking.”
He looked down into her face and said huskily, “That would be you.” He searched her eyes. “You have everything worked out then? For sure. No more doubts?”
She went still in his arms, then she turned her face to him and tightened her arm around his waist. “No more. Six years ago, I fell head over heels in love with you. It didn’t have to do with adrenaline, hormones or the danger we were in. It was all about you. Our chemistry, our deep and intense connection. We were always meant to be, and fate brought us together in a terrible way for a second chance at love. You taught me what courage was all about. I love you so much, Austin.”
Pressing a kiss against her hair, he began slowly stroking his hand up and down her back. His expression softening, he said, “I love you, Jenna.”
She pursed her lips and gave him a cheeky grin. “So,” she said, running her finger over his stubble, “I remember someone making a promise to me.”
He frowned, “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, surfer boy. Lessons? You know, in the water with a board and everything. Do you think you can handle that?”
He gave her a sensuous look. “I sure can, especially the clothing part. You’ll look amazing in a wet suit.”
She slipped her finger under his chin and dragged his eyes to hers. “Good thing there’s no naked surfing or I’d never get any lessons.”
“Oh, you’d get plenty of lessons,” he murmured, rolling on top of her, and her soft laughter echoed in the fullness of his chest and the confines of his apartment, pushing out the darkness and filling it with light.
Epilogue
Naval Air Facility El Centro, California
Two weeks later
Austin and Jenna entered the Blue Angels administration building, and Commander Washington walked up to meet them.
“Hello, Jenna, it’s good to see you again. You ready to do this?”
She smiled. “Yes, and thank you for the invitation to ride.”
“Of course. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t all remember Sarah and her contributions to the Navy and this team. Let’s get you suited up.” First, she was taught to breathe—the technique would keep her from blacking out at the effect of g-force. After the lesson, she was led to a room where they gave her a black coverall that she put on.
As she was tying up the boots, Austin said, “You nervous?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m excited.”
“I’m proud of you, Jenna.” She rose and wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him, thinking about Sarah and her lifelong dream.
When they came out of the room, the public relations pilot, Lieutenant Michael Jordan, smiled and said, “You set to go?”
“Ready.”
She walked out of the building and onto the runway, the weather idyllic, not a cloud in the sky, the temperature mild for March. She passed jet number one, then two, and she paused at jet number three. Lieutenant Benjamin Torres stood near his F-18, his name lettered in gold just beneath the cockpit. He had been chosen for the team to replace Sarah, and he beamed at Jenna. She faced him and gave him a crisp salute. She had been practicing, with Austin giving her very good pointers. Benjamin’s face contorted, and he saluted her back. The muscles in his throat contracted as he held the salute and the desolation in his eyes softened ever so slightly as he tried to smile.
Protocol be damned, she marched up to him and hugged him hard. He hugged her back just as hard. For a moment, they stood there in silent remembrance. Then Austin touched her shoulder, and they moved on to jet number seven, a crew member standing by. He helped her up the stairs and into the cockpit right behind Lieutenant Jordan. The crewman helped her into the harness, then the helmet, as Austin looked on.
The pilot settled in as well, going through the same process. The crewman shook his hand, wishing him a safe flight, then hers, too.
“How you doing back there, Jenna?” Lieutenant Jordan said through the mic as the canopy started to close.
“A-okay,” she responded.
“All right. Then let’s get this show on the road.”
She turned to see Austin standing there, and she waved to him, then blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and brought his hand to his lips. I love you, he mouthed.
She mouthed it, too, and he stepped back as the jet started to move, jockeying onto the runway.
With a tremendous force against her body, it accelerated until
they lifted off, the world outside the canopy dropping away at an alarming speed. Before she could catch her breath, six planes were above her and beside her as they flew in perfect formation. She turned her head and saw Ben and her heart swelled at the sight of him. When he’d been chosen, he’d called her, and she had been so happy for him.
He said over the mic, “I’m doing this for the team, but most especially for Sarah. I’ll fly her plane with pride and honor her every moment I’m in the sky and in the cockpit.”
She was lucky that he had known Sarah so well. He’d filled Jenna in on all the stuff she hadn’t gotten a chance to find out about Sarah. Up here with the blue all around her, she felt close to her cousin, and she could imagine as she experienced the barrel rolls and the sharp maneuvers that Sarah rode along with her, laughing and enjoying every moment of the flight.
Right before they landed, jet number three trailed out pink smoke, and Jenna closed her eyes against the tears welling and the emotion clogging her chest. Pink had been Sarah’s favorite color.
“Thank you for that,” she said softly into the microphone.
“You’re welcome, Jenna,” Lieutenant Jordan said.
After they landed, Jordan and Washington presented her with several mementos, pictures of Sarah—one as she flew a training mission, another of her next to her aircraft—then one of Jenna in the cockpit of the recent flight, wearing a blue-and-gold pin and a Blue Angels Hornet patch depicting the insect in white.
“Take these for our first air show of the season next weekend. We’d love for you to be our guests. There’s plenty of tickets there for friends you’d like to invite.”
“Thank you for taking me up. It was an honor to fly with you. I’ll cherish it forever.” She clutched the gifts to her, and she and Austin went home.
The following Saturday, they were back on base sitting in the stands as F-18s screamed across a cloudless sky, six blue-and-yellow aircraft aligned in perfect formation, flashing over the crowd of thousands of upturned faces, people gasping in astonishment.
Jenna’s was one of those upturned faces, sitting next to Austin as they watched all six planes aiming for a preestablished reference point on the ground, appearing to come together for a split second, then angling off in gut-wrenching climbs, trailing white smoke to mark their paths.
Kai was next to her; they had become fast friends just as Jenna had expected, along with Amber and Tristan, Derrick and Emma, Dexter—and Piper, her new business partner. And last but not least, their probie, Andrea Hall.
“Thanks for inviting us. I’ve always wanted to come out here and see the Blue Angels in action,” Drea said.
“They are quite something to see,” Jenna said. She was thrilled with her new partnership with Piper Kaczewski. They were already making strides in fundraising for libraries in California and organizing literacy events.
She’d moved into Austin’s wonderful apartment on the beach and they made love, laughed, ate, and surfed. She couldn’t be more content.
Later that night, wearing their wet suits and sitting on their boards in the rolling surf, Austin leaned over and grasped her arm, pulling them together. The moon was full and illuminated the water until it was a swath of glistening, gently ebbing and flowing light. A breeze blew her hair around her face and even though she so enjoyed night surfing with her man, she couldn’t wait to snuggle with him up in that warm bed.
Suddenly he reached into his wet suit and pulled out something on a chain and when he turned his hand, light flashed brilliantly off something in the darkness.
Her breath caught and she stared at him. He took her hand and placed the ring onto her palm, still grasping the chain. “Jenna, I lost you, then found you again. We overcame complications and obstacles to pledge ourselves to each other. Would you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife, my lady love, my forever?”
She couldn't say she was surprised. She really believed that they were meant to be together for the forever he promised. There was no doubt in her mind that he was the right man for her, one who would support her, but at the same time, let her be free to make her own choices, confident that Austin would be completely open to her opinion. He was the man of her dreams, and she was thrilled. One could say she was head over heels in love with him. She picked up the ring and handed it back to him, offering her left hand. “On a few conditions.”
“Conditions? What conditions?”
“That you be my husband, my guardian, and my forever—”
“Yes, agreed.” He started to slip the ring on her finger.
“Wait, I wasn’t finished.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes. How do you feel about teaching our children to surf when they’re babies?”
He smiled. “You don’t need to be subtle about children, Jenna. I’m all for the rug rats, and teaching them to surf is required in this family. My mom will have them up there anyway.”
“She’s a classy, beautiful lady, by the way, and your sisters are very sweet. You can tell they love you very much.”
His gaze beamed. “Okay, here we go.” He began to slide the ring on again, but she said, “Not so fast.”
“This has been anything but fast. What now?”
“Hey, I don’t want a grumpy proposal.”
“Then stop saying ‘wait’ then,” he grumbled, removing the chain.
“But there’s more.” She giggled at his put-upon expression. “I get a lifetime of lessons.”
He cocked his head, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You think you need a lifetime of surfing lessons?”
She smiled and reached down, guiding his fingers as together they slipped the ring on. With a quick shove, she knocked him off his board, and he splashed into the water with a satisfying plop.
Giggling harder and with an unbridled glee, she paddled away, tossing over her shoulder, “Who said anything about surfing?”
He sputtered and swore, and his laughter chased her out into the waves, embedding itself deep in her heart.
Austin. Her forever.
About the Author
Zoe Dawson lives in North Carolina, one of the friendliest states in the US. She discovered romance in her teens and has been spinning stories in her head ever since. Her heroes are sexy males with a disregard for danger and whether reluctant, gung-ho, or caught up in the action, show their hearts of gold.
Her imagination runs wild with romances from sensual to scorching including romantic comedy, new adult, romantic suspense, small town, and urban fantasy. Look below to explore the many avenues to her writing. She believes it’s all about the happily ever afters and always will.
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