Take Me Away

by Elliott, Kelly

  Take Me Away

  Book 6 Southern Bride Copyright © 2020 by Kelly Elliott

  ISBN EBook 978-1-943633-69-2

  Cover photo by: Shannon Cain/Photography by Shannon Cain

  Cover Design by: RBA Designs, www.rbadesigns.com

  Interior Design & Formatting by: Elaine York, www.allusionpublishing.com

  Developmental Editor: Elaine York, www.allusionpublishing.com

  Content Editor: Rachel Carter, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Erin Quinn-Kong, Yellow Bird Editing

  Proofing Editor: Elaine York, www.allusionpublishing.com

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For more information on Kelly and her books, please visit her website www.kellyelliottauthor.com.

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two – Linnzi

  Chapter Three – Nolan

  Chapter Four – Linnzi

  Chapter Five – Nolan

  Chapter Six – Linnzi

  Chapter Seven – Nolan

  Chapter Eight – Linnzi

  Chapter Nine – Nolan

  Chapter Ten – Linnzi

  Chapter Eleven – Nolan

  Chapter Twelve – Linnzi

  Chapter Thirteen – Nolan

  Chapter Fourteen – Linnzi

  Chapter Fifteen – Nolan

  Chapter Sixteen – Linnzi

  Chapter Seventeen – Nolan

  Chapter Eighteen – Linnzi

  Chapter Nineteen – Nolan

  Chapter Twenty – Nolan

  Chapter Twenty-One – Linnzi

  Chapter Twenty-Two – Nolan

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Linnzi

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Linnzi

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Nolan

  Epilogue – Nolan

  Other Books by Kelly Elliott

  For those who have ever felt lost.

  When something bad happens in your life, you are set down a path that will eventually lead you to something profoundly beautiful. You must simply be patient, darling.

  THE VERY MOMENT I saw Linnzi Cunningham walk down the hall that first day of high school, I knew she was the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with. She might not have known it then, and it may have taken me nearly our entire freshman year to get her to go out with me, but in the end, she was mine. She’d always be mine.

  When I told her my plan was to go to the Air Force Academy and become a pilot, she didn’t blink twice. Even when I was gone for pilot school or deployed flying fighter jets, she never once complained. Linnzi knew my love of flying and that I was following in my own father’s footsteps, and she supported me a hundred-and-ten percent.

  She was my life. The woman who made me the man I was. And today she gave me the best gift I’d ever received.

  I hadn’t seen Linnzi for a few months since I had been deployed in Germany on a mission, and I came back to base after working all day to find that she had sent me a care package. Inside were goodies from our home state of Texas, along with an envelope that said not to open until we FaceTimed.

  “What is this, Linz?” I asked as I held up the envelope.

  Her smile was as big as the Texas sky. “Just open it, Nolan!”

  I laughed while she bounced around in her chair. I could practically feel her excitement over the computer. “Does it have something to do with the wedding?”

  I had asked Linnzi to marry me before I left for pilot training school, but with how crazy my life had been the last few years, we’d put off the wedding until things calmed down. We were planning on getting married this summer, and I had already put in for my leave. For three glorious weeks it would only be me and Linnzi, alone on a beach in St. Lucia.

  “Nope! This time, believe it or not, it’s not about the wedding.”

  I opened the envelope and looked inside. My heart beat faster, and I noticed my hand shook as I pulled out a sonogram picture. There was a red heart drawn on the picture with the words “la bébé” typed onto it with an arrow that pointed to a small spot. It took me a moment to let the French words sink in. Linnzi loved French and took it in both high school and college.

  Then it hit.

  My head jerked up, and I looked at the computer screen. “We’re having a baby?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

  She nodded and burst into tears. “We’re having a baby!”

  “Holy shit! They can tell it’s a girl already?” I said as I shook my head and looked back down at the little tiny spec that was our child.

  Linnzi laughed. “No, wishful dreaming.”

  For the briefest of moments my parents’ faces flashed through my mind. I lost them both in a car accident nearly a year ago, and knowing they wouldn’t be here when my child was born made my chest ache.

  “I know this wasn’t anything we had planned, but it looks like we’re going to be starting that family sooner rather than later.”

  When I didn’t say anything, I heard her clear her throat. “Nolan?”

  I looked up at the laptop once more as her voice pulled me from my thoughts.

  “Are you angry?”

  My eyes widened in what I was sure was utter shock. “Angry? No, Linnzi, I’m not angry at all. This is all we’ve ever talked about. A family, a baby.”

  She smiled, and I felt my chest squeeze. I loved this woman so damn much, and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms. Tell her—no, show her—how damn happy I was.

  “I wish you were here, I want to be in your arms so badly,” Linnzi said. “I wanted to wait to do the sonogram, but the doctor said we needed to do it and couldn’t wait until you came back. I’m so sorry.”

  “One more month, Linz. Just one more month, and I’ll be back stateside.”

  With a nod, she wiped her tears away.

  “How far along are you?” I asked.

  “Two months.”

  “The wedding is in six months; you’ll be eight months pregnant then.”

  She laughed. “I was thinking that maybe we focus on the baby and then get married after we have him or her. I’m not sure how fun it will be to be eight months pregnant on the beach.”

  I frowned. “You’ve been dreaming about this wedding, Linz.”

  “I’ve been dreaming about a baby, our baby. I don’t care about one silly day that will fly by so fast we’ll wonder why in the world we even had a wedding. I think we should plan a little trip after we have the baby. Maybe go up to Colorado and spend a couple of weeks.”

  “Are you sure?” I asked, hating that she was so easily giving up on her dream of a wedding. The last thing I would ever want was for her to regret not having a wedding. I didn’t care how or where we got married, as long as Linnzi was mine.

  “Yes. I’d rather you save your leave for when the baby is born.”

  I nodded.

  She chewed on her lip and looked down. Her light brown hair was pulled in a ponytail with one curl dangling in front of her eye. She pushed it back and her sky-blue eyes met mine. I could see the fear in her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She gave a half shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve been dreaming of this since the first time you ever smiled at me. But I’m scared, Nolan. I want this baby so much, and I’m terrified something is going to happen.�
��

  I shook my head and swallowed hard. “Listen to me, Linz. I swear to you, I will never…never…let anything happen to you or to our baby.”

  She gave me a wobbly nod. “And what about you? Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

  I knew it was a promise I shouldn’t even make. I flew fighter jets for a living, for Christ’s sake. My job was dangerous. But the worry in her eyes nearly gutted me. So, I drew in a deep breath and made her another promise. “I’ll always be there for both of you. Always.”

  She smiled and drew in a shaky breath. “I love you so much, Nolan.”

  My heart felt like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed it. I missed her so much and couldn’t wait to make her my wife so she could be with me always.

  “Not as much as I love you, Linz.”

  Five Years Later

  THERE WAS NOTHING like being in an inverted spin. Nothing. No words could even describe it. It was scary as fuck, thrilling as all get out, and it was my job.

  For nearly one minute, my F-22 Raptor spun out of control as I waited for the new system installed on the plane to kick in and help right the plane. Control talked in my ear as I focused on getting the plane righted. Then, as quickly as I lost it before, I regained control.

  I felt myself smile and let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding.

  “Great job, Captain,” came the familiar voice in my ear.

  “Good going, Bang,” my best friend and fellow test pilot, Jack “Maddog” Monroe, said.

  Jack always called me by my call sign, Bang. I had a thing for breaking the sound barrier, and he swore I got off on it. It didn’t take long for the call sign to stick.

  “Way to go, Captain Byers,” Major Wise said. Even I could hear the smile in his voice.

  Control came back over. “RTB, Captain. That’s it for today. We’ve got the data we need.”

  RTB, return to base. I hated hearing that. If it were up to me, I’d stay in this plane, flying up in the clouds for as long as I could. But that wasn’t possible, and a few minutes later, I landed the F-22 at Edwards Air Force Base.

  F-22s weren’t the only planes I was a test pilot on. It wasn’t very common for a test pilot to be qualified in multiple aircraft, but I was. I was nothing if not an overachiever.

  As I walked back into the building, I caught sight of Jack. He smiled as I made my way back to my locker.

  “Damn good flying, Bang.”

  I shot him a cocky grin. “Did you take notes?”

  He laughed as he followed me. “You wish you could teach something.”

  “Oh, I’m positive I could teach you plenty.”

  Jack sighed and shook his head. “Where are you going on leave?”

  For a moment, I tensed. Jack had been one of my closest friends since test pilot school. He was also one of the few people outside of Boerne, Texas, who knew the reason I joined the program. He knew my pain and had been there countless times for me when I found myself drowning in a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Or when I was on the verge of walking a bit too dangerous of a line. Jack had always been there to pull me back. Not even my best friends in Texas knew how bad it had gotten at times. I rarely ventured back to the Lone Star State. At least, I went there as little as possible. When my folks died in a car accident six years ago and left me the family ranch, I had turned over the running of it to one of my father’s most trusted friends, Paul Landon. He had worked for my daddy for as long as I could remember. He knew the demons that faced me back home, and he didn’t hold it against me when I didn’t return unless I absolutely had to.

  Clearing my throat, I said, “Nowhere special.”

  I didn’t have to look at Jack to know he was giving me a frown.

  “Are you going to let her see you this time?” he asked.

  Turning, I shot him a dirty look. “Don’t, Jack.”

  He held up his hands in defense. “I’m only saying, it’s been five years, Nolan. Don’t you think you’ve tortured yourself enough with this? If she hasn’t remembered by now, do you honestly think she will?”

  I closed my eyes and slowly let out a breath. “I wish I had never told you.”

  He grunted. “I’m sure you do, but you did. Have you talked to Linnzi’s parents?”

  “Yes,” was all I said.

  “She’s still in France?”

  This time all I gave him was a nod.

  Jack knew me well enough to let it stop there.

  “When do you leave?” he asked on a sigh.

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  “You need me to watch Duke?”

  I shook my head. “No, Jessica and Mike are going to stay at my place and watch him.”

  Duke was my five-month-old black lab I had somehow become the owner of when Jessica, who was another test pilot’s wife, begged me to take him after she had rescued an entire litter of abandoned lab puppies. I had to admit, Duke filled the emptiness of the large house I lived in off base. It was nice to come home and have someone greet me.

  “They owe me one since it was Mike’s wife I got the damn dog from.”

  Jack laughed as I removed my G-suit and harness. Once I got everything back into my locker, I grabbed my wallet and sunglasses.

  We headed down the hall and to the debriefing room to talk about the test flight I had finished. Before we walked into the room, Jack stopped me.

  My eyes met his, and I could see the concern in them.

  “I’m only saying this because you’re like a brother to me, Nolan.”

  I felt my jaw muscles twitch as I clenched my jaw.

  “Maybe it’s time you let her go.”

  My free hand fisted, and I had to force myself to let my entire body relax. With a short and quick shake of my head, I replied, “Never.”

  He looked away and slowly shook his head.

  Then, as if I needed to say it one more time to confirm it to myself, I turned, entered the room and whispered, “Never.”

  Paris, France — Four days later

  I stood on the cobble street and looked at the flat Linnzi had been living in for the last four-and-a-half years. In college she had studied French art and had almost taken an internship at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, but ultimately turned it down. She had also majored in French, so she spoke the language flawlessly. According to Linnzi, she had other dreams, and they included me and starting a family. The only two things she ever dreamed of. Art was her passion, but I was the love of her life. Or at least, I had been.

  When she appeared on the small stoop, I took a step back. My heart once again did that familiar jolt in my chest anytime I saw her. For a moment, I closed my eyes in an attempt to ease the pain, but it didn’t work.

  Opening my eyes once more, I took her in. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and she had very little makeup on. That wasn’t anything new. Even Linnzi before the accident wasn’t much of a showboat in the makeup department. She had always said mascara and lipstick were the only two items she needed. In my opinion, she didn’t even need that—she was that gorgeous. I watched her move forward, dressed in a light blue dress with black flats. God, she looked beautiful. It had been three months since I had seen her last. I tried to come to Paris as often as I was able to. The need to see her, to see how she was doing, to see if she had met anyone, was too strong for me to resist. Amy and Steven, Linnzi’s parents, had always kept me up to date on everything, but I still needed to see her with my own eyes. Maybe a small part of me still hoped she might have felt my presence—crazy as that made me.

  I could almost see her glacier blue eyes from across the street when she did a quick scan of the area. Linnzi’s eyes had been the first thing I noticed when she looked at me. They felt like they had pierced into my fourteen-year-old heart and never let go. It was obvious to me now, being here, that they never would.

  She tilted her head up and let the sun shine down on her face, and I clenched my fists tightly at my sides. The urge to rush across the street and t
ouch her was almost debilitating.

  Then she jerked her head back down and frowned. She looked around, but I knew she wouldn’t see me. I was tucked back into an alcove. When she stared in my direction, though, I felt my heart lurch.

  “Monsieur, elle ne vous voit pas.” A female voice came from my side.

  “Je ne parle pas français,” I replied.

  “Really? You spoke it so well,” she replied with a wink in a heavy French accent.

  My eyes drifted back over to Linnzi, who was still searching around for someone.

  The woman spoke once more. “Elle te sent là-bas.”

  This time my head jerked back to the older woman. “Pardon?”

  She gave me a warm smile. “This woman, you come and see. She feels you there. There is a…how do you say…histoire d’amour.”

  “A love affair?” I asked.

  She pointed to me and then Linnzi and nodded.

  I sighed. “Once upon a time.”

  “Ahh, il fut un temps, oui. There was a time, yes? Vous l’aimez? You love her?”

  “Yes, I love her very much.”

  “She must love you. Pas de petit ami. Um, no boyfriend.”

  “Really?” I asked as I watched Linnzi start down the cobbled walk.

  “No. Never. It is as if she waits.”

  I stepped out of my hiding place and took in the older woman. She was pretty, late fifties, maybe. “What do you mean?”

  She gave me a knowing smile and then called for someone. A younger man walked over, maybe in his earlier twenties. She fired off rapid French to him as she pointed at me then over at Linnzi’s flat and then back at me. Even with how well Linnzi spoke French, I still had a hard time with it, especially when spoken fast. The young man smiled and nodded and then said, “Ahh.”

  I lifted a brow as I watched them both. Then he walked closer to me and reached out his hand.

  “I am John. This is my mother. She was trying to say that Linnzi, across the street. Her heart belongs to another.”

  I felt my heart racing. “She’s dating someone?”

  He laughed. “No. No. That is why she does not date. Um, how do you say, she has already given her heart to someone, she simply does not know who he is.”