The Reality of Everything (Flight & Glory)

by Rebecca Yarros

  Exhausted beyond all belief, I curled up on the couch and propped my cell phone on the coffee table, watching those service bars like a hawk in hope they’d return.

  I had a vow to keep.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Jackson

  “You fucking what?” I charged at Hastings in the middle of the Elizabethtown air station.

  “I only had room for two more, Montgomery!”

  “So you just left her there?” I came around the table at him. “She’s been out there all alone since yesterday?”

  “There are hundreds of people out there! What did you want me to do?” He put his hands up, which caught me off guard long enough to stop myself from beating him to death.

  “I wanted you to rescue my girlfriend!” I shouted. That term didn’t even remotely come close to what Morgan meant to me, and she’d probably deny it was even true.

  Sawyer flanked my right, and Garrett took my left.

  “We’re running round-the-clock evacs on serious cases, Jax, and I rescued your daughter and her grandmother because Morgan chose to save them. Now calm the hell down.” Three other pilots stared at us like we were the evening entertainment.

  “Calm down? Where’s Christina right now?” I spat.

  “In Tennessee with her family.”

  “Morgan is on a hurricane-ravaged island! I have no idea how much food she has, or gas for her generator! So do not tell me to calm down!”

  “Why don’t we back this up a little,” Garrett suggested, laying one hand on my shoulder.

  Recognizing that I was only six inches away from Hastings’s face, I retreated a few steps and rubbed a hand over my eyes. My eyelids felt like sandpaper.

  “Finley’s at the hospital?” I confirmed, making sure I’d heard him right.

  “Yes. They admitted Vivian for observation, and they’re all safe and sound,” Hastings assured me.

  Finley was safe. Morgan wasn’t.

  “Give me your helicopter.”

  “I’m sorry?” Hastings’s eyebrows shot up.

  “You heard me. I want your fucking helicopter.” Did I stutter?

  Startled, Sawyer’s gaze swung between Hastings and me. “Yeah, what he said. We want your helicopter.”

  “Exactly how much crew rest have you had, Jax?” Hastings folded his arms over his chest.

  “Eight hours,” I answered with a shrug.

  “Over the last three days,” Garrett muttered.

  I turned a slow glare on him.

  “Just trying to keep you alive, my friend. Love you like a brother, and you know I’m down for going after Morgan, but you’re not safe to fly.”

  “I didn’t say I had to fly it.”

  Hastings tilted his head. “I’m listening.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Morgan

  I had a fish in a vase on my kitchen counter, a turtle in my bathtub, a guinea pig in what was supposed to be a shabby chic, decorative birdcage, and a cat curled up on my lap as I rested on the couch.

  Fin had been a ridiculously responsible pet owner and packed food for all her charges in a pocket of the cat carrier, but since Juno had gone through her two allotted cans of cat food, she was now licking tuna from my pantry off her paws.

  My hands ached from setting my garage to rights, which had consumed my morning, but I still managed to hold my book.

  I checked my cell phone for the hundredth time in the last hour, but there was still no service. Logically, I knew Fin and Vivian were fine—they’d probably been airlifted straight to the hospital—but I wanted a little reassurance, and I would have killed to hear Jackson’s voice. Hopefully, he knew they were safe. I had a billion things I wanted to tell him, none of which included the state of his house.

  Rotors beat the air, but I didn’t jump off the couch. The coast guard had been up and down the island, evacuating emergency medical cases, so the sound had become more than commonplace.

  The police officer who stopped by this morning told me they were hoping to have cell service up by tomorrow, and they were evacuating people by ferry based on levels of need. With Finley and Vivian safe, I figured my need wasn’t as pressing as the others around me, and I definitely wasn’t about to ask to evac Fin’s zoo.

  The steady thump of rotor blades didn’t retreat.

  Bang. Bang. Bang.

  I jumped, looking up from my book to see a coastie at my sliding glass door. Guess Hastings had come back. I climbed off the couch and tried not to trip over Juno as I made my way to the door. Then I flipped the lock and slid the glass open to look up at my own reflection in a visor.

  “Hi! Can I help you?” I shouted over the noise of the hovering helicopter.

  He said something into his helmet, and the bird flew away.

  He’d unhooked his tether. What the hell?

  The guy unsnapped his helmet, yanked it off, and tucked it under his—

  “Jackson!” This had to be a dream, right? But the air still smelled like post-hurricane funk, and surely, I wouldn’t imagine that.

  I threw myself at him.

  He caught me, tugging me close as the air fell quiet around us. Thank you, God. We stumbled backward, and he set his helmet on the table, then wrapped both his arms around me and held tight.

  It was the first time I’d felt safe since he’d deployed.

  “Tell me you’re okay,” he said against my temple.

  I lifted my head and smiled. “I love you.”

  His eyes flared wide.

  “I love you, Jackson,” I said again, just so he knew I meant it. “I promised myself that the minute the cell service came back up, I’d tell you, but doing it in person is so much better.”

  Our mouths met in a kiss, and the world righted itself as his lips moved with mine. It was sweet and desperate all in the same breath.

  He yanked back with narrowed eyes. “But you’re okay, right? You’re not hurt?”

  “Well, Finley and Vivian were evacuated. Fin was fine, but Vivian’s leg was a disaster, and we didn’t pack her insulin when we fled her house, but I’m assuming they’re okay since Hastings flew them out. How are they?”

  “He told me, and we’ll get to that in a second. I’m asking about you.” His eyes raked down my frame.

  “Wait…you haven’t seen them yet?”

  “I told you that the minute I got off that plane, I was coming for you, remember?”

  Mercy, I did, and he’d come for me. My heart didn’t just fly—it soared.

  “And I knew they were safe, but you weren’t, so I’m here. Now put me out of my misery and tell me if you’re hurt.” His eyebrows furrowed.

  “I’m fine. A little scraped up in places, but nothing to worry about.” My stomach dropped. “Oh, Jackson, your house…”

  His mouth set in a firm line. “I know. It was kind of hard to miss as we flew up, but there wasn’t anything in it that can’t be replaced. Except the house itself. That might be a little tricky with the location, but I’m not worried. I was scared shitless about you.” His hands rose to cradle my face. “You came back for Fin.”

  “Of course I did. But I also put her in so much danger. We almost didn’t make it in time.” Had I made the right judgment call?

  “You saved her life. And Vivian’s. That house, and three more on that block, collapsed. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” His voice broke.

  “You don’t have to thank me.” The thought of what could have happened was enough to weaken my knees. “I only did what you would have.”

  “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered, setting his forehead on mine.

  “I could say the same exact thing. So why don’t we agree that we deserve each other and go from there?” His neck was warm and strong under my fingers. “I love you, Jackson. And I’m sorry it took me so long to sa
y it.”

  “I don’t know if I can stay,” he blurted, stroking his thumbs over my cheeks. “They granted us all emergency leave, but it’s still up in the air if we’ll need to return.”

  My belly churned, but I nodded. “Okay. Then we’ll deal with it no matter what they decide.”

  He startled. “What changed? Two months ago, that would have put you on the floor.”

  “And it still might,” I confessed. “But my love for you is bigger than the fear, and I’ll handle the months you’re gone if it means I get a lifetime of loving you.”

  He kissed me hard and quick. “I get it now, and I don’t blame you for telling me to get out months ago. That half hour on the phone with you was fucking terrifying. You were in so much danger, and I couldn’t do shit but sit there and pray.”

  I cringed slightly. “I put the rescue above my life, and I’m sorry, but I’m not. I also recognize the irony that I couldn’t keep the very promise you made for me.”

  He huffed a laugh. “I knew you were doing it for Finley. You risked your life to save my daughter. I was so furious with you, and yet I’d never loved you more.”

  I smiled. “So you do still love me.”

  “I love you more than my own life, Morgan. You’re all I want. You, and me, and Finley. For the rest of my life, you’re it. I will spend every day making you impossibly happy, and incredibly aggravated, but I hope the first more than the last, if you’ll have me.”

  My heart leaped. “That sounds like a proposal.”

  “If I thought I had the barest shot of getting you to agree to marry me, it would be, but I know you’re cautious—”

  “Yes,” I blurted.

  His eyebrows rose, and his eyes lit up.

  “Yes,” I repeated. “I’m done waiting to be happy or looking for the other shoe to drop. I’m done being careful and keeping my heart in a box when it already belongs to you. If anything, the last few days have shown me how quickly it can all vanish, so I’m grabbing onto this.” I slid my hands down to his chest and gripped his flight suit. “Grabbing onto you with both hands and a full heart.”

  “Kitty,” he whispered.

  “And if you were just joking, that’s okay, too. But if you really meant it, then feel free to ask whenever you want, because my answer is yes.”

  He laughed. “I should plan it all out, but I’m not going to.”

  “Wait. Do you want kids? More kids, I mean. That’s probably something I should know.” Because I did. Lots of them.

  He blinked, then smiled with his whole face. “I do. Do you want the one I already have?”

  “More than anything,” I answered. “It would be a shame to toss her out after all the work I just went through to save her.”

  “God, I love you.” He kissed me, soft and slow, and when our lips parted, he swept in deep. My fingers curled in his flight suit, and I returned his kiss with all the love I felt for him. “Marry me, Morgan Bartley.”

  Two years later

  The peach cobbler looked perfect. Everything about this weekend was pretty perfect, actually. The weather was gorgeous, I’d scored six uninterrupted hours of sleep last night, and Jackson even managed to have all of Labor Day weekend off.

  “Whoa, that smells good. Need any help?” Sam asked as she walked into the kitchen, tying her curls into a ponytail.

  “Thanks! I could definitely use a hand. I think that’s the last of it.” I pointed to the gallon of ice cream I’d just pulled out of the freezer.

  “Got it!” She grabbed the gallon by the handle and nodded toward the door. “Let’s get out there.”

  I stacked the peach cobbler pans so they didn’t get smooshed, then followed her out of the beach house. She shut the door behind us, and we started down the steps. It was still in the low eighties, but the late-afternoon breeze kept it tolerable.

  “Boathouse looks good,” she said as we reached the bottom. “Last time I was here, it still had a giant hole in the side.”

  I scoffed. “That was almost two years ago, which tells you how long it’s been.” I eyed the spot my Mini Cooper had gone through. We’d long since rebuilt, but I still missed that little car…and the truck. It had been found a few days after the hurricane, thank goodness, and though we’d had to salvage it, I’d gotten back the only two things I’d cared about. Both Will’s wings and his dog tags now resided in the bottom drawer of my jewelry chest.

  Jackson had offered to frame them for me, but it felt right to tuck them away, safe and sound.

  “It’s been too long,” Sam agreed. It really had.

  “You’d think you were still stationed in Colorado instead of Fort Bragg,” I teased, hip bumping her as we turned and walked toward the dune steps.

  She laughed. “We’ve been there a month. Cut us some slack. I’m sure we’ll harass you guys plenty in the next six months.”

  Six months from now, we’d be at our new duty station in Cape Cod.

  “We’re keeping the house, so just let me know whenever you guys want to come and use it,” I told her as we climbed.

  “You guys thinking you’ll retire here?”

  “That’s the idea. We both love it, and Vivian and Brie are both here.” The breeze whipped the strands of my hair that had come loose from my braid as we crested the dune.

  The sight brought an immediate smile to my face. The bonfire was set up, ready to be lit at sunset, and our friends had already staked out their seats.

  Garrett and Sawyer manned the grill while Javier lectured and Christina laughed at something her husband had said.

  “I said I would help!” Paisley chided as we carried the food past the giant, empty sunshade and put it on the table.

  “You’re not supposed to be carrying things,” Sam lectured.

  “I’m pregnant, not useless,” she grumbled.

  “And how is little Ms. Bateman?” Sam asked, hunching to put her hands on Paisley’s growing belly.

  “I’m still voting he’s a Mr. Bateman,” Ember stated with a smile.

  Sam scoffed. “No way. I’m telling you this little one is going to skew the scale to the girl side in the Bateman household. Aren’t you?”

  Paisley rolled her eyes. “Whatever this baby is, it’s the last in the Bateman household, that’s for sure. Three kids under five will be more than enough.”

  “But you make such pretty babies,” I pouted, throwing my arm over her shoulder as Sam stood.

  “Speak for yourself, Morgan Montgomery.”

  I glanced down at my wedding ring, smiling as it twinkled in the sunlight. It had been over a year, and I still got giddy whenever I heard my new name.

  “However many we have, you have to admit, they’re freaking cute,” Ember said with a laugh, pointing toward the beach. “And I don’t just mean the babies.”

  My heart melted, and we all headed in their direction.

  The guys stood in a line, just far enough that waves came over their feet, all decked out with various sizes of baby carriers.

  Josh stood on the left, wearing his and Ember’s two-year-old, Quinn, in a rugged, framed backpack. Next to him stood Jagger, with Annabelle, his and Paisley’s thirteen-month-old, in a front carrier. Then came Grayson, who somehow managed to look even bigger with Delaney, his and Sam’s fifteen-month-old, strapped to his chest. Finley walked Peyton through the smaller waves just in front of them.

  And then there was Jackson.

  My Jackson.

  I slipped my hand into his and peeked at our sleeping son, who was tucked away in the sling Jackson wore. Grant was three months old, and he was…everything. His little breaths were even through his tiny, perfect lips, and Jackson had him completely shielded from the sun as he napped peacefully. We’d named him after Jackson’s father, and all three of us had fallen in love with those big, blue eyes at first sight.

 
Jackson pressed a kiss on my forehead and slid his arm around my waist, pulling me close. He was an amazing father—no news there—and Finley had jumped headfirst into the role of adoring older sister. We were now a family of four…with six pets.

  “If you wake him, you wear him, Kitty,” he joked in a whisper.

  I laughed. If the roaring of the ocean and the booming voices of the men beside us didn’t wake Grant, nothing would. The kid slept like a champ.

  “You’re fixin’ to have some pretty awkward lines with that thing,” I noted, devouring the bare skin of his chest and stomach with my eyes.

  “You can always lay out naked with me and help them fade.” His lips brushed my ear.

  A shiver slid down my spine.

  “Jackson Montgomery, we have company!” I dropped my jaw and raised my eyebrows in mock indignation.

  He laughed.

  Leaning my head away from Grant, I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Fin, there’s cobbler!” It had become her favorite dessert this year. Last year it was apple pie, and who knew what she’d pick next summer?

  Her eyes lit up, and she raced out of the waves, her hand still gripping Peyton’s.

  “Can we get some?” Fin asked, looking up at me with an excited smile.

  “Fine with me, but he’d better ask his mama.” I smoothed back an errant curl.

  “Aunt Paisley, can Peyton have some cobbler?” Fin asked down the line, where Paisley stood with Jagger. “You want cobbler, right?” she asked Peyton like an afterthought.

  “Mama, please?” he asked, jumping. That boy might have looked like Paisley, but he was all Jagger, constantly moving.

  “It’s okay with me,” she answered.

  “Yes!” the two exclaimed at the same time.

  They took off at a run, kicking up sand.

  A few years ago, I never would have thought I’d be raising my kids with Paisley’s, and sometimes the sheer reality of it, the happiness that flooded my heart when we were all together like this, was too much for words.

  We wouldn’t all be together like this again for a while. Jagger had just gotten home, but Josh was headed out one last time in a couple of months—his last deployment before his six years was up and he’d be eligible to get out of the army. Grayson would be gone before Easter.