Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Nope, you’re good. I get it. You see this deployment with your daddy glasses on, as you should. Being Finley’s dad colors everything in this world, even Morgan. And you might flip your boyfriend lens onto a situation, like you did when you came to tell her about the deployment, but no matter what, your daddy lens comes first. It’s permanent.”
“Right. I can see that.” It was true. Morgan’s love for Fin only elevated my attraction to her.
“You aren’t using Morgan’s glasses,” she said again, then set up the laptop. “Before you two got together, Morgan would watch this video every night before bed. Some nights she’d watch it a hundred times.” She took a deep breath and muttered a prayer for forgiveness at my ceiling before she pressed play.
The background was a white wall with a picture of a Blackhawk helicopter and the tops of chairs. A dining room table. Then he slid into the picture, and I was faced with Will Carter.
He looked exactly like his pictures online, of course. Serious, clean-cut face, brown, wavy hair, brown eyes…and a delicate pair of aviation wings around his neck. Morgan’s.
A pang of jealousy hit me harder than I’d felt myself capable. Jesus, the guy was dead, and I was growly. He still owned the heart of the woman I loved, and I couldn’t even fight him for it.
He sighed, then looked straight into the camera. “Morgan. Elyse. Bartley.” He flashed a smile that transformed his features, but it faded quickly. “God, I hope you never see this. I hope that I get home from this deployment and delete this file so I can tell all of this to you in person. And yeah, I just got back from your place last night…” He smiled and looked away. “But there’s a lot I didn’t say, because it wouldn’t have been fair seeing that I asked you to wait around until I get home.”
Shit. Just like I had.
“So yeah, I’m praying you never see this. But…” He swallowed. “But if something happens, and you do, then I want to make sure you know that you are the most infuriating, stubborn, button-pushing pain in the ass I’ve ever known.” He nodded.
My eyes flew wide. What the actual fuck?
“They were always at each other’s throats,” Sam commented with a sad smile.
“But you’re also ridiculously smart, and compassionate, and loyal, and so gorgeous that you make my teeth hurt when I look at you. There is nothing about me that deserves everything you bring to the table.” He scoffed. “I’m showing up empty-handed to this party, and the most amazing thing about you is that you don’t care. You just want me, and I can’t figure out why, but I’m done fighting it. You want this mess? It’s yours. Just enjoy your last nine months of freedom—I mean, hopefully not too much or anything—because once I get home, we’re doing this thing. And I know I’m going to make it, because who the hell is good enough to shoot me out of the sky, right? Like I said yesterday, flying is flying no matter where you do it.” His grin turned cocky, and my stomach twisted. Fuck, he sounded just like I had.
“Shit, that’s pretty much what I said to her.” I cursed.
“I figured.” Sam’s face scrunched in pity.
“But in the interest of being prepared, let’s do this. I took out a secondary life insurance policy this morning, and you’re the beneficiary. And I know you’re going to want to fight it, but please, take the money. Use it. Don’t just give it to charity or stick it in a bank account, Morgan. Spend it on something that brings you happiness. Use it to leave like you always planned. I just wish I was going with you.”
The video continued for about fifteen minutes while he said good-bye to her. While he confessed the things he hadn’t felt strong enough to say in person. Those fifteen minutes transformed him from a two-dimensional ghost to a flesh and blood man who I might not hang with in real life but I could respect. We were alike in miniscule ways and complete opposites in the ones that really mattered.
“So, I guess, I’ll see you later. And I’m hoping you come to the redeployment ceremony, because that’s when it’s all going to start for us.” A slow smile spread over his face. “And I’m going to kiss you so hard that the last few years will have all been worth it.” His eyebrows popped up. “We should go to the Outer Banks for a whole week when I get back. Remember how much fun we had there? Maybe this time I’ll actually get you off the beach and onto one of those surfboards. Yeah. I’ll plan it all. And I guess now I have to delete this file when I get back or it will ruin the surprise.” He sighed, long and hard. “See ya later, Morgan. Nine months.”