Our love is too strong to let some little pretty boy prick tear it apart.

As I walked up the stairs to the deck, I saw Jessie sleeping in one of the chairs. I smiled, looking at her all wrapped up in a blanket. Damn…she’s so beautiful with that blonde hair. There wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for her, and now…now, it wasn’t just her. It’s our unborn child also.

I dropped to my knees and gently pushed her hair back. She looked like an angel while she was sleeping so peacefully. My heart began hurting when I pictured her standing here, crying, as I’d walked away from her earlier.

“I’ll never leave you, baby. I promise, I’ll never leave you. It’s me and you, always and forever.”

She moved a little and opened her eyes. She smiled. “How much do you love me?”

I let out a small laugh and kissed her nose. “To the moon and back, then back to the moon, and back again.”

“That’s a lot,” she said with a giggle.

I gave her wink. “Yeah, it is.”

“Scott…”

I shook my head and put my finger up to her lips. “I love you, Jessie, and I’ll always love you. You’re my whole world, and there is no way I’m going to let this thing come between us. I want to make love to you, baby. I just want to hold you in my arms.”

She nodded and started to get up.

“Not here though. I want to get you home. I just want to leave and go home.”

She bit down on her lower lip. “Me, too,” she whispered.

“Lark has got some girl with him, but he should be ready in about forty-five minutes or so,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

“Okay. Can we just sit here for a bit? Will you just hold me for a while, Scott?”

I stood, and she started to slide over. I crawled into the chair next to her. I pulled her close to me and silently thanked God for bringing us back together.

“Scott?”

“Yeah, baby?”

She turned and looked at me, tears filling her eyes. “I love you. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

My heart broke in two. The last thing I wanted was for her to be stressed or worried, especially with her being pregnant. I kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to me.

“I love you, too, baby, and I’m sorry for getting angry earlier. I need to be honest with you as well, baby.”

She looked up at me, and I saw the fear in her eyes.

“At the bar one night, I kissed another girl, and I touched her breasts when I was drunk, but that was all I did. I swear to you…all I could see was your face, baby, and I couldn’t do it.”

She swallowed and gave me a weak smile. “Can we just forget that the last five weeks ever happened?”

I kissed her forehead. “Let’s just get home and share our good news with everyone, okay?”

She gave me a weak smile and nodded as she snuggled in closer to me. As I looked out over the ocean, I thought about Trey and what he’d said. I was pretty sure that was not going to be the last time I ever saw him.

As we got closer to Austin, I looked down at a sleeping Jessie in my arms.

Lark had been on the radio with someone, talking about a mission or something. When I realized he was talking about a girl and not his job, I rolled my eyes. He glanced back at me and winked. I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d met Lark in college, and we had quickly become friends. I swore that we’d done everything together. Lark’s father was in the Secret Service, and Lark seemed to have followed in his footprints. Whatever Lark did for a living, it sure as hell was a secret.

I woke Jessie up when Lark said we were about fifteen minutes out.

“Are we stopping for fuel again?” Jessie asked.

“Nah, we’re fixin’ to land in Austin, baby.”

Her eyes lit up, and she smiled so big that it caused me to laugh.

“Glad to be almost home?” I asked.

She nodded her head and put her hand on her stomach. “I’ll be glad to land, too. I feel sick.”

Lark snapped his head around and looked at Jessie. “There’s a puke bag, doll, right there if ya need it,” he said with a wink.

By the time we landed and made it through customs and all that bullshit, Jessie was practically running to the restroom. I felt so bad. I watched her as she almost plowed over a poor old lady.

Lark came walking up and slapped me on the back. “Thanks for the mini vacation, dude,” he said with a grin.

“Pesh, I paid you good enough for that quick little trip.”

His crooked smiled spread across his face, and he nodded his head. “Yeah, ya did. Boss man said anytime you need the use of the helicopter again, just let him know.” Lark threw his head back and laughed.

“Dude, I paid you to go to Belize and pretty much get laid,” I said as I glanced back toward the restroom.

Lark’s smile faded. “Shit, I can get laid anywhere, dude. Perks of being single…and a pilot. Ain’t gonna lie though, the strawberry-blonde was a good fuck.”

“Lark, don’t you want to settle down? Think about a family, maybe? I mean, I get the lure of traveling, and it seems like you have a pretty good paying job,” I said as I rolled my eyes again, “but don’t you want someone to wake up to every morning? Someone to say ‘I love you’ to or have her say it back to you?”

His eyes filled with sadness before he quickly snapped out of it. He watched a girl in a pair of tight jeans and cowboy boots walk by. “Are you fucking kidding me? No, thanks. I know what being in love brings—heartache. No, thank you, I’ll pass. I like my life, Scott. I wouldn’t change one goddamn thing about it.”

I let out a sigh. “Are you going to be in town for New Year’s?”

He looked around and then back at me. “Probably.”

“Come on out to Mason for a few days, dude. Take in the country air. My parents would love to see you. Plus, you can celebrate with Jessie and me—new year, new baby, new beginnings.”

He stood there, thinking for a minute, before he nodded his head. “Alright, I think some fresh country air might be just what I need. Since I’m not heading home to the ranch, I think it would do me some good.”

I smiled and hit him on the back as I watched Jessie coming out of the restroom. “Perfect. It will do you good, buddy.”

Jessie walked right into my arms, and I held her for a second before she pulled back and smiled.

“Can we stop and buy me a new cell phone? Mine is in a field somewhere in Mason.” She scrunched up her nose.