“Thank God.” She shook out her hands, focused her gaze back on the floor, and paced in front of the ugly metal chairs.
“A man like Preston won’t do well in prison,” Asher said.
“I really don’t care.” Darcie rubbed the back of her neck. “What about Jim? What’s going to happen to him?”
“He could potentially avoid jail time because he’s a small piece of a very large drug trafficking ring involving superyachts. If Jim is smart, he’ll cut a deal,” Matt said. “Looks like we get to hear about our boy.” Matt pointed to the doctor stepping through the automatic doors.
Darcie shoved Asher and Matt to the side. She took her brother’s hand and squeezed it hard. “Hey, doc, how is he?” Her vocal cords trembled. She pinched her thigh.
“He’s asking to be discharged, so I’d say he’s doing quite well,” the doctor said. “The surgery went fine. We patched up his lung and removed the bullet. He’ll need oxygen for a day or two, so we’ll keep him for at least another twenty-four hours. He’s got a cracked rib, but other than that, he’ll be as good as new in a few weeks.”
Jagar looped his arm around her shoulders. “See? He’s going to be just fine.”
“I’ll believe that when I see him.”
“That can be arranged. Though only one at a time,” the doctor said.
“Obviously, I’m the one going in.” She gave her brother a big hug. “Thanks for having my back.”
“Always. And for the record, I heard you were pretty amazing out there.”
“I was.” She smiled. “I’m not leaving this hospital, so go ahead and go home. I’ll call you later.”
Jagar kissed her cheek.
“Hey, Asher. I’m sorry. But I don’t think I’ll be able to take you and the family sailing on Sunday.”
Asher pulled her in for a warm hug. “No worries. Tell Reid I better not have to ever punch him again.”
Oh, boy. She had no idea if she and Reid even stood a chance. There was so much to discuss, and she had one very major decision to make about her career. As much as she loved Reid, it still seemed doomed.
She strolled down the long corridor, glancing at the names on the outside of the doors. Nurses and doctors and other visitors huddled in various corners, all in deep conversations. When she found Reid’s room, she gripped the curtain, held it for a long moment, and then took in a deep breath. She plastered on a smile and pulled back the fabric.
Reid lay on the bed, raised slightly. A thin sheet covered his body to his waist. Bandages were wrapped around his middle. He blinked open his eyes. “There you are,” he said, licking his lips. “Can you hand me that water?” He raised his finger slightly. It shook.
“Sure.” She brought the straw to his mouth and held his gaze. She ran her hand over his forehead.
“You are a sight for sore eyes.”
She leaned over and pressed her lips to his temple. “If you ever get hurt again and not tell me, I’ll shoot you myself.”
“Since I never want to experience that again, I’ll make sure not to keep that from you.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she held his hand, running her fingers up and down his arm. “I’ve never been so scared before in my life.”
“You know what scares me?”
“No. What?”
“Spending another day without you in my life. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She let out a long breath.
“We have a lot of things to work out.”
“We sure do.”
“I want you to know I won’t ask you to give up your job this time. I might follow you around more after I get this shit figured out with my company.”
She blinked out a tear.
He groaned as he reached up and cupped her cheek. “What’s the matter?”
“Our worlds are so far apart.”
“So, we bring them together. Hell. I’ll move to Seattle and live on your sailboat if you want.”
“You’d do that just to be with me?”
“I lost you once because I was an idiot.” He smoothed down her hair. “I’m not about to do that again. It’s going to take some work on our part to figure out the logistics, but we’ll do it. And this time, we don’t have people in our lives manipulating us.”
She smiled. “No. We have family supporting us.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“You know what I’d really like?”
“Tell me.”
“I’d like for us to take some time off and maybe sail down to that island you live on in Galveston. Will you sail with me?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later…
Reid stepped out onto the deck and set his mug down on the table. He slowly raised his arms to the sky and stretched. He groaned. It still hurt like a motherfucker. And taking in a full deep breath still hadn’t become possible.
One thing was for sure, though, he could get used to living on a sailboat.
It really was like Living the Dream.
He glanced toward the bright blue sky. Not a cloud in sight.
Quietly, he closed the door to the galley and made himself comfortable on the stern in what had become his favorite spot. He flicked open the paper and scanned the headlines.
He was getting really tired of reading about himself and Preston. It would die down eventually.
However, it might get worse before it got better, especially since he’d uncovered that Preston had started cutting corners in areas that could have cost lives. Reid would have to make some serious adjustments to his business, one of which would be to sell off a few divisions.
Enough was enough.
Reid really wanted to focus on a few things and do them right. His company had gotten too big and spread out. It was time to bring it back to the basics. Besides, he really wanted to spend every waking moment with Darcie when she was around, and thank God her season had wrapped up last night. She had a full six weeks off before she captained her first full season on a superyacht out of Key West. He was looking forward to it since he planned to relocate to south Florida for the duration of the charter season.
Their life would be like that for two years, and then Darcie said she wanted to open a sailing school.
The only question was whether it would be in Galveston or Seattle.
Thud.
Bang.
Crash.
Thud.
What the fuck?
Reid leaped from his chair. He groaned, clutching his side as he fumbled down the five steps into the galley where he saw Darcie’s feet sticking out of the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”
She answered with a noise that he would have preferred not to hear. She coughed and gagged.
Holding back her hair, he rubbed her back. “I guess we’re not going to the market this morning.”
“No. We can still go.” She brushed the hair from her face and took the hand he offered. “Get me a glass of juice and some crackers, please.”
“Sure thing.” He helped her to the sofa, brushing his lips over her forehead. “You don’t feel warm.”
“I’m not sick.”
“I beg to differ, considering what I just witnessed.”
“I knew I should have told you this last night.” She took the juice he offered and sucked down half of it.
“Now you’re freaking me out.”
“You might want to sit down for this.” She brought a cracker to her plump lips and nibbled.
He let out a short breath and joined her on the sofa. “I’m listening.” He ran a hand through his hair, doing his best to push all negative thoughts away. They’d made a lot of decisions, and while that made him ridiculously happy, there was still a tiny little voice in the back of his head that warned him this wasn’t going to be smooth sailing.
“Do you remember when we first got together, and we didn’t use a condom, and you said there wasn’t anything we could do about it and we’d just have to
wait and see?”
His mind got stuck on didn’t use a condom. He replayed the words over and over again. He remembered the encounter like it was yesterday, and he also recalled being concerned for about five seconds that she could be pregnant. But he hadn’t given it another thought since that moment.
“Well, the waiting is over.” She waved the cracker. “Not only are you an extremest, but it looks like your sperm are, too.”
“Are you sure? How can you be sure?”
“I peed on a stick yesterday morning while on charter. I brought another one home to double-check. But this is the fourth morning in a row I’ve gotten sick.”
“I guess morning sex is out of the question.” He swallowed. “A baby?”
She set the box of crackers on the coffee table. She straddled his legs and cupped his face. “I know this wasn’t part of the two-year plan.”
“Nope. It wasn’t.” He gripped her hips. “I can’t believe it.”
“Me either.” She lowered her forehead to his. “This is a big deal. Are you okay with it? It’s going to change everything for us. All the things we thought we could put off deciding for a year or so, we’re going to have to figure out now.”
He splayed his hands across her back. “I’m totally on board with us having a baby, but I don’t see the urgency.”
She opened her mouth, but he hushed it with a quick kiss.
“Seriously. We’re going to have to pick a city. I’m going to need to put in my resignation and—”
“You will do no such thing.” He tapped her nose. “If you want to do a few charters while you’re pregnant and the doctor says it’s okay, then it’s fine with me. You can even do some after. I’m sure I can handle being a full-time dad.”
“I don’t know about after I have this kid, but I would at least like to do the two seasons while I’m pregnant.” She tilted her head and smiled. “Are we actually talking like we’re both very okay with having a family?”
“I think we are.” His heart swelled and tears burned the corners of his eyes. He’d spent his entire life chasing thrills.
But nothing could have prepared him for the adrenaline rush scorching through his system right now after finding out that he was about to be a parent.
It was truly the sensation he’d been searching for since he could remember.
“However, we can’t raise a baby on this boat,” he said. “And while I do have a big beautiful place in Texas, there’s no family there. Most of your family is here in Seattle. We should move here.”
“I’m not selling my boat.”
“I didn’t ask you to.” He laughed. “You know what we should do this weekend?” He jumped to his feet, setting her gently on the sofa. He knelt in front of her. “I’m not doing this right at all, but it’s not like we’ve been conventional about anything.”
“What are you babbling about?”
“Let’s get married.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Seriously?”
“Why not? And don’t tell me you want a church wedding with the white dress because I know you, Darcie Bowie. That’s the last thing you’d want.”
“You’re right about that.”
“We can get married right here and then sail off to our honeymoon. What do you say? Will you sail with me?”
She took his chin with her thumb and forefinger. “You don’t even really know how to sail.”
“So, teach me.”
“I love you, Reid.”
“Let’s live the dream. Together.”
THE END
The With Me in Seattle Universe
For More information about The With Me in Seattle Universe, click here:
https://www.ladybosspress.com/with-me-in-seattle
Also By Jen Talty
BRAND NEW SERIES!
With Me In Seattle
INVESTIGATE WITH ME
The Monroes
COLOR ME YOURS
COLOR ME SMART
COLOR ME FREE
COLOR ME LUCKY
COLOR ME ICE
It’s all in the Whiskey
JOHNNIE WALKER
GEORGIA MOON
JACK DANIELS
JIM BEAM
WHISKEY SOUR
Search and Rescue
PROTECTING AINSLEY
PROTECTING CLOVER
PROTECTING OLYMPIA
NY State Trooper Series
IN TWO WEEKS
DARK WATER
DEADLY SECRETS
MURDER IN PARADISE BAY
TO PROTECT HIS OWN
DEADLY SEDUCTION
WHEN A STRANGER CALLS
NY State Trooper Novella
HIS DEADLY PAST
THE CORKSCREW KILLER
Brand New Novella for the First Responders series
A spin off from the NY State Troopers series
PLAYING WITH FIRE
PRIVATE CONVERSATION
THE RIGHT GROOM
AFTER THE FIRE
The Men of Thief Lake
REKINDLED
DESTINY’S DREAM
Federal Investigators
JANE DOE’S RETURN
THE BUTTERFLY MURDERS
The Aegis Network
THE LIGHTHOUSE
HER LAST HOPE
THE LAST FLIGHT
THE RETURN HOME
THE MATRIARCH
The Collective Order
THE LOST SISTER
THE LOST SOLDIER
THE LOST CONNECTION
A Spin-Off Series: Witches Academy Series
THE NEW ORDER
Special Forces Operation Alpha
BURNING DESIRE
BURNING KISS
BURNING SKIES
BURNING LIES
BURNING HEART
BURNING BED
REMEMBER ME ALWAYS
The Brotherhood Protectors
Out of the Wild
ROUGH JUSTICE
ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
ROUGH RIDE
ROUGH EDGE
ROUGH BEAUTY
The Brotherhood Protectors
The Saving Series
SAVING LOVE
SAVING MAGNOLIA
Holiday Romances
A CHRISTMAS GETAWAY
ALASKAN CHRISTMAS
WHISPERS
Heroes & Heroines on the Field
TAKING A RISK
TEE TIME
The Twilight Crossing Series
THE BLIND DATE
SPRING FLING
SUMMER’S GONE
WINTER WEDDING
Witches and Werewolves
LADY SASS
ALL THAT SASS
About Jen Talty
Welcome to my World! I'm a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.
I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.
I'm currently enjoying the next phase of my life...the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.
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Jen Talty, Sail With Me: A With Me in Seattle Universe Novel