Chapter 33
Skylar walked into the kitchen and smiled as she headed straight to the coffee. One of the delights of being back in civilization was having guilty pleasures at her fingertips again. Her guilty pleasure at the moment was Jeb’s coffee maker, which could be set with a timer so she didn’t have to wait for her hot morning pick-me-up drink. Next, she pulled down two mugs from the cabinet overhead. One was a Go Navy mug, and the other was a cup with a bright sunflower on the front. She had bought the cup many years earlier, loving the bright colors to start her mornings.
The day after they’d returned from Oregon, Jeb had declared he wanted her to move in with him. So many changes had occurred, but she didn’t hesitate. For her, it had always been Jeb. The next day, they drove to her apartment. She wasn’t sure if Gerald had emptied it but had breathed a sigh of relief that it was just as though she’d simply been gone a few days instead of over six months.
She’d packed up her clothes and items that had sentimental value. A small, framed photograph on her wall was of her and Jeb sitting on a log, laughing together as their sticks with marshmallows toasted in the outdoor fire. She had spied Jeb staring at it and was mesmerized by the expression on his face.
“I didn’t know anyone took our picture that night at camp,” he’d said, his face full of wonder.
“I didn’t either until I was in college, and the camp counselor who’d taken it sent me an email. She was clearing out some photos and asked if I wanted it.”
“And you said yes?” Incredulity had dripped from his words.
“Of course.” Holding his gaze, she’d said, “Jeb, you might have walked away from me, but I never forgot what you had meant to me growing up.” She reached over to the wall and took the frame down.
He’d taken it from her hands carefully, then backed her up against the wall and kissed her. Not a soft, gentle kiss but a hard, possessive kiss that left her breathless and needy. They would have made it to her bed, but the moving company knocked on the door, interrupting their declaration of forgiving the past and racing toward the future.
Breathing heavily, they separated, and Jeb adjusted his crotch, then nipped at her lips. “We’ll finish this later,” he had promised, sending a tingle straight through her.
She’d carefully wrapped the picture, along with other items of sentimentality. At the same time, Jeb had the movers pack the rest to take to a storage unit near where he lived so that she could go through the furniture and household items at her leisure.
One of the items that she’d brought with her was the cup. “Life’s too short not to enjoy the little things that make us happy,” she’d declared to Jeb when she carefully wrapped the cup to bring with her.
Now, after pouring two cups, she opened the refrigerator, and another smile slipped over her face. Jeb made sure he had her favorite creamer. Such a simple act yet having someone care enough to know her favorite and make sure she had it at her fingertips made her heart light.
Glad it was a Saturday, she relished the idea of having Jeb to herself for the morning, and then she would attend a “welcome to the family” party. She was anxious to share something with the other Keepers.
Once settled into his home, Carson offered her a Keeper position, having her stay on the investigative and security side of LSIWC’s computer systems. She’d spent the past week learning everything she could about their business. One bonus was getting to know the other Keepers, especially the women. She discovered a world of girlfriends that she’d never experienced before. And the bonus… working with Jeb every day.
The hammering sound in the hall jerked her out of her musings, and she quickly set her cup down. She hurried around the corner to see what Jeb was doing. Spying him setting the hammer down, having left a small nail in the wall next to their campfire photograph, he bent to pick up another frame from the floor and hang it on the wall. Her brows lowered in curiosity as she neared, then stared in stunned silence at the new photograph he’d hung.
It was a print of the two of them on the island with the seals sunning on the cliff rocks behind them. The colors were vibrant, and the two of them wore brilliant smiles. The air rushed from her lungs. “Oh my God! I forgot about the selfie you took!”
He turned and wrapped his arms around her, bending to kiss her deeply. “Mmm,” he mumbled. “You taste like delicious coffee.”
When the kiss ended, she grinned and lowered her heels to the floor. “Got a cup all ready for you. Perfect way to start the morning.”
“The perfect way to start the morning was what we did in bed when we first woke up,” he corrected.
Her smile widened, knowing he was right. Poking him in the stomach, she nodded before grabbing his hand and leading him into the kitchen.
His phone vibrated with a message, and he looked down, then back up. “Carson says to watch the breaking news.” He hit the remote, and the TV flared to life. Standing next to each other, they watched as the newscaster announced that Montague Industries was being investigated for a black market scheme involving military equipment. Gerald Butler, the head of Montague Industries” Cybersecurity Division, had been arrested, along with Colonel Spelling of the US Army. The FBI and the Army were still investigating, but Alistair Montague’s attorneys had made a declaration that he had no knowledge of the wrongdoings and would cooperate fully with the investigation. It was noted that Alistair’s political friends were taking a step back, declaring they would no longer accept donations from him until the matter was cleared.
Cutting off the TV, he turned to her, his intense gaze assessing. She patted his arm and said, “I’m fine. Really, I am. I know that my name is no longer associated with Gerald’s illegal activities, thanks to the work we did. I have no idea what they might pull on Alistair, but he’ll get out of it, no matter what.” She shrugged. “Having Alistair spinning as he watches his name get dragged through the mud and having Gerald go to jail is good enough for me.”
“That’s what we tell ourselves with each case,” he reminded. “We get the evidence and then turn it over to the authorities. When we can save someone in the process, that’s what we’re all about.”
“And I’m the one you saved,” she said, turning to wrap her arms around his waist, smiling up at him.
He slowly shook his head. “No. You’re the one who saved me. Back when we were children and you first opened the door to me, then shared your attic retreat. You saved me when you forgave my foolish actions all those years ago. And now… agreeing to share my home and my life.”
“I love you, Jeb.”
His gaze held her captive as he sucked in a hasty breath. “You do?”
Nodding slowly, she said, “I think I fell for you when I was a little girl and saw you coming up the walk to the Bakers’ house.”
Jeb bent, taking her lips in a barely-there kiss. “I love you, too, Skylar. I think I fell for you the first time I saw you sitting on the attic window ledge,” he whispered against her lips.
A ribbon of warmth wrapped around her as strong as his arms. Then clinging together, the kiss flamed, consuming them as they headed back upstairs.
* * *
That afternoon, she reached into the back of the SUV to grab the large, insulated tote. A presence at her back sent a smile over her face as Jeb’s front pressed over her back, and his long arm grabbed the tote. Twisting her neck, her eyes were filled with his face so close to hers. “I can carry that, you know.”
“Yeah, you could if I wasn’t here. But since I am, then I’ll carry it.”
Before she could utter another word, he erased the scant inch between their faces and kissed her. As he pulled back, she sighed, blinking her eyes open. “Keep that up, and we might not make it to the party.”
He laughed, then straightened, linking fingers with her. “Come on. You’ve got something to show off.”
They walked into the large house and found the party already in full swing. The rooms were filled with friends. Some were setting food on the kitchen table and counters, and others set up folding chairs around the large dining room.
While Jeb carried the tote to the kitchen, Skylar made a beeline to the family room where most of the attention was centered… Hop and Lori, each holding a twin baby. Skylar’s heart melted seeing the two adorable bundles. Jeannie handed off her and Carson’s five-month-old son to Rachel, so that she could get closer to the newborns.
Rachel bounced the little one with Teddy standing close by, his hand on her back. Shaking her head, Rachel bemoaned, “This might be the closest I get to a grandchild.”
Carson looked over at Jeannie, cooing over the twins, and sighed. “She’s going to want another one soon.”
Hop laughed. “Then you’ll just be catching up to me.”
“And we won’t be too far behind,” Leo said, with Natalie tucked under his arm.
It took a few seconds for the group to realize what he’d said. In deference to the babies sleeping, soft cheers of congratulations rang out.
“I’m three months along,” Natalie said, her smile softer than Skylar had seen.
“Oh my God,” Skylar breathed, realizing Natalie had been pregnant during their kidnapping and escape. It seemed to hit the others as well.
Carson’s jaw tightened. “No more fieldwork for you for a while,” he ordered.
“Don’t worry, boss. The big guy here has already laid down the law,” she said, patting Leo’s stomach.
As Leo and Natalie beamed at each other, Skylar noticed glances between Chris and Stella, Rick and Abbie, and Dolby and Marcia and wondered if more announcements would be forthcoming over the next few months. With smiles between Ian and Vicki, Poole and Tricia, along with Bennett and Diana, she felt sure their ranks would be growing.
“And in other good news,” Leo continued. “My brother, Oliver, is getting out of the Rangers.”
Natalie offered a shaky nod. “After everything he’s been through, he’s finally coming home.”
“And will have a job waiting for him,” Carson pronounced.
Skylar had heard that Oliver had been in a helicopter accident while in training. No one on his team had been killed, but several of them had been injured.
The group soon moved to the food, finding more than they could eat. The conversation flowed between good friends and coworkers.
Before dessert, Jeb tapped his fork on his plate, gaining everyone’s attention. Reaching his arm around Skylar, he said, “While we’re celebrating, I wanted you all to see Skylar’s newest decoration.”
She laughed and pulled up the sleeve to expose the still-reddened tattoo of a lighthouse on her shoulder. The whispered cheers and gentle clapping resounded again. “As soon as it heals, I’ll get the tracker embedded,” she said.
“While she’s waiting on that,” Jeb continued, “I wanted to give her something else. And since you all are our family, it’s only right that you witness this, as well.” He reached into his pocket while dropping to one knee.
She gasped, staring wide-eyed at the perfect diamond ring before her gaze moved back to his.
“Skylar, we share a past. And I want us to share a future. Will you be my wife?”
She dropped into the chair in front of him, bringing their faces closer. He filled her vision as everyone else in the room faded away. All she could see was the boy who shared her little ledge and her heart. Nodding, she choked back a sob. “Yes. It was always you. It will always be you.”
Watching as he slipped the ring on her finger, the others filled the room with hearty approval and congratulations.
But she only heard her heart beating in time with Jeb’s.