Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
WEST
My arms were wrapped around Blue as we stood on top of the roof of the Harmony Haven Medical Center.
The wind from the chopper blades whipped around us, fierce and wild, tugging at our clothes and unsteadying our footing.
I realized then how insane it had been to think she'd hop into a helicopter for the first time and land without feeling something—exhilaration, thrill, fear. Maybe all of it at once.
My first time was intoxicating. That rush of power, of flying over everything and feeling untouchable.
It had become second nature to me now, but watching Blue with her eyes wide and chest heaving with adrenaline, brought it all back.
I’d forgotten what it was like to feel something so new.
And for a moment, I was grateful I’d flown with her, if only just to see it reflected in her expression.
I envied it. That kind of wonder didn’t live in me anymore.
She looked up at me, hair whipping around her face. I could barely hear her over the sound of the blades, but her lips moved with a question.
"What do we do now?" she screamed.
"Now we go to that little door over there," I yelled back, nodding toward the stairwell, "and take the stairs down to the ground."
We were only three stories up, but the pad was set in the center of the roof, far from the edges.
From where we stood, the ground was invisible, creating the illusion of us being suspended in the sky.
It wasn’t my first landing here, but I rarely used it since I wanted to keep it clear for actual emergencies.
Still, it had its perks, one of which was giving us a private moment away from the world below.
She hesitated, and I felt her weight shift in my arms. Part of me wanted to keep holding her just a second longer, just to hang on to the rush that was coursing through her.
But I also knew that it wasn’t necessary to keep a hold of her, and I was breaking my own rules just an hour after I made them.
"I need to call someone to pick me up," Blue said, with realization dawning as she looked around. We were nowhere near Fiddlers, nowhere she could walk. She was stranded, and although I had said before that she had a ride, she didn’t trust me enough yet to think I’d planned ahead.
"You don’t think I’d have you land here without a ride, do you? I told you I’d arranged everything."
She looked confused and I loosened my hold on her waist, but took her hand, guiding her toward the door that led to the private stairwell. Her fingers were cold, and I wasn’t sure if it was the wind, or the nerves.
Each step down the stairs echoed, metal clanking beneath our feet. She didn’t say a word, and neither did I. I didn’t know how to fill the silence between us. Didn’t know if I wanted to.
At the bottom of the three flights, I pushed the door open. Marshal, a young, clean-cut new hire arranged by Marcus, was waiting and standing tall as if he had something to prove. He straightened the moment he saw me, which meant he knew who signed his paycheck.
He was hers now. Her driver. Stationed here in Harmony Haven to keep up appearances.
"What the—" Blue threw her arms up, then spun toward me. "You’ve gotta be kidding."
I ignored her protest and shook Marshal’s hand. "Blue, this is Marshal. He’s your new driver. He’ll be available to you at all times."
"I don’t want a driver," she snapped, glancing around like she might bolt.
"With all the back-and-forth we’ll be doing, you need one," I said evenly. "Besides, no one’s going to believe we’re married if you keep driving that old car."
She looked like she wanted to throw something at me.
"There’re so many flaws in this plan, West. Have you ever read a damn book? There’s no way we’re pulling this off."
"We will," I said, voice low and sharp. "If you get in the goddamn car, take what I give you, do what I say, and be where I need you to be."
Her eyes lit with fury, and she jabbed a finger toward me. "I know this is fake, but you better watch your tone. Fake wife or not, I’m not putting up with that demanding bullshit."
I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my mouth. She had fire and she never let me forget it.
"At the very least," I added, "let Marshal take you where you need to go today."
"Fine," she hissed, stepping in close, nearly nose to nose. "Marshal can take me home so I can lie to my dad about the absolute mess I’ve gotten myself into."
I opened the car door myself, and with one last glare, she slid in without another word.
I almost pitied Marshal. She’d rip him to shreds before they hit the first stoplight.
I couldn’t understand what there was to hate about anything I had given her, but every time I did, she revved up for another explosion.
All I could do was stand there and watch the taillights fade while wondering what the hell I could do to make her not hate me every two to three hours.
She wasn’t easy to manage. I hadn’t expected her to be. But I hadn’t expected her to get under my skin either.
When they turned and I could no longer see them, I took the stairs back up to the roof. Every step felt heavier, longer. Hugo still had the chopper idling so I climbed in and strapped my headset on, before pinching the bridge of my nose as we lifted into the sky.
Halfway back to Atlanta, Hugo glanced back at me.
"Everything okay, sir?"
"It’s all good," I muttered. Then sighed. "But I’m starting to think being married isn’t going to be as easy as I thought."
He didn’t answer, just laughed. A knowing, seasoned kind of laugh. Hugo had a wife and kids. He knew what kind of ride I was in for.
What he didn’t know was that in a few weeks, it would all be over. That secret was saved for a handful of people and Hugo wasn’t on that list. It would be easier on him if he believed Blue would always be my wife, because it was going to be his job to get her home every week.
And something told me that if he believed for a second that I wouldn't care, he’d toss her out over the suburbs without a parachute. Because Blue was a handful.