Turbulent Waters (Billionaire Aviators Book 3)

by Melody Anne

  Chloe didn’t know how she’d ever lucked out enough to have Dakota as her best friend, but if she had to give up everything else in life, she could, and survive through it. She wouldn’t make it without Dakota, though. She climbed from her seat and walked to her, throwing her arms around her, and fought off tears.

  “I can’t believe I ever wondered what love was like,” she told Dakota. “Because I freaking love you to death. You’re my soul mate,” she said with a chuckle.

  “Damn straight I am,” Dakota said, tears in her voice. “And your soul mate wants you to have everything you’ve ever dreamed of having.” Dakota pulled back and smiled at her. “Now enough of this pain-filled month. We’re going to laugh like there’s no tomorrow and do that dance thing people speak of.”

  Her crooked smile and her mucking up of the most famous of motivational quotes made Chloe laugh out loud. It felt good to smile.

  “I promise I’m done with my pity party. What was I thinking?” Chloe said, trying to appease her friend.

  “We don’t think when we’re hurting, we react. But I promise you, if we fake it for long enough, we create a new reality. So every morning you get up, you tell yourself it’s a beautiful day, that the world is full of fun and adventure, and that the man of your dreams is going to show up with roses in his hand and sweep you off your feet. Then one day, it becomes reality,” Dakota said.

  “So if I wish hard enough, Ian Somerhalder will be on my doorstep with roses?” Chloe said with a dramatic sigh.

  “If you wish it, he will come,” Dakota told her with a waggle of her brows.

  “Oh, Dakota, my dreams are finally coming true,” Chloe said, her laughter becoming more real by the minute.

  “Thatta girl.” Dakota did a little dance around her, and Chloe rolled her eyes.

  “I just need to breathe in and breathe out, and it really is going to get better. I told myself I would never be kicked again, and this has felt like I was kicked in the gut. That’s why it’s been so hard. But I truly am feeling better just having you here with me,” Chloe assured her.

  “Maybe we should just talk about my lack of a love life, and then we can both feel sorry for me,” Dakota suggested.

  “It really is sad for the rest of us normal folk that you haven’t managed to settle down,” Chloe said with a frown. “If a goddess such as yourself can’t manage to find a man, I’m a hopeless case.”

  That was something Chloe had never really thought about before. Dakota was beautiful inside and out with her stunning dark hair, bright green eyes, and pixie-like frame. She was a dancer for the Seahawks on top of everything else she did. How in the world was she single?

  “I’m alone by choice,” Dakota assured her. “Why would I settle down with a frog when the right toad is out there?”

  Chloe laughed. “It’s a prince, you dork. You kiss the frogs to make them a prince.”

  “Oh, whatever,” Dakota said with a wave of her hand. “Same thing.”

  “I love the fact that you just don’t care. I am vowing from here on out to be just like you,” Chloe said with conviction ringing in her voice.

  “Oh, honey, if you want to be like me, you’re setting yourself up for failure. I’m a mess,” Dakota assured her.

  “Then you’re the kind of mess I dream of being,” Chloe insisted.

  “I’m erratic, and it’s rare when someone holds my attention. I’m in love with football enough to slide into a slinky little outfit and strut myself on television during freezing cold nights, and since I can lift more weights than the average guy, I sort of intimidate them,” she said with a sigh.

  “You can lift more than the football players?” Chloe said with a mocking glance.

  “Well, those aren’t the average guys,” Dakota said with a laugh. “And according to the press, we cheerleaders warm their beds nightly, so I would know.”

  This made Chloe laugh again. She knew her best friend, and she was anything but the kind of woman she was describing herself to be.

  “Need me to kick their asses?” Chloe said, repeating Dakota’s earlier offer.

  “Maybe. I’ll let ya know.”

  “Take me shopping. I think it’s time to get the heck out of this house,” Chloe said, and Dakota’s eyes lit up. Chloe had said the magic words, ensuring her best friend would stop all talk of love.

  “You know the way to my heart, woman,” Dakota told her as she rushed to grab her purse.

  Chloe could put on a smile and pretend to be happy. She’d done it for years. In time she knew her best friend was right, knew that she would truly believe it. Until then she was going to fake it ’til she made it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Nick sipped his brandy as he ran a hand through his hair. Sleep had been a thing he’d once actually enjoyed. Sure, being part of the Coast Guard meant he could wake at a moment’s notice, but since he’d walked away from Chloe, he was lucky to get a couple hours at a time.

  His dreams were filled with the woman, and each time he’d wake up reaching for her. He’d been hoping he’d forget her, hoping she would become nothing more than a distant memory. So far that wasn’t happening.

  His brothers had called him every kind of fool, but he was stubborn, hadn’t budged, not even when his favorite uncle had looked at him with disgust. His hair was too long, and his temper too short. Life pretty much sucked.

  His captain was being an utter ass, still not letting him come back to work. He said that Nick’s physical injuries might be healed, but he certainly wasn’t mentally ready to get back in the chopper. Nick didn’t know what the hell he’d meant. He’d yelled at the captain, and that hadn’t helped his case. He’d been asked to leave until he got it together. His life, in other words, was in shambles.

  Taking another drink, he leaned back in his chair. Suddenly, his door was pushed open so hard it slammed against the wall. Jumping to his feet, he got ready to do battle when a wisp of a woman stormed into the room, not even remotely afraid of the hulking man in fight mode. When his vision cleared he saw it was Dakota.

  “Dakota?” he questioned. Maybe he was seeing things.

  “I have a message for you,” she said, rage practically pouring from her veins.

  He was so taken aback by her words, he relaxed his stance and simply gazed at her in shock.

  “What in the hell are you doing here?” he asked, this time calmer.

  The small woman glared at him before she pushed him. She actually used enough force to knock him back a step before he caught his balance. Nick was slightly impressed even in his irritation over Dakota trying to push him around.

  “My best friend is in pain, and it’s all because of you, you . . . you . . . miserable pig,” she sputtered, so angry she was having a difficult time speaking.

  “What?” He was even more confused. “Is she okay?” His chest tightened with fear. Nick’s short nails dug into his palms as he clenched his fists.

  “No! That’s what I’m saying. She’s not okay. I’ve been trying to convince her for a month that you’re either really stupid, or you’re not good enough for her. She can’t seem to believe either. So she cries all the time, but then puts on a fake smile when she knows I’m watching. I’m her best friend, and I can’t help her, but you had zero trouble ripping her heart from her chest.”

  This wasn’t the first time Nick had heard insults about the way he’d treated Chloe, but it seemed to be the first time he was listening. Maybe because it was coming from such a tiny package or maybe because he missed the woman so damn much. Either way he was trying to make sense of what he was feeling. The tiny woman pushed him again, and Nick almost smiled.

  “Would you quit doing that? For such a small thing, you have quite the oomph,” he told her.

  That made Dakota’s eyes narrow as she took a threatening step closer to him. He held up his hands. He was really trapped here. It wasn’t like he could defend himself against her. He’d break her in two.

  “You have put my best friend thr
ough hell. I should tear you apart limb from limb,” she said, moving forward again. All Nick could do was retreat. She kept speaking. “You’ve taken the zeal out of her life, made her a different person. You’re a selfish pig.”

  “She lied to me,” he said, the same words having been repeated so many times, he felt like a broken record.

  “Get the hell over it,” she yelled.

  “Just like that?” he said with sarcasm.

  “Yeah, you’re a big boy, put on your . . . your big boy, um . . . shoes on,” she finished.

  Nick laughed. He couldn’t help it. The sound shocked him so much he jumped. He hadn’t heard his own laughter in so long he didn’t recognize it.

  “What are you laughing at?” she thundered.

  “Sorry,” he said, controlling himself. “Don’t you mean put your big boy pants on?”

  “You’re seriously correcting me when I’m about to beat you down?” she gasped.

  “I’m not too worried about you hurting me,” he told her. She moved forward and he continued to retreat.

  He held up his hands. “Look, this isn’t a fair fight. I can’t hit a woman,” he said.

  “Scared?” she challenged.

  He realized she was serious. That made him have to fight not to laugh again. This was one hell of a tough woman. If he weren’t already in love with Chloe, he might have asked her out on a date.

  His face fell at the thought. His muscles felt like they’d gone to jelly, and he was grateful there was a wall behind him when he sagged against it. Dakota stopped her pursuit as she looked at him quizzically.

  “Are you having a heart attack?” she asked, not seeming particularly sympathetic if he was.

  “No,” he said, the word barely above a whisper.

  “Then what is wrong with you?” she asked.

  “I . . . I love her,” Nick gasped. He felt as if his heart was pounding out of his chest as he said the words. Dakota glared at him. He looked helplessly at her. She didn’t seem at all understanding that he was having a serious issue. “My chest hurts. I might be having a heart attack after all,” he said, actually frightened.

  She rolled her eyes, and he realized he was going to die with Chloe’s mean best friend standing there watching. His legs gave out, and he sank to the floor. That was dangerous in front of this woman. She was going to destroy him now that he was so weak.

  “You aren’t having a heart attack, you moron. You’re actually allowing yourself to feel real emotions,” she said with a huff, though all the bluster had rolled away from her as well.

  “This is because I said I love her?” he gasped. “Why would anyone want to fall in love if it feels like this?”

  “Because it doesn’t hurt when you own up to your feelings and confess them,” she said with another eye roll.

  “Are you enjoying this?” he asked, irritated at anyone seeing him this way.

  “A little bit,” she admitted, and then she smiled. “You’ve put my best friend through hell, but seeing as you’re going through a lot of hell yourself, that makes me feel better. Besides that, I can see that you’re going to make it up to her.”

  The last words came out as more of a threat than anything else. Nick smiled as the tightness in his chest began to ease. Maybe he wasn’t going to die. Maybe he’d get the chance to make things right with Chloe. That would be a miracle at this point.

  “What do I do?” he asked.

  She looked at him as if she wasn’t quite sure if he was honestly asking. He gave her his best trust-me smile and inwardly crossed his fingers.

  “You run to her and beg with everything you have for her to take you back. You get down on your hands and knees and tell her you’ve been a fool, apologize for everything, even the stuff that’s not your fault, and you pray she will forgive you and let you back into her life,” she said.

  He stared at her in a moment of confusion.

  “I have never in my life gotten down on my knees,” he said before he smiled. “Unless it was for the right reasons.”

  Dakota slugged him in the arm and he glared at her. She gave him the look right back, not even a little intimidated.

  “If you’re unwilling to do all it takes, then you sure as hell don’t deserve her and you should just stay away,” she told him.

  She wasn’t kidding. He could see it in her eyes. Why was it that everyone kept telling him he didn’t deserve her? Maybe there was some truth to it.

  Nick leaned his head back against the wall and thought about it. Was he willing to give up his pride for Chloe? Without hesitation he realized he was. He would do anything for her. He didn’t want to keep existing in a world where she wasn’t a part of his life. She’d stormed in during the worst possible time and had made the sun come out again. How had he not realized that much sooner?

  “Tell me where she is,” he demanded as he leapt to his feet. Dakota scrambled to hers, not liking the serious height advantage, though it didn’t help much when she was up, not even with her heels.

  “Why should I tell you?” she asked. She was analyzing him, and he realized he had to be open with her.

  “Because I love her enough to do whatever it takes,” he assured her.

  She looked at him so long and intensely he began to squirm in front of her. He didn’t want to mess this up. He could find Chloe, but he didn’t know how long it would take him. And given the way he felt at the moment, he didn’t want even one more day to go by without her in his arms.

  “Please,” he said, the word never coming out more heartfelt.

  She sighed. “If you mess this up, then you’re going to have me to deal with,” she threatened.

  Nick didn’t tell her he found that amusing. He also sympathized with whatever man was brave enough to have to deal with her. She’d be a handful. He cringed. She glared. If she even knew the thought he’d just had, he’d get his ass seriously kicked.

  Dakota took a piece of paper from her purse and wrote down an address. “She’ll be here tonight.” She held on to the paper as he gripped it. Their eyes met, and understanding passed between them.

  Finally, Dakota let go of the paper. Then without saying another word, she turned around and exited his house. She didn’t bother shutting the door. Nick chuckled. Dang, she’d been a whirlwind. And since he planned on marrying Chloe, he guessed Dakota was going to be a part of his life. That was a terrifying thought.

  Nick quickly went and made a cup of coffee. He slammed it down before making a second. Then he rushed to his room. He had to clean himself up before he could go find Chloe. If she saw him in the state he was in, she’d most likely run in the opposite direction.

  Of course that didn’t matter much. He wouldn’t ever be such a fool as to let her go again. Nick smiled as he shaved. He was going where his heart was leading him―and he felt good about it.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Chloe sat in the background as people laughed and talked, drinking and having a great time. Dakota’s family was a bit crazy, but they were loving and wonderful, so much nicer than her own. They’d embraced her from the very first moment Dakota had brought her home with her, and they’d been wonderful to her ever since.

  Even though she normally loved Dakota’s huge family get-togethers, she was trying desperately to keep her smile in place this time. She was doing better, much better, in fact, than the previous few weeks, but it still felt like a piece of her was missing. And because of that, she was faking a lot more enthusiasm than she normally would.

  She felt alone and wanted to go home, but Dakota had made her promise she would come. Maybe in an hour or so she could escape without it looking like she was running away. She’d have to wait and see. For now, she was there, and she was nodding at all the right times and laughing when expected. She was getting very good at that. Maybe she should take up acting as a second career choice.

  It was just so difficult when she was in love with a man who didn’t want to be with her. The sooner the emotions dwindled and died, th
e sooner she would feel better. It would happen in time. Dakota had assured her of that. She almost wished she’d never met him. But to wish that would be to take away her memories, and there was nothing worth taking those away. She’d rather suffer.

  When it was safe to get up and move away, she feigned thirst and went to the large bar to order a glass of wine. Then she snuck down the hallway and slipped into Dakota’s bedroom. Her friend was playing a wild game of Twister and most likely wouldn’t notice her absence. She hoped at least. She was wrong. It didn’t take two minutes for Dakota to hunt her down.

  “You aren’t having fun, are you?” her friend said with understanding eyes.

  “Of course I am,” Chloe assured her. “I just have a bit of a headache and wanted to come lie down for a minute. I promise I’ll be back out soon,” Chloe finished with a bright smile as she lifted her hand to her head to make the lie more convincing.

  Dakota gave her that look only a best friend could manage and then smiled at her. She came and sat down next to her and put her arm around her, squeezing.

  “I love you to pieces, but you’ve always been a terrible liar,” Dakota told her.

  “I think I’ve been doing exceptionally well,” Chloe countered.

  “Ah, sweetie.” Dakota sighed. “It will work out. I think he’s hurting just as badly as you are.”

  The words made Chloe want to hope, and that was a dangerous emotion. She couldn’t afford to feel that way. It had been a month and Nick was still gone. It was over, and she needed to move on.

  “This is a nice day with your family. Please don’t let me bring you down. I promise, after I have a few minutes to myself, I will come out smiling and laughing. I might even beat you at a game of Twister,” she assured her.

  “I love that you think you can,” Dakota told her with a laugh. “And though it goes against everything within me, I will let you be alone for a few minutes. But if you don’t come out soon, I’ll be back with Jell-O shots,” she warned.