Take Me Away

by Kelly Elliott

  “Wow. It’s a lot of space for one person.”

  “Well, I share it with a roommate.”

  That caught my attention. “Oh.”

  Nolan looked at me and winked. “Jessica should be swinging by the house any minute now. I’ve already sent her a text to let her know I was back.”

  A surge of jealousy raced through my veins, and I was caught completely off guard by it. “Jessica? Is that your…roommate?”

  Nolan threw his head back and laughed. “God, no! She’s the wife of another pilot and the whole reason I have Duke.”

  “Duke?” I asked with a grin.

  “He’s a black lab, four years old, and a pain in my ass. Jessica rescued his litter and somehow sweet-talked me into taking one of the puppies.”

  “A dog! You have a dog?”

  He laughed. “Yes.”

  The doorbell rang, and Nolan winked. “And there he is.”

  I quickly followed him as he made his way through the house to the front door. “Stand back, he’s going to bully his way into the house.”

  Nolan opened the front door, and a beautiful blonde stood there, a puppy in her arms and a smile on her face.

  “Nolan!”

  He frowned as he looked at her. “Jessica.”

  In the front yard was a man who looked to be around the same age as Nolan. He was chasing a dog.

  “Duke! Damnit! Will you get back over here?”

  Nolan whistled, and the dog immediately stopped, looked back at the front door, and took off in a full run.

  Jessica stepped out of the way as Duke came running past her, past Nolan and me, and then attempted to come to a stop on the wood floors. He slid a good five feet before he turned and hauled ass back to Nolan.

  I watched as Nolan dropped down and held his arms out for the dog that promptly gave him all the kisses.

  “He’s precious!” I gushed as I bent down, hoping to join in on the love. Duke looked at me, thought about it for a moment, then went back to Nolan.

  I frowned and made a harrumph sound.

  “Don’t take it personally. That damn dog loves Nolan in the unhealthiest way I’ve ever seen,” Jessica stated as she walked past the two lovebirds.

  Reaching out her hand while trying to juggle the puppy, she said, “I’m Jessica, Mike’s wife.”

  I glanced over at the door to see who I was guessing was Mike walk into the house. “Mike, I take it?”

  She laughed. “Yes. He’s also a pilot.”

  “Test pilot?” I asked.

  With a nod, Jessica put the puppy down. I dropped instantly to the floor and scooped her up. “Oh, she is darling!”

  “Oh no,” Nolan groaned.

  Then, before I knew it, Duke was all in my face, demanding I give him attention now that Nolan had stopped.

  “Duke, knock it off and give her room,” Nolan said as he slapped the dog lightly on the side and then asked Mike if he wanted a beer.

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  Before Nolan walked off, he said, “Mike, Jessica, this is Linnzi Cunningham. Linnzi, Mike and Jessica Reynolds.”

  I stood, wiped my hand on my jeans and shook their hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

  Mike raised one brow as he gave me a quick once-over and then smiled. When he replied, he had a bit of teasing in his voice as he looked at Nolan, then back at me. “It’s nice meeting you too, Linnzi.”

  Jessica elbowed him in the ribs and then pushed him toward the kitchen. “Hi, Linnzi. It’s really nice to meet you.”

  Once both men were out of ear shot, her smile grew into a wide grin. “You are the first woman I’ve ever met whom Nolan has dated.” Then she looked up in thought and said, “You know, since I’ve known him the last five years, I’ve actually never seen him date anyone.”

  I felt my cheeks blush. “Well, we’re old high school boyfriend and girlfriend. We, um, lost touch for a few years.”

  Her brows lifted. “Really? Huh.”

  It was all she said, but I could tell she was dying to ask me more questions. “Nolan told me he got Duke from you,” I said.

  At the sound of his name, Duke raced around the corner and slammed into me, nearly throwing me off balance. I bent down and gave him a good amount of attention while Jessica picked up the silver lab puppy. “That’s right. He acts like he’s pissed at me for it, but Duke has been the best thing for him, to be honest. I hated the idea that he came home to this empty house every day.”

  I gave her a slight smile and tried to ignore that little jealous devil that sat on my shoulder. “That was nice of you.”

  She shrugged. “I’m hoping he’ll adopt this sweet girl too. She’s the last in the litter, and no one wants her!” She said the last part of the sentence in full-force baby talk while she rubbed her nose against the puppy’s.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  Jessica shrugged. “I’m not sure. She was the smallest in the litter. Truly had to fight for her way in the pack and was actually born not breathing. Mike was the one who brought her back.”

  She looked down the hall, then back at me. Motioning for me to come closer, she whispered, “Don’t tell him I told you this, but he gave her puppy CPR. Oh my goodness, it made me fall in love with him all over again.”

  I placed my hand over my chest and sighed.

  “I know. Needless to say, he got lucky that night. Really lucky,” she said with a wink. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  I cleared my throat and shot her a smile. “That might have been a bit too much information, but I’m glad he saved her life.”

  “I know. I’m just so sad no one wants her,” Jessica said with a sad attempt at a pout.

  I took one look at the puppy who was staring up at me with those big brown eyes, and my mouth spoke before my brain had time to process what I was saying. “I’ll take her.”

  Jessica’s eyes lit up. “What! Are you serious?”

  I nodded and reached for the pup once more. Jessica gave her to me and then did a weird little happy dance. “This is amazing!”

  “What’s amazing?” Nolan and Mike asked at the same time.

  “Linnzi just adopted the puppy!”

  Mike looked pleased as pie, while Nolan simply stared at me like I had lost my mind. “Linnzi, how in the hell do you expect to get the puppy back to Texas?”

  Jessica stopped her dance and looked at me. “You live in Texas?”

  I snuggled my face into the puppy’s neck. “I do.”

  Jessica shrugged. “That’s okay, we can easily get her transported back to Texas safely.”

  I looked up at her. “Oh, no. She can come back with me when I fly back home. She’s small enough, and I’ll try and book a direct flight.”

  Nolan walked up and pet under the puppy’s chin. “I’ll fly you back home when you want to go back to Texas.”

  I was positive my face was beaming with happiness. “Are you sure?”

  He grinned. “Are you sure you want a puppy? Your parents might be a bit upset by it.”

  Glancing back down at the puppy, I said, “I’ve already asked a real estate agent to start looking for houses for me. I’ve got enough money saved up for a down payment, and I really don’t want to live with my folks for much longer.”

  I looked at Mike and Jessica. “I’ve been in Paris the last eight years, working abroad.”

  They both nodded, then looked at Nolan. I turned my head and nearly lost my breath with the way he was staring at me. I felt my face heat from the intensity of his gaze.

  Jessica cleared her throat. “Well, I’m going to leave before you change your mind and give me the puppy back!” She grabbed her husband by the arm and tugged him toward the front door.

  “I haven’t even finished my beer yet!” Mike complained.

  “We’ve got beer at home, honey. Let’s leave these two lovers be. I have a feeling they have some catching up to do.” She wiggled her brows as she reached for the beer her husband held and set it o
n the table next to the front door. “You two have fun!”

  And before I could even ask if the puppy needed shots, they were out the door.

  “Wow. She really didn’t want the puppy back.”

  Nolan chuckled. “That should be your first warning. She’s probably a little monster.”

  I clutched her to me and covered her ears. “Nolan! Don’t let her hear you call her that!”

  He shook his head and leaned down to kiss me. “What are you going to name her?”

  “Hmm, let me think of a good girl’s name.”

  Suddenly, Nolan’s face paled.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He shook his head as he said, “Nothing.”

  I held the puppy up and looked into her eyes and smiled. “What is your name, little one?”

  She let out a cute little puppy bark, and I laughed. “I think I’ll name you Belle.”

  “For your favorite Disney movie.”

  I lifted my eyes from the pup’s and met Nolan’s. “Yes! How did you…”

  He smiled, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Linz, are you sure you want this puppy?”

  “Yes! Oh, what should we feed her?”

  Nolan lifted a brow, walked to the front the door, and opened it. There was a bag sitting right outside the door.

  “Oh, she’s good,” Nolan mumbled as he grabbed the bag and opened it. “Let’s see what she has in here. A blanket, most likely with the momma’s scent on it. A bag of food, a bottle of vitamins.” He looked at me. “She makes me give them to Duke also.”

  I took the bottle of pills and read it before I set it down on the coffee table.

  “She’s got a couple of dog toys in here and…here it is.” Nolan held up a piece of paper. “The shot records.”

  “Wow, she is good. Did she assume you would take the puppy?”

  “Most likely no; she’s probably been carrying the damn bag around for when she could pawn the little beast off on some poor fool.”

  “Hey!” I said as I put Belle down next to Duke. She walked in three circles and then flopped down next to Duke and closed her eyes.

  I brought both of my hands up to my chest. “Look! They love each other already!”

  “It’s a good thing. I have a feeling they’ll be seeing one another often.”

  Nolan made his way over to me and drew me against his body. “Now, what was it you said earlier about being turned on?”

  I fluttered my eyelashes at him with feigned innocence. “Well, that was when you were flying the plane.”

  He gave me a crooked smile, and I nearly swooned on the spot. “I bet I can get you back in the mood without being in my cockpit.”

  My entire body shivered. “I have no doubt in my mind about that, Mr. Byers.”

  Nolan

  THE MOMENT I stepped into the pre-flight briefing, I felt Jack’s eyes on me. I looked his way and gave him a nod. He lifted a brow then narrowed his eyes at me. Sitting to his left was Mike. He must have told him about Linnzi.

  I shot him a smirk and sat on the other side of the table as far from him as I could, which didn’t please him in the slightest.

  After talking about a new program for the F-22s and its ability to assist the pilot out of an inverted spin, we all stood. I was first up, ready to get into my gear and up in the air. I slipped past everyone and headed out the door.

  “Nolan! Nolan!” Jack called out.

  I glanced over my shoulder and shot him a smile. “Hey, Jack. How was your weekend?”

  He shot me a smile back, but it was more of a fuck you, asshole, you have something to tell me kind of smile.

  “My weekend was great. How about yours? You flew home for Truitt’s son’s birthday. I heard you brought a little something, or rather, someone, back with you.”

  “Not here, Jack.”

  “Not here? Not here! Are you out of your fucking mind? Nolan, Linnzi? Your Linnzi? The Linnzi?”

  I looked around and sighed. “Yes, yes, and yes.”

  “What in the actual fuck?”

  After another quick look around, I motioned for him to step into an empty briefing room and then shut the door.

  “I didn’t know she was back in town. Her parents didn’t know she was coming back either. She surprised them. Amy had tried calling to tell me, but honestly I didn’t listen to her messages because I just…couldn’t.”

  “Does she remember?”

  I shook my head. “Not everything. She saw me at the birthday party, and the first thing out of her mouth was…it’s you.”

  He frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “She saw me in Paris a few years back. She followed me after I left the coffee shop. Said she was drawn to me for some reason. Apparently she’s been having dreams ever since the accident.”

  “About?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Me. She told me since she’s been back in Texas, she’s been having memories of us. She remembered me asking her to marry me.”

  He pushed his hand through his hair. “Holy fuck, dude.”

  “Yeah. I’m so damn twisted up inside. I told her about the plane accident.”

  “And Amanda?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Tried to, but she told me to stop. She didn’t want me to tell her anything else.”

  Jack took a few steps back and leaned against the wall and let out a long breath. “Damn.”

  “Yeah, damn is right. I thought for sure when I told her about the accident it would trigger the memory, especially since she seems to be having memories of us.”

  He nodded. “Maybe her mind has it so far buried, she’s never going to remember. But, Nolan, you can’t keep this to yourself. Dude, I’ve seen what it’s done to you the last eight years. Now she’s back in your life, and I know you, you won’t be able to keep it from her.”

  I swallowed hard. “I want to tell her, and at the same time, I don’t. She told me she loves me, Jack. She said she can’t remember how we met, but she knows what her heart feels. She told me she’s been waiting for me.”

  His eyes widened. “Damn. That’s some serious fucking love you two share. Did you tell her you’ve been celibate this whole time?”

  I nodded.

  “And she came back with you?”

  “She said she just found me again and wasn’t ready to let me go. She’s only staying a couple of weeks, I think. She wants to get settled in and get a house in Texas.”

  He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Why doesn’t she move back into the ranch house?”

  I looked out the window and then back at him. “I thought about telling her she lived there.”

  A pained expression crossed over his face. “Amanda’s room?”

  I shook my head. “I had everything removed and the room painted when I went back for Truitt’s wedding. I broke down the last time I went home and went in there.”

  He nodded. “Is that when you went skydiving in Mexico?”

  I just gave him a single nod.

  “What are you going to do, Nolan?”

  I let out an exasperated sigh. “I need to tell her. I will tell her. I’m just scared as fuck to do it.”

  “It was an accident, Nolan. She won’t blame you.”

  My gaze met his. “I don’t know that for sure, Jack. I got her back. I made love to her again, and I feel like a greedy son of a bitch because I don’t want to let her go.”

  “I get that, dude, but you’ve got to ask yourself one question. Can you live with yourself for not being the one to tell her that you both had a daughter?”

  My entire body sagged. “No. I can’t.”

  He pushed away from the wall, put his hand on my arm, and gave it a squeeze. “Then you know you’ve got to tell her. Better it come from you than her getting curious and finding out more about the accident on her own.”

  I nodded. “I know you’re right.”

  He went to open the door and laughed. “I’m always right.”

  With a r
oll of my eyes, I walked past him. “Come on, let’s go fly some planes.”

  Those three magical words came through, and I hit the throttle.

  Clear for takeoff.

  I was up to ten-thousand feet in five seconds. Life was fucking beautiful when I was flying. I loved my job, but something had felt slightly off the last year or so. It wasn’t like I was growing tired of it. I loved it. Still loved the thrill of it. Something was just…missing. And that empty feeling was suddenly stronger than ever.

  I got the go ahead to do the test spin, so I purposely put the plane in an inverted spin.

  “Jesus,” I said as I fought to get it back under control and wait for the new program to take action. When it finally did and the plane leveled out, I let out a breath.

  “Damn, Bang,” Jack’s voice said. “I thought you were a goner for a minute.”

  “Ha. I think I did too.”

  Command told me to do a few more maneuvers before Jack was called up.

  “Looking good there, Maddog,” I said as he flew up next to me. “I thought they told you only the best were allowed up here today, though.”

  “Fuck you,” Jack said.

  I laughed and made a hard right as Jack followed. The next hour we flew the hell out of our F-22s, pushing them to the limits and having a bit of fun in the process.

  “Let’s have some more fun,” I said as I requested permission to change the flight pattern.

  “You’ve got the lead, Bang.”

  I made a pass over the house like I had promised Linnzi I would. The smile on my face as I did was a reminder of how happy I felt not only being back up in the air, but knowing Linnzi was waiting at my house for me.

  Twenty minutes later, we got the call to return to base. Playtime was over.

  “You think she noticed your flyby?” Jack asked after we landed and walked back in.

  I laughed. “Sure as hell hope so.”

  After getting out of our gear, I made my way to my commander’s office. Lieutenant Colonel Williams was one man I had great admiration for. He had been more than just a CO. He had been a friend of my father’s, although he rarely spoke of him. I drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door.