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“Why both guns?” She was so grateful he had.
“An impression. I’ve had them in the military.” He shrugged as if trying to write it off.
“You were inspired. Running for me, choosing to protect me. Thank you.” It was past time she arched up and kissed him.
“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” He blew out a breath. “Bee … Hays and I have a mission. We got the call a couple hours ago. We have to be to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman by five a.m. for briefing and transport.”
Their time together was over. He had to leave her. How would they be together after this? Could they … someday? For the first time, she wanted her parents to have lied. She wanted Jagger to be telling the truth and to be in her life. She loved him, and after reconnecting with him, and him proving himself her hero, she knew without a doubt that he was the only man she’d ever loved and the only person she knew who loved her sting almost as much as her honey. She couldn’t imagine going forward without him.
She looked into Jagger’s deep-brown eyes, and she knew. She trusted him. Maybe the story was like Paul said, somewhere between the truth from both sides. She didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. She wanted to trust and love him and be with him.
“The police are almost here,” Paul interrupted. He looked between them. “Do you want me to wait down the trail for you?”
“It’s okay.” Jagger took her hand, and they went to stand by Paul.
It wasn’t okay. Belinda didn’t feel like anything was okay. She had an awful premonition. Worse than when she and Paul had been walking straight at an armed convict. Would Jagger be killed on this mission before she could prove to him that she trusted him and chose him? Was she really going to do that? Even if her parents vowed they were telling the truth and she had no answers to the pain of the past fourteen years?
She clung to Jagger’s hand and stared up at him. He met her gaze.
She trusted him. She had to.
Please protect him on this mission. Please let him be able to come for me.
Chapter
Seventeen
When they got done with the police questioning, they headed for the house. The cameraman, Garrett, was waiting for them. They showered and changed quick then did a big hoorah about Belinda winning the money. She was so cute Jagger knew the fans would adore her like he did.
They all drove to the airport, loaded onto the plane, and flew to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. It was close to the base on Oahu. He and Hays could walk there if they wanted and find a bed before their early morning departure.
Jagger shook Paul’s hand and thanked him. Hays gave Belinda a hug. Then Hays, Paul, Garrett, and the two pilots headed to the airport in the guise of buying a snack. The galley of Mercedes’s plane was full of snacks and food. Jagger was grateful for any stolen moment with Belinda.
For a few beats they studied each other, standing just inside the open door to the plane. Then she threw herself against his chest and let out a cry. “I’m afraid I’ll never see you again.”
Jagger cuddled her close, reveling in the feel of her in his arms. “Bee.” He cupped her smooth cheeks with his palms and tilted her face up. “I won’t give up on you.”
No matter what he had to fight through, he’d come for her.
“I love you,” she cried out. Then she arched up and kissed him. The kiss had all the fire and longing and passion he knew his Bee had inside her. He loved her back. He couldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t give up, but what if she did? Even if she loved him, that didn’t mean she trusted him. They were no closer to reconciling the past fourteen years and her parents lying and keeping them apart. He was thirty-two years old, an accomplished SEAL captain, and somehow Bee’s dad still had control over him.
The kiss continued for a beautifully long time, and he knew their minutes were ticking away.
Finally, she pulled back and stared up at him. “Jag, I choose you. I trust you. I love you.”
She meant her words. He knew that, but would her parents somehow rip them apart again? Was she truly choosing to trust him or caught up in the moment as his Bee often was?
“Please believe me,” she begged, clearly reading his hesitation. “I know we’ve both been in pain for fourteen years. We’ll figure it out, but please come for me. Come as soon as you can. I’ll focus on the administration of my charity and not go to Africa until I see you. I’ll wait at my parents’ house.”
Jagger swallowed and studied her. She was saying exactly what he’d hoped to hear. He’d already promised himself he wouldn’t give up on her again. He’d fight through anything, even her parents’ hatred of him and his own fury at her dad.
“You want me to come for you?” he clarified, not liking how uncertain he sounded.
Bee pulled a necklace from under her shirt. A ring hung from the end of it. His eyes widened. It was the ring he’d given her. Her ‘Bee’ ring. He touched it gently. “You wear this?”
She nodded. “It’s always been you for me too, Jag.”
His heart raced out of control. He bent and kissed her, trying to pour how much he loved her, how dedicated he was to make their relationship work, into the kiss. Then he slowed it down and simply held her.
