Page 63 of Enticing Her Love

“I’m taking your grandmother on a cruise to Alaska.”

“You hate cruises.”

“But there’s nothing I won’t do for your grandmother.”

“Except relax and retire,” his grandmother called out.

Flynn chuckled, hoping he’d be just like his grandfather when he was older. Always up for another adventure.

“I’ll rest when I’m dead,” his grandfather grumbled. “I got your message about the change of assignment. How’d you and Glamour Girl make out?”

“Better than I thought we would. She gave me shit every step of the way, but she held her own.”

“The best women always do. You’ve said she was feisty. I think I’d like her.”

Flynn kicked his feet up on the coffee table, imagining the conversations his grandfather and Sutton could have about him. “I think you would, too, Gramps. Turns out she’s a pretty cool person.”

“We already knew that. She’s put up with you for all this time. And you? How’d you do on the trip?”

“It was a rough one. Making sure Sutton was safe added a whole new level of pressure. I think I developed about ten more senses.”

His grandfather laughed. “Despite all the grief you two give each other, you’ve become comrades in arms. You’ve shared tough, meaningful assignments in harsh environments. That builds a bond unlike any other. I remember the first time your grandmother came on an assignment with me. This was before we were seeing each other, when she was my field assistant. There weren’t many women in the field back then, and I remember worry lodging in my chest like a fist, tightening at every little thing. It didn’t relent until we were back home three or four months later.”

“Damn. Guess I’m lucky it was just a few days.” The time they’d had together was a double-edged sword. He wanted more time with her, but then he’d be even more messed up when they had to end it. “Sutton nearly stepped on a bushmaster. That was terrifying, but I handled it.” He told his grandfather what had gone down with the snake, and his grandfather was silent for so long, he looked at the phone to make sure he hadn’t lost the signal. “You still there, Gramps?”

“Yeah. Give an old man time to process his grandson’s near-death experience.”

“Get outta here. I was fine.”

“You wait until you have kids and grandkids of your own. Then you’ll understand. You might not want to mention that stunt to your mother or your grandmother.”

“I didn’t mention it to Mom or Dad, and you can leave it out when you tell Gram.”

“You know I will. You never fail to amaze me, Flynn. I want you to know that.”

His grandfather believed that you should never leave things unsaid to the people you love, because you don’t know what tomorrow will hold. But the little boy in Flynn still wanted to believe there would never come a day when the people he loved wouldn’t be around, and he refused to accept anything less. “Tell me yourself the next time you see me.”

“Smart-ass.”

“I learned from the best.”

“You’ve far surpassed me and your parents in bravery, knowledge, and smart-assery, boy. I hope Sutton realizes how lucky she was that you were there, and I hope you realize how lucky you were to have pulled that stunt off.”

“She does, and I do, too. But you know I’d do it again.”

“I was going to say as long as you learned something, it sounds like it was a good experience all around. But now I’m not so sure.”

“It was a great experience.” He heard his grandmother talking in the background but couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“It’s good to catch up, Flynn. I’ve got to go. Your grandmother says I need to pack.”

“Have fun on your cruise.”

“Hm? Oh yeah, right. The cruise. We will. Love you, boy.”

“You can’t lie worth shit, Gramps. Be safe out there.”

“I’m not the one jumping in front of snakes. I make your grandmother do that.”