and worries about their father versus how the mother must have felt.”
“Sure.” I was curious where she was going with this.
She looked up and dried her cheeks again then seemed to have made a decision.
“When I went back to get my phone at the hospital, I overheard something I know wasn’t meant for me, but the situation was what it was.”
“What situation?”
“Wasn’t meant for me to hear, so it wasn’t meant for me to repeat.” I could see she wasn’t going to share.
“I respect that.” I waved for her to go on.
“I heard a little of what went down on your Blackhawk, before it crashed.”
Shit. A heavy pit landed in the center of my stomach.
“I guess,” she sniffed, “something inside me realizes how the tables have turned. I’m not the child sitting on the front step waiting for her dad to come home anymore. I’m the woman in the living room hearing that your chopper went down and knowing that you’re okay, but you still need to get out of that place.”
“Sloane, I know it’s scary—”
“Oh, but you don’t,” she shot back and jumped to her feet. “You don’t, John.”
I moved to stand, setting Doug on the floor. She held up a hand to stop me when I took a step toward her.
“You’re the one leaving, and I’m the one watching you go.”
My shoulders sagged with a familiar heaviness. “Yeah, that’s true. It’s why we don’t like to date, why we don’t like to fall in love. But, Sloane,” I pulled her to me, “try understanding what it’s like being the one who walks away. The one who has to turn their back on those we love. We have to go and play the game of life and death with ruthless killers. But I know how important the work we do is. I know that, but I also know how important it is coming home to you, to someone I love.” I brushed a tear away from her cheek with the back of my finger as my words sank in. “When the chopper was going down, your sweet face was in my head, and when we finally hit the ground and I still had a heartbeat, it was you I thought of. Getting back to you.”
“I was so scared.” She pressed her forehead into my chest. “When Frank shared what had happened, it was like someone was squeezing my chest, and each breath made it tighter and tighter.”
“I’m sorry,” I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arms around her, “and I’m sorry you heard what happened like that.”
We stood there for a while. She needed my strength, and I needed her comfort. She smelled like home, and I buried my nose further into her neck and drank in her scent. I never thought I needed a woman. Until I’d met Sloane, I was content to be alone. Figured I’d be married to the job forever.
Whoa, where was I going with this?
“Oh, wow,” she whispered and pulled out of my hold, “it’s snowing.”
Little flakes of white fell from the dark sky and started to blanket the field.
“You know what they say about the first snowfall of the month?”
“What?” Her eyes looked intensely blue against her gray sweater. All I now wanted in this life was to be able to stare into those pools of blue and know they were for me only.
“You’re supposed to kiss the one you love to keep them close forever.”
Her tongue darted out and licked her bottom lip. I instantly grew hungry but reined in my desire to ravish her. Instead, I threaded one hand into her cold, silky hair, and the other slid down her side to her hip to settle on her bottom.
“Keep me close forever, then.”
Her words warmed me from the inside out. I didn’t waste any more time and sealed my lips to hers. The moment I did, her body relaxed, and her arms wrapped around my neck. We were lost in each other. I didn’t care that we were on display for the world to see. I had fallen for someone, and for once in a very long time, I allowed myself to be happy.
I slipped my hand into my pocket and tapped my phone that was set to play one of my favorite songs.
“Dance with me,” I whispered against her lips.
“But there’s no—” She trailed off when the speakers switched on and Brothers Osborne’s Love the Lonely out of You began to play. “Oh.” She smiled up at