years. Once for Truitt’s wedding, and the second for Nolan Jr.’s baptism. You jump out of helicopters and planes and Lord knows what else. They didn’t know I was standing there, of course, or I don’t think they would have spoken so freely. I’m not so sure you’ve always been that way. Call it a gut feeling.”
“No one in this town should be butting into my business,” he spat out.
“Do you?”
He frowned. “Do I what?”
“Take risks? Have dangerous hobbies?”
Nolan stared at me for the longest time before he answered. “Yes. I also have a dangerous job, but that doesn’t mean anything. You knew what my job was—I showed you and your dad the videos. What can I say? I like the thrill, the adrenaline rush. I’ve always liked it.”
I nodded. “Why, though? Why did you become a test pilot? Why do you do these dangerous hobbies?”
His eyes filled with tears, and he blinked rapidly to gain control of his emotions. His reply was so soft and low, I barely heard him. “So I can forget for a little bit.”
My heart instantly broke in two. Whatever had happened eight years ago, it had caused him pain as well. The only difference was mine may have been physical, while his was emotional. My mind had protected me from the emotional and shut it out, and his had not.
I cleared my throat and gathered every ounce of strength I had. “Were you in the accident too?”
He nodded.
“How did it happen?”
His brows pulled in even tighter, and I saw the conflict on his face and in his eyes. For a moment, I wanted to throw my hands up and yell, ‘Wait! Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know!’ But I did want to know. I needed to know. I knew that if things kept progressing with our relationship, it had to come out. If not, it would always be between us. This secret. The reason it was buried.
Nolan cleared his throat, opened the truck door, and got out. He promptly started to pace. I followed him out of the truck and walked to the front of it where I leaned against the side of a fence and waited. I wrapped my arms around my body to ward off the slight chill in the air as I waited for him to speak. I knew this was something I could not push. This had to be on his terms, and I wouldn’t rush it…I’d waited eight years; a few moments longer wouldn’t hurt.
“I thought I would have more time with you. I thought we could get to know each other all over again before…”
It hit me like a brick wall. He was terrified I was going to leave him after he told me. Not just hate him, actually leave him.
“Nolan, what if the memory comes back to me someday? It’s not going to make it any easier then. I’m tired of living in the dark. Aren’t you tired of keeping it in the shadows? Hiding from the past?”
He nodded, and I sucked in a breath when I saw a tear roll down his face. I pushed off the fence to go to him, but he held his hand up.
“No, please don’t. Don’t, Linz. I can’t do this if you touch me.”
Nolan
THE LOOK ON Linnzi’s face was a mix of shock and hurt as she nodded and took a few steps back to lean against the fence once more.
Fuck. How in the hell was I going to tell her? I closed my eyes and tried not to remember that day, but it flooded back to me in a single rush.
The moment the plane hit the runway, I knew something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Linnz, hang on,” I said as I attempted to regain control of the plane.
“Nolan! Nolan!” she screamed before everything went wrong.
The landing was supposed to be routine. I’d done it a thousand times with military jets on fucking Navy ships. Hell, on this very runway. What in the hell happened?
My head was pounding as I shook it and looked to my right to see Linnzi slumped over, blood pouring from her head.
“Linz? Linz!” I screamed as I heard sirens in the distance. Then, I smelled the smoke.
Turning, I looked and saw the baby still in her car seat, but part of the plane was pushed in on her side from where we’d skidded and hit something.
“Sir! Sir!” a voice called.
“The baby!” I screamed as I fought to get my buckle undone. The door opened