Is it too soon to think about marrying someone?
Probably.
Do I care?
Not even a little.
I’ve spent my entire adult life knowing exactly what I want and going after it. And I want Fern.
“Jackson.”
I blink and look up.
Cal stands near my chair, arms crossed and a knowing smirk on his face. “You’ve been staring at her for ten straight minutes.”
“I have not.”
He snorts. “You look like you’re planning a kidnapping.”
I glance back at Fern. She’s helping one of the servers adjust a centerpiece while Valerie complains about something beside her.
“If I were kidnapping her,” I mutter, “she’d be halfway to Oregon already.”
Cal laughs quietly.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Checking in with you. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, too long,” I say as he pulls me in for a hug.
He pats my back and stands against the wall next to me. “Your girl?—”
“Fern.”
He nods. “You’re serious about her, huh?”
“Yeah. Deadly.”
His expression softens slightly. “Oregon, you said?”
“Yeah, she lives in some little town there. Wolf Valley.”
He grins. “No shit.”
“You’ve heard of it?”
“Yeah. You remember Koa and Ledger? They were with us on that last deployment,” he says.
“Yeah, I remember them.”
“Well, they just moved to Wolf Valley. Or they’re splitting their time there anyway. Both of their girls live there.”
“Small world,” I grunt.
“Well, you have two friends in town. Might be the perfect place to start over.”
“It will be.”
