His face softened as he looked down at his fiancée and whispered something in her ear.
Mia smiled, a pretty blush blooming on her cheeks.
While the lovebirds talked over the details of the backyard wedding, Grace and Wyatt went through the moves he’d just shown her, practicing them with the other hand in slow motion until she had the hang of it.
A few minutes later Levi led Mia away. As he opened the door, he looked back at Wyatt. “Try not to break her. She has to walk down the aisle in six days.”
“Your concern is overwhelming,” Grace said.
She and Wyatt took a quick breather as the couple disappeared inside.
Grace appraised the yard. “Hard to believe there’s going to be a wedding here this weekend.”
“Will it be very big?”
Grace shook her head. “It’s only family and a few close friends. Mia’s best friend is flying in Friday and her dad, stepmom, and their kids are coming Saturday—Mia only reunited with her dad a couple years ago.”
“And her mom?”
“She passed away.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Everyone who’s flying in is being picked up at the airport by Skeeter—our resident floatplane guy—and flown straight to our dock. Hopefully we can keep this under wraps through the wedding. We’d like to avoid hovering helicopters.”
“They’d do that?”
“You have no idea. They could turn this place into a media circus.”
After they regrouped Wyatt squared up with Grace.
“This one’s a grab from behind. You’re going to incapacitate the attacker this time before you run. Turn around and face the other direction.” After she did as he asked, he stepped close and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing him flush against her.
She softened in his arms, and it took every bit of his discipline to block out the feel of her body against his, the delicious scent of her hair. “Okay, this one involves some punches and knees to the groin, so we’re going to be very careful. We’re just going to simulate those until we have pads.”
“Trying to preserve future generations of Jennings?”
“Among other things. Grab my arms. Good.” He instructed her to pull herself in at the waist, swing her hips to the side, make a fist, and strike the groin.
After she completed this he said, “Now pivot and reach around my neck, interlocking your hands.”
She did as he asked, peering up at him. They were inches apart. His hands clenched at her sides.
“This is nice right now,” she said. “But it’s the last thing I’d feel like doing in the middle of an attack.”
“It goes against instinct to get closer to the threat, but it works. Now’s when you drive your knee upward into the groin once or twice. You’ll want to do all this quickly, catch him off guard. An attacker won’t be expecting this—that gives you the element of surprise.”
They went through the motions. There were more moves to this one, but she was a fast learner, so it didn’t take long. In a short time she had two defensive moves down pretty solidly. It was rewarding, teaching her to protect herself.
He thought back to his conversation with the gym owner. Jim had asked if Wyatt would be interested in teaching a course, but he wouldn’t be around long enough to do so. Too bad, because that was something he’d always wanted to do. Teaching women to defend themselves was a worthy cause. His schedule just didn’t allow for it.
“I think that’s enough for today,” he said as she drank from her water bottle.
“Just one more?”
“You need to work on the ones I just showed you. Practice them for a few minutes every day if you can. Maybe midweek we can go to the gym and spar for real—if you have time with all the wedding stuff you’ve got going on.”
“Now that Mia’s here, she’s taken all that on. But what about your search? I have Thursday off. And I get off Wednesday at three—that’s a little late in the day to get started, I know.”
