Page 9 of Saved By the Mountain Man

“Yeah,” Jack smiles gently, reaching across me to grab the album. “Your father loved the camera. Damn prissy was always posing like a supermodel.”

I giggle, my hands suddenly trembling as Jack opens the first page.

Jack spends the next few minutes flicking through the book. There are dozens of photos of him, smiling brightly in his youth. He tells me about his training, about how tough it was. It was all he ever imagined doing, his dream since he was a little boy. Another page of photos show him dressed in a formal military uniform. There’s more of him in the barracks, smiling with his friends. He’s shirtless and fucking ripped already.

I listen to him talk so openly, memories flooding out as he gets to the part where he meets my dad.

“SEAL training was the hardest. But we had the best unit they’d seen in decades,” Jack explains.

He flicks another page and then a big finger points at a photograph I’ve never seen. Jack shows me a man who is standing proudly in a dark green uniform. He’s tense, arms tucked at his sides, straight as a pin. His chin is held high, like he’s the proudest man on earth.

Tears fill my eyes as I see my father in a way I’ve never seen him before.

“He was a damn good man, your father,” Jack says.

“He looks so proud,” I say, my finger rubbing the photo where my fathers smile shines back at me.

Jack humphs. “Yeah, he was. He took pride in everything, especially his family.”

I look to Jack, holding the emotion in my chest. We share a long gaze, my skin heating.

“I miss him,” I say.

Jack’s cheeks squeeze through a painful smile. “Me too.”

I want to press further, ask about how it happened, how my father died. But I’ve already stepped too far, haven’t I? Then again, maybe Jack wants to talk about it? He seems to be enjoying talking about his military days.

I swallow hard. I’ve come this far, what’s the worst that can happen?

“W-was you there?” I stutter, unsure whether I stepping over the line. “You know, when it happened.”

Jack’s throat grinds with a giant swallow. He doesn’t speak, and just as I’m about to apologize for overstepping, he nods. Heavy eyelids cover the emotion threatening to spill over, and I reach out and grab Jack’s hand, squeezing it.

The moment is raw. His pupils grow darker, a surge of electricity sparking between us. But as quickly as it happens, he snatches his hand away and looks back to the album.

“Oh, here it is. I noticed you had the same photo,” he says, turning the page quickly, changing the subject. He’s pointing to a picture of my parents holding me in front of his cabin, a picture identical to mine. “This is the first time I met you. Your parents bought you to my old cabin, showing you off to the world. They were so proud.”

“Old cabin?”

Jack nods. “Yeah.”

I frown and lean in to look at the cabin. “Wait… that’s not this cabin?”

He shakes his head. “No. I built a new cabin a few years back. The one in this picture is higher up the mountain.”

“Do you remember me coming here as a girl? We visited a few times, but I don’t remember all of it.”

Jack clears his throat and closes the album. “Of course I remember.”

I lean in, the emotion of everything seemingly pulling me closer to Jack. We’re inches apart, my lips so close to his that I could kiss him. He takes a deep breath, glancing to my mouth before he leans back, rising from his chair to clear the plates with a clatter.

“Let’s go,” he demands. “I put some clothes on your bed. Get dressed.”

Jack leaves the dishes in the sink and grabs his coat, heading out the front door without another word.

Chapter Four

Jack

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