Page 15 of Protecting Jess

What are you doing?

The question thrummed through his mind, and he studiously ignored it. He didn’t have an answer. For so long, he’d fought against letting himself think or feel anything for Jess.

Back when they’d first met, when he’d been eleven and she was eight, he’d loved spending time with her. That first visit with his Aunt Poppy had been more fun than he’d expected, and it had all been due to Jess.

Her happiness had been infectious, not to mention her complete adoration for his aunt. When the time had come, he’d been sad to say goodbye to Jess, but it turned out that wasn’t going to be the last he saw of her, because his aunt and Jess’s dad had gotten married and started their own family.

“How are Sawyer and Paula?” he asked after a while.

“Last time I spoke to Mom and Dad, they were good. Sawyer’s on the junior varsity football team, and Paula is saying she wants to try out for the cheerleading squad. Sawyer doesn’t want that. Said it would cramp his style with the cheerleaders if his sister was on the team.”

Finn laughed. “I thought Dad was going to have a heart attack the first time he saw Primmy in her cheerleading outfit. I happened to be home when it was the high school’s season opener, and Primmy got the call up to the main squad when one of the girls got hurt. Mom scolded him for his reaction.”

“Yeah, I can imagine my dad will be the same, although he was always cool with my dance costumes when I was a kid. He told Sawyer he had to watch over his sister and make sure his teammates didn’t so much as blink an eye in her direction. And this is all hypothetical, by the way, because Paula hasn’t even made the team yet.”

They’d made their way to a park, and Finn led them over to a bench. He brushed away the leaves that had fallen from the tree and sat. “It’s probably better that Slick is telling Sawyer this now. He’ll have to tell him a few times before it really sinks in. Although, I’m sure the first time someone looks at Paula and Sawyer sees it, he’s going to get in that guy’s face.”

Jess sighed. “Probably, as much as they bicker, they’re close, as if they’re twins, which is good. I’m sure Sawyer will watch Paula like a hawk and vice versa. Trust me, you don’t want to get on Paula’s bad side. She can be downright scary sometimes if she thinks someone is treating anyone from the family in a way she doesn’t approve of.”

There was a hint of wistfulness in Jess’s voice. She loved her siblings, but Finn could tell she wished for the closeness that Sawyer and Paula shared.

There was a big age gap between him and his sister, Primrose, but he’d always been there for her when she needed him, even if she called him in the middle of the night when he’d been on leave, and she’d forgotten the time difference.

He made a mental note to give her a call and find out how she was doing. She’d be getting ready to start college tours.

She wanted to be a doctor, one who specialized in women’s medical conditions, particularly fertility issues, considering their mom had had so much trouble staying pregnant. There’d been countless times they’d all cried together as a family after she’d had yet another miscarriage.

After Primmy was born, there hadn’t been any more pregnancies, because Dad hadn’t wanted Mom to go through the pain of loss.

It’d often bothered Finn that Primmy didn’t have another sibling closer to her age, but she assured him she was happy it was just the two of them.

“Remind me not to get on Paula’s bad side,” he drawled.

Jess made a noncommittal sound, and he could’ve kicked himself for what he’d said.

How many invitations had he knocked back where he could’ve spent time with both Jess and her siblings?

A lot, and he’d heard his own mom’s disappointment when he made up yet another excuse as to why he couldn’t attend an event. That was before he was a SEAL—now he had a legitimate reason not to go. Not that too many invitations had been handed out as of late. And not that Finn blamed them for that.

The silence stretched between them, and he kept scanning the area, looking out for any danger that could be lurking in the shadows.

They were in a park late in the evening, the perfect time for nefarious things to go down.

“How long?—”

“What are your?—”

They both laughed as they spoke at the same time. “You go,” Finn said.

“I was just going to ask how long you were going to be here for. Will you be leaving soon?”

“I think we’ll be here for a little bit, but that could change in a matter of hours.”

“Do you like it? Being a SEAL, I mean. I was surprised when Mom told me you were going to be one. I thought you liked being a medic.”

“I love being a SEAL, and particularly on this team. These guys are great to be with. I liked being a medic, but I just—” He shrugged. It was hard to explain why he’d changed his focus and became a SEAL. “I needed more of a challenge, I guess.”

“And treating people’s wounds while stuff is being blown up around you wasn’t a challenge?” Jess asked. There was no malice in her words. Even in the dim light, he could see the sparkle of mirth shining in her blue eyes.

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