Page 77 of All Along

I don’t ask how he knows this. I don’t need to. The smuggler’s grapevine is fast and thorough.

“What does everyone think I’m doing here?”

“We think you’re back to stay.”

“Nah.” I shake my head. “I have no interest in crawling back here a failure.”

He cocks a brow and I swear.

“Shit. I didn’t mean you returned to the island a failure. You didn’t have a choice after that tackle.”

“And you do have a choice after whatever happened to you?”

I growl. “I do. I’m working my ass off to recover from my injury. Once my physical therapist signs me off, I’m out of here.”

“Does Maya know this?”

“Maya knows I’m a soldier,” I hedge.

“But does she know you’re planning to return to active duty?”

No, because I’ve been avoiding the conversation.

“Maya’s a strong woman. If being a soldier is what you want, she’ll support you.”

Hope flares to life in my belly. I need him to be right. Because I can’t lose Maya. I love her more than anything. But I can’t live on this island as a failure either.

“Maya’s the strongest woman I know.”

He grins. “She’s strong, but not as strong as my Nova.”

I hold up my hands. “Not gonna fight you.”

“Good.” He stands. “The offer for head of security is there if you need it.”

I scowl. “I’m good.”

I walk with him to the door.

“And you don’t need to chop wood. The resort supplies wood to all of our cottages.”

“I enjoy the exercise.”

He grins. “I figured as much, but thought I’d offer.”

I watch as he hops into a golf cart and drives toward the resort.

I hope he’s right. I hope Maya will support me once she finds out I want to return to active duty. She’ll worry about me when I’m gone but I’ll come home to her as often as I can. We can make it work.

And if we can’t?

I force the thought away. I don’t want to consider the possibility of losing Maya.

I know how it feels to live without her. I’m not going back.

Chapter 27

“You can’t celebrate without moonshine. At least, not on Smuggler’s Hideaway.” ~ Maya

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