Page 28 of Moonlight Feels Right
She gave her a warning look. "Don't say it."
"You and Hunter are throwing off some serious electricity. You like him, don't you?"
"I'm just helping him with Olivia," she said, desperate to hang on to that narrative.
"That's not what I asked you."
"I barely know him, Paige."
"Seems like you're getting to know him."
"I am, but to be honest, I'm not sure it's worth it. He'll be going back to active duty soon."
"Soon isn't now. You still have time for fun. Not everything has to go somewhere."
She knew that, but every minute of fun with Hunter seemed to make her want another minute, which meant the end of the fun could be brutal. And she didn’t really want to deal with that kind of emotional fallout. After today, she should put some distance between them.
But fifteen minutes later when Olivia declared she was starving, and Hunter asked if she wanted to grab a burger, she couldn't find the will to say no. However, she did have the good sense not to meet Paige's amused smirk.
They asked Paige and Henry to join them, but Paige said Henry had a birthday party, so they'd see them later. Then they gathered their things and headed down the path to find lunch.
Chapter Eight
After leaving the beach, they walked a few blocks to a beachside grill, grabbing a table on the outdoor patio. They ordered burgers, fries, and shakes, and Hunter couldn't remember when he'd gone all-in on the favorite foods of his childhood. But he felt hungrier than he had in months.
While they waited for their food to arrive, Olivia colored on the kids' menu and Emmalyn checked her phone for messages. He sat back in his chair, glancing out at the water that was shimmering in the sunlight. It had been a successful morning, and he could almost feel the warmth of Gary's smile watching over them, hearing his voice telling him he'd done good getting his daughter in the water and teaching her something new. Gary had always had an appetite for life, which made it all the more cruel he was gone so young.
But his daughter was here, and Olivia was Gary's legacy. And Hunter would do everything he could to ensure that Olivia had the life her father would want her to have.
The distant whump-whump-whump drew his attention skyward. Two CH-53E Super Stallions from Pendleton were moving in tight formation across the cloudless blue sky. Another formation followed, this one lower—a pair of sleek AH-1Z Vipers on a training exercise, the thunder of their engines vibrating in his chest. The attack helicopters banked sharply, executing a textbook tactical maneuver he'd done himself many, many times, and he felt a wave of longing for the life he'd once led.
"You miss it," Emmalyn said, drawing his gaze to hers. She tipped her head to the helicopters fading in the distance.
"Yeah," he admitted. "I do."
"When will you go back?"
"When someone tells me I can. I have to pass a lot of tests before that can happen."
"What kinds of tests?"
"I have a basic physical next Wednesday. If I pass that, I move on to the psych evaluation, followed by combat fitness tests. If I clear those, I'll get into a simulator to test my aviation skills. After that, there will be a flight evaluation where I'll have to run through a lot of maneuvers and various training scenarios."
"The Marines really want to make sure you're in perfect shape, don't they?"
"They do. And even if all those tests go well, I'll still have to go before a review board."
"It almost feels like they're punishing you for getting hurt on the job."
"Sometimes, it feels that way to me, too. But logically, I know the tests are necessary. They want to be certain I'm fit for duty. They don't want to put me back in the sky and jeopardize someone else's life if I can't do the job."
She met his gaze with a curious gleam in her golden eyes. "Do you feel ready to do the job?"
"Physically, I've completely recovered from my injuries, and I'm working on getting even stronger than I was before."
"And mentally and emotionally?"
"That's a little trickier, but I'm getting there."
