Page 2 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

“It’s simple—I can shoot the terrorists. I can’t shoot the clowns,” Mack said. “If I’m ever able to shoot the clowns, it will be a game changer.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen, Dad.”

“Mills, are you sure you don’t want a big sweet sixteen party like Chloe’s? Without the clowns, of course.”

“My birthday was in January.”

“It’s not too late. The entire year is your sixteenth year. Maybe we can have a party before we go to San Diego in a couple weeks.”

“I still don’t want a party, Dad. All I want for any birthday is to spend time with you,” Millie said, reaching over to hold his hand. “That and the car you bought me, of course.”

“Of course,” Mack said, smiling. “It’s not much of a car, but it gets you out of the house and away from Camille until we move this fall. That’s another thing. Are you completely sure you don’t want to do your senior year of high school here? I don’t mind living in the Outer Banks while you finish. We don’t have to live with Camille. We can rent a place until you graduate, and then move.”

“Seriously, Dad. I just want to be with you. And I think a fresh start would be the best for us. You know? I want to move to San Diego as soon as we can. I don’t mind finishing high school out there. It’s more about my time with you.”

Mack nodded. “Well, I don’t officially retire until September, so if you change your mind, it’s fine. We’ll work it out.”

“I won’t change my mind. I have our move date as September 24. That’s what’s happening.”

“Okay, princess. As you wish. We’ll go out there the first weekend of August and start looking for a house. We can enroll you in school when we find one.”

“Will you please, please, please reconsider letting me get my GED and starting UCSD early? I talked to them, and they said I have enough college credits already to get accepted into their oceanography program.”

Mack took a deep breath. “I know, sweetie, but you’re already so young for your grade. And I thought you hated science.”

“I don’t hate it. I just think it’s boring in high school. If it’s about the ocean, I will love it. I want to be an ocean conservationist.”

“You would be great at that. You’ll be amazing at whatever you want to do. Maybe just finish high school and try not to be in such a rush about everything. We’ve got nothing but time ahead of us.”

“Okay. But you know if I’m in college, we can go surfing between my classes,” Millie said as her eyes started to sparkle mischievously. “And we both know you need as much practice as you can get if you’re going to keep up with me on those breaks in the Pacific.”

Mack shook his head, trying not to smile. “You know San Diego is where I did my SEAL training. I know that ocean really well. Any home-field advantage you think you have here is going to be completely wiped away when we get out there. I will be the dominant surfer again.”

“Again?” Millie said. “So you’re admitting you’re not the dominant surfer now.”

Mack lunged forward quickly, tackling Millie off her board and plunging them both into the water. The ocean swallowed up Millie’s peal of laughter as they went under. Mack surfaced first and pushed their surfboards out of the way as he pulled her up.

“I will always be the king of the sea,” he said as he lifted her under her arms and tossed her a couple feet away from him.

Millie giggled. “Okay, Poseidon. You win.”

Mack reached for her hand and pulled her back to him. “Let’s make a deal. We’ll get out to San Diego in September and chill until the end of the year. You can start school in January at wherever we decide together is the right place.”

Millie put up her hands for a double high-five. “Deal,” she said as she slapped his hands. “I can’t wait to chill with you—with only you. It sounds like pure heaven.”

“How many days until it happens?”

“The board in my bedroom says seventy days.” Millie started her countdown calendar a year before they were scheduled to move. Three hundred and sixty-five days had slowly—excruciatingly so for Millie—become seventy. She couldn’t believe they only had a little over two months until it happened.

“I can’t wait until it gets here.” Mack kissed her forehead before he helped her back on her board. “Are you done surfing? I’m starving. Maybe we can go to that new burger place.”

“Ooh. Yeah. And it’s right next to the ice cream shop. Let’s go there for dessert. Their strawberry ice cream is amazing,” Millie said as she started lining up her board. “That’s my favorite flavor.”

“I know it is, sweetie,” Mack said, smiling as he got back on his own board. “It’s all you’ve eaten since you were a baby.”

He sighed as she paddled into her last wave of the day. Sometimes his heart physically ached when he watched her. This was one of those times. He would do anything to keep her safe and happy. He couldn’t believe the time was coming where they would get to see each other every day. He waited sixteen years for this day to arrive, and it was almost here.

Now if I can just get through the next few months without getting killed, he thought as he popped up on his board and rode the next wave into shore.

---