Page 32 of Too Dam Good

"Are you sure you can give all that up for me?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I've been diving and working on boats for close to ten years. I think it's time to take a turn on dry land. Especially when I have such a pretty lady back home."

I laugh and nestle into his embrace. "And maybe a family soon."

He holds me tighter. "You have no idea the thrill I get when you say that."

As the morning sun streams through the window, we lie in each other's arms, imagining a future together. A future that may include a child, but most importantly, a future that involves the two of us.

We'll make it work, no matter what.

Chapter twenty

Jake

Ifeellikeamillion bucks as I roll up to the worksite for the day, Johnny already parked and waiting for me with his gear beside him. I grin as I get out of the car, shaking his hand in a one-armed hug as usual.

"Well, you're chipper today," he laughs. "What the hell happened to you?"

I chuckle. "You'll never believe it...but I'm staying in Fern Hollow."

His brow shoots up and he gives me a quizzical look. "For real?"

"For real."

"Let me guess...a girl?"

I blow out a breath, practically sighing when I say her name. "Yeah. Sarah."

Johnny nods knowingly, a smirk on his face. "Ah, I see. That Sarah is something else, huh?"

I nod, unable to suppress a smile. "Yeah, she sure is. I can't get enough of her."

As we gear up and begin working, I can't help but think about Sarah. She's the reason I'm so damn happy these days. The way she moves, the sound of her laugh, the way she looks at me - it's all intoxicating. I know it's foolish to be so smitten with someone, but I can't help it. She's got me under her spell.

As the day wears on, I find myself lost in thoughts of her, barely paying attention to the job at hand. I'll need to lock down permanent employment...then, I'm buying her a ring. Or maybe I'll buy the ring first, because I can't fucking wait to make her my wife. After that, we need to get a house--to upgrade out of that little apartment, make room for our baby.

She seemed so excited this morning about the prospect of starting a family, even if she's a little scared. And I have no doubt she'll be a great mom--I've known it since I met her, since I saw her interacting with my cousins' kids.

She's gonna be a Hart, just like she's supposed to be.

Johnny's voice crackles in my helmet as I'm working on clearing debris from around the dam, down where it's a dark, mossy green. I'll need to start taking more precautions soon; this work gets dangerous once you clear enough out, but the dam is old and it'll still be a bit before it's too bad.

"Hey, man, you might want to get out of the water," he says. "Looks like there's a storm rolling in."

"I'll be right up," I reply. I'm grateful in that moment that I bought fancier gear; otherwise, he'd have just had to wait to let me know, if I only had a mask and mouthpiece. "Go ahead and tug on the line; I'll be up soon."

Johnny starts to pull on the line and I feel myself being pulled upward. When I catch sight of the surface, it becomes clear that the storm is coming faster than either of us could have anticipated; it wasn't even int he forecast, and now the sky is dark and raindrops dot the surface. The gloomy black expands beneath me, spookier than I'm used to.

I feel like something is wrong.

"Looking...bad..." Johnny's voice comes over the radio, crackling with interference. These summer storms can be unpredictable, but this is a whole other ballgame--and I've seen some bad storms over the years. My heart starts pounding, and I have this moment of realization.

I'mreallygoing to have to stop diving.

For Sarah.

Because if I got hurt...if Idied--I would leave her behind.

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