Page 75 of Dreaming About Forever

Jordan looked at Alicia. Getting to know her had been the most exciting time of his life. He loved being with her more than he wanted his job with the Marines back, more than he wanted his missing limb, more than he wanted to keep the job he loved.

“It’ll last.”

“You sound certain,” Nathan said.

“Because I am. I won’t sign the contract. I’ll call Hawthorne and explain it to him myself.”

Nathan sighed. “You were the perfect man for that job.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“You’re sure about this?” Nathan asked.

Jordan sat up straighter as a wave of peace washed over him. He was doing the right thing. They were doing the right thing. They didn’t have all the pieces put together yet, but Lillian was already working on getting him moved into the tour team.

“I am.”

“You want to resign?”

“If you’ll let me. I’d rather not have a black mark on my resume.”

Nathan huffed again. “Man, I hate this. I don’t want to lose you. You’ve been my number-one for years.”

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. This job has been great. You put me back on my feet after–”

“Despite this plot twist, you’ll always have a recommendation from me.”

“Thanks, man.” Jordan gripped Alicia’s leg. “What’s the status of the rest of Alicia’s contract?”

“I could send someone out to finish your contract, but I’ll have to move some things around. I’ll have to call Alicia’s team and explain the situation.”

Jordan sucked air in through his teeth. “You’re gonna hate this.”

“You didn’t. Jordan, you did not tell them first.”

“I didn’t, but Alicia did.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“If it makes things any better, Lillian isn’t upset about it.”

“She’s a major industry rep. She’s never going to recommend Field Inc. again.”

“Lillian knows I’ve put Alicia’s safety first. My feelings for her don’t change my duty.”

In fact, he’d been hyper-vigilant with Alicia from the beginning. His responsibility to his clients had never been compromised. He believed those people deserved the bodily protection they paid for, but his need to ensure Alicia’s safety was instinctual. Her well-being was one of his basic needs.

The clicking of keys on a keyboard came through Nathan’s side of the call. “Let me get in touch with Lillian. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Thanks for not kicking me out the door when this conversation first started,” Jordan said.

“I guess I forgot to say I’m happy for you. Alicia too. You deserve a good woman. I hope she treats you right.”

Jordan looked at Alicia. There was a humming in his bones that said he could trust her. Sure, there’d be mountains ahead of them, and he knew next to nothing about her lifestyle, but they’d weather all of it together. They’d already been over hours and hours of talks about how they could manage things going forward. A relationship in the public eye wasn’t going to be met with all cheers and well-wishes.

“Thanks.”

“Keep your hands to yourself in public.”

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