“Where is all this coming from?”
With a smile on his face, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little box before dropping down on one knee in the middle of the kitchen.
“Carly Rae Mills, you are without a doubt, the most hard-headed, maddening woman I’ve ever met in my entire life. But you also have the biggest heart and you’re more resilient than anyone else I’ve ever met. Your strength amazes me, baby, and I’m in awe of you. I fell head over heels in love with you with just one look. I knew in that moment, even if I couldn’t admit it to myself at first, you were made for me. You’ve never made it easy, but I only love you more for it. Princess, I’ve spent the last three months building your dream for you in the hopes that you’ll make my dream come true, too. Will you marry me?”
Tears well up in my eyes as I stare down at him. “Well, how could I say no to a proposal like that?”
“That’s not a yes.”
I smile. “It’s not a no either.”
“For once in your life, woman, stop being so stubborn and just say yes.”
I walk over to him and as I stop, I hold out my left hand. “Yes, Chance. I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Every Breath You Take
Bayou Devils MC
Book Three
Prologue
Lincoln
“Just perfect,” I sneer, crossing my arms over my chest as I lean back in my chair and glare out of the picture window. Dark, ominous clouds peek over the snow-capped mountains on the outskirts of town and the air carries a hint of rain but that’s just the cherry on top of this shitty day. When I woke up this morning, I had a plan and it certainly didn’t include sitting in the office of my parents’ charter plane business and fielding customer calls while Dad ran supplies out to one of the remote villages. I know Mom was up with Nora and Rowan all night long as they projectile vomited all over the house but I don’t why that has to fuck with my day.
My girlfriend, Megan, called last night and asked if I wanted to take her dad’s boat out since he was going out of town today. I was totally down for that and even planned a little picnic for us in the hopes that today just might be the day I finally get past second base with her but that’s never going to happen with the summer storm quickly approaching town. Then again, I could always grab a couple scary movies and popcorn and show up on her doorstep. With her dad out of town, we’ll have the house to ourselves and no matter how brave she tries to be, she’ll be in my lap before the thirty-minute mark. It’s not as romantic as I planned but I could still make it work.
Smirking, I spin in my chair to face the desk and reach for the office phone just as it rings. With a sigh, I scoop it up and press it to my ear.
“JP Charters, this is Lincoln. How can I help you?”
“Yeah, I was just wonderin’ how much y’all charge for a sightseeing tour?” a man with a thick southern accent asks and I roll my eyes as I spin to face the list of our rates on the wall. Normally, I don’t mind working with my parents since Dad usually lets me help him with the planes but dealing with customers is the one thing I hate. Tourist season here in Ketchikan, Alaska, makes me want to claw my damn eyes out. Every time a cruise ship docks, my otherwise quiet town is overrun with people who ever never stepped foot out of the city and don’t understand some basic truths about this area of the country. If I had a nickel for every idiot who thought it was a great idea to pet a wild animal, my parents could retire.
“How long were you thinking?”
“Well, shit, I don’t know. How long can we get?”
“We’ve got a couple Cessnas that can go for about two hours before needing to refuel but you can book it for as long as you’d like.”
He sighs and I spin back around to stare out the window as I wait for his response, a headache brewing. Thank God, I’m not down at the docks today. Whenever I get in trouble, that’s my go-to punishment because I hate standing there, waving our sign around as people disembark. On those days, when I have to interact with customers face-to-face, it’s hard to keep my irritation in check.
“My wife really wants to see some animals. How long you figure that would take?”
I shake my head and scrub my hand over my face. It’s always the same fucking story. I’ve been hiking in the woods around Ketchikan since the moment I learned to walk and I know it like the back of my hand but any native Alaskan will tell you there’s no way to one hundred percent predict where the animals will be on any given day. But does that stop people from asking us to take their party right to them or demanding a refund when we can’t? No, it doesn’t. It got so bad that Dad had to put a warning on all our promotional stuff saying that we couldn’t guarantee anything.
“This isn’t a zoo, Sir. These are wild animals and we can’t just make them appear.”
“Sure, but you know about where they’re at, right? We want to see some bears.”
Of course.
“If you want to see bears, your best bet would be to go up to Neets Point.”
“Okay, that sounds good. Let’s do that. Y’all free tomorrow?”
I shake my head, glancing down at the schedule in front of me despite the fact that I couldn’t take him to Neets Point even if we were available.
“No, Sir. To get to Neets Point, you need a boat or a floatplane. We have neither of those.”
“I see. Well, do you know where I could find one?”
Nodding, I lean back in the chair and rattle off a couple of our competitors that I know could help him before hanging up and letting out a heavy sigh. I check my watch and glance out the window, scanning the sky. Dad should be back soon and I’m getting anxious to see Megan. Just as I reach for the phone to call her, the radio behind me squawks and I flick a glance over my shoulder.
“Linc?” Dad’s voice crackles through the speakers and I push out of the chair, unhooking the microphone as I hold it close to my lips and press the button.
“Hey, Dad. You about home? You’re never going to believe the phone call I just got from a customer.”
“Lincoln,” he says again and the pain in his voice catches my attention as my heart rate quickens.
Something’s not right, a voice in my head screams and my hand shakes as I press the button again.
“You okay, Dad?”
Please say yes.
Please say yes.
Please say yes.
“Not exactly, kid,” his voice echoes through the office and I suck in a breath, a roaring sound filling my ears. “The plane went down.”
I collapse back into my chair, my mind recalling every image I’ve ever seen of a small plane crash as I stare out of the window like somehow, I might catch him landing on the runway instead of trapped in a mangled metal box.
“What do you mean it went down?” I whisper, holding the microphone close to my lips. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure. I had just come over the mountain when all the gauges started going crazy and I couldn’t stop it. She went down hard.”
I run through the mechanics of the plane in my mind, trying to figure out what could have possibly failed but it’s impossible to think with my heart hammering in my chest and each breath punching out of my chest. Looking down at the microphone in my hand, I realize I need to get him some help. Nodding, I turn toward the desk and grab a pen.