Chapter Two
In-flight internet had been a bad idea.
All Holden had wanted to do was check his email, see if there were any updates from his commanding officers, and glance—just glance—at Facebook. He should have known that wouldn’t be possible, though. Not when he had nosy brothers he hadn’t had enough common sense to block.
The second he signed on, his eldest brother shot him a message:
Tom Morris: Flight land?
It was innocent enough. That, too, should have been a clue, Holden thought, but instead he foolishly replied:
Holden Morris: Not yet. This airline has internet. Just checking my stuff.
Tom Morris: Nice. Mom says she’s worried about you. And that God never meant for humans to travel by air.
Holden Morris: Because if he did, he would have given them wings. Right, I know.
His mother had been saying the same thing for years now, though she conveniently never seemed to mention it in front of his other brother, Max, who was a fighter pilot. Or, for that matter, any time one of her sons was about to fly halfway across the world to fight in a war. Nor did the wars themselves seem to bother her all that much.
It was only, in fact, when Holden was on his way to see Avery that her sudden aversion to flight reared its ugly head. That little tidbit, he was sure, wasn’t lost on anyone in the family—least of all Holden.
Holden Morris: Tell her I’ll be fine. I’ve been in tighter situations than sitting leisurely on a plane while hurtling through the air.
Tom Morris: Lol, will do. Speaking of which, Dad mentioned you were thinking about another tour.
Holden clenched his jaw.
Holden Morris: No doubt he was practically drooling about the idea.
Tom Morris: You know him.
Holden Morris: Hoo-rah.
Tom Morris: Exactly. But I know both of you, and I have to say—don’t you think you ought to wait a little while? Your tours have been short so far, and that’s been great. But what if you get stuck over there for a long stretch?
Holden Morris: So what? I don’t have a wife or kids. It’s the perfect time to work on my career. Another tour comes with another promotion. Better pay. I have a plan.
It was true. Right before he’d boarded the flight to head back stateside, he’d sat down and looked long and hard at his life. He was nearly thirty now, and it was time to put some things in order—what he wanted, what his parents wanted, what Avery wanted.
Too bad none of those things lined up.
So, sitting in an airport terminal, he’d pulled out his laptop, cleared his mind, and thought about what he wanted in the next ten years. He’d even set an image of the list as his background picture, just for quick reference.
The Ten-Year Plan:
1. Marry someone I love.
A simple, straightforward goal that would have been easy enough to commit to, if it weren’t for one fact—he’d only ever been interested in one woman, and that woman happened to be Avery Forrester, the world’s most elusive bachelorette.
2. Have a child or two.
The idea of Avery having a child was…well, terrifying to be perfectly honest. Between her photography career and his military pay, nannies and cooks were definitely not an option, either.
3. Go on two more tours.
Avery was always silent about this. His parents, less so. The more tours he did, the better his chances were of getting more promotions and ultimately becoming the senator or Pentagon official they’d always dreamed he’d become. It wasn’t a bad dream, either. It was stable, dependable work that mattered. And in the end? That was all he really wanted to do.
4. Retire from the military.
This would make everyone happy. Avery would see him. He’d move up in his career just like his father had. And Holden? He wasn’t sure how that might feel. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, either.
Shaking his head, Holden pulled up Avery’s social media profile page as he considered his list again. He hadn’t technically told Avery about his plan, least of all her involvement in it. Their arrangement had been established so neither of them had to commit, after all. But after so many years, the terms of their agreement had to change—God knew everything else had.
He wasn’t in college, studying to be an officer anymore. She wasn’t traveling the world, taking photos of far-off countries and selling them to low-rate travel journals anymore, either. They were both professional adults, and their arrangement ought to reflect that, too.
But growing up and facing commitment? That had never been Avery’s strong suit.
He scrolled down the page to see the posts she’d made this month. Just like Avery herself, they were erratic and memorable. In a photo posted the week before, she was posing beside a police officer with his hat on her head and her tongue sticking out for the camera. In another, she and her friend Myla were laying on the beach at sunset, both with cocktails in their hands. Then, in a third photo, she was side-by-side with a tall, muscular man, and she was on her tiptoes, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Holden swallowed. This, too, wasn’t so unusual for Avery’s feed. Her Instagram and Snapchat were regularly filled with the flavor-of-the-week guys she kept around. After the latest post—complete with her wearing a fireman’s hat—he’d chosen to unfollow her altogether.
Tightening his jaw, he clicked to the next post. Her last update was from two days ago—a photo of the cat he’d gotten for her on his last visit. He smiled at the little gray ball of fluff, remembering how much its green eyes had reminded him of Avery’s when he’d first seen it. And then his smile broadened as he remembered Avery’s reaction when he’d brought the cat back to her apartment.
“A cat?” She blinked, then moved toward the carrier. It hissed at her, and she took a step back.
Holden nodded. “I rescued him. At the shelter, they said he was found in an alley outside a shoe store. Seemed like the perfect pet for you.”
“Because he’s a stray?” She smiled, her full lips tilting thoughtfully.
“No, because he’s a tough nut to crack. But if you give him some space…” Holden opened the carrier, and the cat stalked out, walking a little figure eight around Avery’s ankles before finally rubbing his cheek against her foot and then rolling over to show her his belly.
“He’s just a little softy,” Holden finished, and he watched as she leaned down to rub the cat’s stomach.
There was a long silence as she petted the cat, considering him. “What should I call him?”
“Up to you,” Holden answered.
“Hmm…” She scratched behind the animal’s ears. “He looks like a Rodrigo.”
“Rodrigo it is.”
Ever since then, she and Rodrigo had been inseparable. When she sent letters to him while he was away on tour, she even occasionally enclosed photos of the cat. It was the only thing he’d ever seen her look at that way—with full, warm softness behind her eyes. With love. With vulnerability.
He didn’t know how many times he’d thought of that moment. Maybe a thousand. Even with all the times he’d had her naked in his arms, even with all the times he’d felt her lips—and more—against his skin, there was something about that moment that always stuck with him. That made him wish he’d taken her in his arms and forced her to promise she’d stay with him. Then at least he wouldn’t have spent his nights wondering what he’d do when he saw her again, and when exactly that might be.
His computer pinged and the message screen blinked red until Holden finally clicked on it.
Tom Morris: Does Avery know about these plans?
Holden Morris: Not yet, but I’m not worried. I’ve thought everything out carefully.
Tom Morris: Well, whatever you’ve got planned, be prepared to make some alterations. I just got off the phone with Mom and she’s on the warpath.
Holden Morris: What about?
Tom Morris: She thinks you should have stayed in Maryland and had “that woman” come back home to see you. She’s threatening to go there and see you herself.
Holden Morris: She’s bluffing. You know how she gets.
Tom Morris: That I do.
Holden closed his computer and stared at the seat in front of him.
Right now, he didn’t have time to worry about his mother’s empty threats. The only thing on his mind was wooing Avery Forrester. Once he’d finished knocking down all the carefully constructed walls around her heart, he’d prove that he was the man for her. No more friends with benefits. No more relationship of convenience.
She was part of his plan, and he was going to make sure she knew it—commitment and all.