Forever Love on Fireweed Island (Island County Book 4) (23 page)

“Have fun, you two.” Mrs. Coleville wiggled her fingers at me, and I smiled as we headed out the door.

Jake shut it softly behind us, and I hopped into his arms.

“I missed you far too much for my own good,” I whispered.

He kissed me sweetly, and my entire body instantly responded. Something told me this getaway was going to be nothing short of spectacular, and the sooner we got there, the better.

I ran my fingers down his chest and drew back. “Should we get going to the ferry?”

His eyes fastened on mine, and his smile deepened.

“I’ve actually got a surprise.”

“What’s that?” I asked in a somewhat euphoric state.

“We’re not taking the ferry.”

Well, that didn’t last long.

“How else are we getting there?” I asked nervously. “There’s not a bridge.”

“You’ll see. Let’s go grab your bag.”

I stood still and stared at him. “Why do I feel like you have something up your sleeve?”

“It’s not like I don’t have to compete against this perfect stranger or anything.”

“I’m pretty sure you’d win,” I assured him. “Now, let’s just head to the ferry and—”

“Pretty sure?” he teased. “You’ve done it now.”

“Done what?”

“You’ll see.” He smiled and pulled me off Mrs. Coleville’s stoop.

“Tell me, or I’m not moving.” I stopped walking and flashed a wicked smile.

“This will be more fun for me than you,” he growled, picking me up and nearly tossing me over his shoulder.

“Put me down.” I smacked his shoulder and realized it would take more than that to make a dent. “Put me down right now.”

I kicked my heels back and forth as he continued ignoring me, marched me over to his car, and set me down.

“Get in and I’ll go grab your bag. Where’s it at?”

I folded my arms and stayed silent, all while trying not to laugh. A thrilling undercurrent was running between us, and I really didn’t want it to end.

“Well, I’ve already found a bra in a bookshelf, so it can’t get much worse than that. If you’re not going to tell me where your bag is—”

“In the dining room.” I opened the passenger door and slid into his comfortable car.

I had absolutely no idea what he was up to, but something told me it was something I would never forget.

He jogged toward the car with my bag in his hand. He tossed it into the back seat and we took off.

“We’re going in the opposite direction of the ferries.”

“Very astute of you.” He laughed. “Might have something to do with us not taking one over there. I just don’t feel like the hassle of it all. I mean, do you?” He glanced sideways at me, and my stomach turned into a fiery ball of excited nerves. I was excited and terrified at the same time.

“It seems like we’re headed to your house.”

“Yep.”

“So how can we get to Hound Island from your house?” I tapped my fingers nervously against my knee.

“Only time will tell, but there’s no turning back.”

“Who says?” I asked.

“Me. That’s got to count for something.”

“I suppose.”

“Once we get to my house, I’ll put the blindfold on and—”

“Whoa, buddy. I don’t know what you have planned, but it certainly doesn’t need a blindfold.”

“You’re right. Most people wouldn’t require a blindfold, but you’re not most people.”

I watched woodlands trade out for the sea grass and knew we were getting close to his estate. My heart rate was running wild, and so were my thoughts. Anything I imagined terrified me, and I had absolutely no idea what to do about it. He seemed so excited.

“So what in the world made you think we couldn’t do a ferry?”

“I try to avoid lines as often as possible.”

“And you’re sure this is safe?” I asked.

“As safe as anything, but honestly, I can’t let BlznNerd—”

“Bookie,” I corrected.

“Bookie, Nookie, whatever.” He grinned. “I can’t let him fill your head with dreams that you’ll never act on.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what that has to do with getting to Hound Island,” I muttered, worry pummeling through my veins.

The fence for Jake’s estate came into view, and he pressed a button. I watched the gate slide open, and as we drove through, it felt like gravity no longer existed in my little micro-cosmos. I was certain whatever he was about to show me had nothing to do with water and everything to do with air. I took in a shaky breath and slowly let it out as he pulled his car into the garage.

“You’re going to do spectacular.” He opened the glove box and pulled out a black satin blindfold.

“Are you serious?” I asked, suddenly getting extremely turned on, which confused me and the situation even more than I imagined.

“That’s an interesting look.” He laughed, dangling it from his fingertips.

“Maybe we can use this later?”

Jake let out a low grumble, and I nearly became unhinged, but I knew we had places to be.

So I took in a deep breath and snapped it away from him and hopped out of the car. He grabbed my bag and followed me out of the garage, beaming, and I realized he was actually enjoying this little shuffle.

“What will I get in return for putting this on?” I dangled the black satin in front of me.

“What would you like?” he asked, his voice low as he slid his arms around my waist.

“A repeat of Forgotten Cove.”

His blue eyes darkened, boring into mine, and I suddenly wondered if we’d ever make it off Fireweed.

“I think we can make that happen,” he murmured.

The way he spoke to me—the way he looked at me—gave me a sensation like I was falling without a safety net to catch me, and for the first time in my life, I was okay with that sense of endless freefall.

“You ready?”

I nodded, taking in a deep breath.

He wrapped his hand in mine, and we began walking toward the pastures.

“Are we getting there by alpaca?” I asked, only somewhat kidding.

“Now, that would be adventure.” He laughed.

When we got to the first barn, he stopped me, his eyes falling to my mouth, and I hoped for a kiss. But instead, he held out his hand.

“It’s time for the blindfold.” His breath skittered across the top of my head, and my entire body prickled from the sensation.

“Here you go,” I said breathily.

His expression turned serious—or as serious as a person could be who was blindfolding someone next to a barn full of llamas—and he kissed the top of my bare forehead that was peeking out from the satin.

“Don’t be skittish,” Jake whispered, guiding me forward. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Promise?” I whispered, feeling his fingers digging into my hip as he walked me forward and around several obstacles.

“With my life.”

A shiver ran through me just as we stopped walking, and I realized I’d stopped breathing along the way.

Jake set my bag somewhere and dug his hands into either side of my hips and rotated me slightly.

“Can I take this off now?”

“No,” he said coolly, walking me forward.

“Leg up,” he directed, and the next thing I knew, he was helping into a tiny capsule of some sort.

My hands glided along leather seats, but beyond that, I had no idea where I was.

“Can I take this off now?” I asked as he reached over and began harnessing me in.

“One more second.” His voice was low, and then I heard a door shut before hearing him from the other direction.

“I want this to be the most spectacular adventure of your life. My hope is that no matter what happens in the future, you’ll be able to look back at this and remember how beautiful facing your fears can be.”

My fingers trembled with a mixture of fear and excitement as he slid the blindfold off, revealing a tiny cockpit.

“You’re a helicopter pilot?” I whispered.

He nodded, and my entire body tensed. I looked down at my harness and back at his fingers as he began flipping switches and pushing buttons. Lights began blinking and gauges told him things only he understood.

“I can’t,” I breathed, closing my eyes.

“You can, and you will.” His voice was kind yet stern, but I kept my eyes shut. “Put these on.”

Since my eyes were closed, I didn’t know what
these
were, so I slowly opened one eye to see a headset in front of me.

“Got ‘em?” he asked.

I nodded and slid the headset over my ears.

“Hear me?” His voice drilled directly into my ears, and I nodded, silently praying I wouldn’t die of a heart attack on what had been promising to be a wonderful getaway.

The sound of the rotor blades above drowned out the momentary silence and calm I’d started to feel as Jake continued pressing buttons. I couldn’t do this with my eyes open. There was no way. I turned my head to look out the tiny window and bid farewell to the solid ground I never wanted to leave.

Jake began talking to the nearest control tower using lingo that only meant something to them. With my eyes shut, I kept my breathing steady and pretended I was anywhere but a helicopter.

“You might not want to miss this.” Jake’s confident voice came over loud and clear, and I knew he was right. I didn’t want to regret missing my first and last helicopter ride, because I was certainly not riding back in this thing.

I blinked my eyes open as Jake began lifting us off the ground. My palms were as slick as an ice rink as I peered below, watching everything in view become tiny game pieces of life.

I wanted to speak. I wanted to ask him questions, but no words would come out as I stared below.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

I nodded and then realized I didn’t want him looking over at me for an answer. “Yes.”

The sparkling water glittered in the sunlight as we glided through the sky, and I was in complete awe at the beauty.

Several islands dotted the blanket of blue below, displaying a mesmerizing quilt of blues, greens, and greys.

“This makes a person believe in the wonders of this universe.” I touched the cool glass and continued to peer out the window.

“It’s nothing I ever take for granted.”

I looked over at Jake as he stayed focused and alert to what the various gauges told him. There had to be at least ten dials or gauges and tiny lights. I decided it was best if I stopped looking at them and looked behind me to see another row of seats.

“How long have you been flying?” I asked.

“Longer than I was supposed to.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, glancing at him sideways. His rather angular features looked even more defined as he studied the dashboard. Seeing him in this much control made it hard to concentrate on the beauty surrounding us. I couldn’t wait until we landed and I could show him my appreciation for getting us there safely.

“You have a goofy look on your face,” Jake said, flashing a grin.

“You’re not supposed to be paying any attention to me, and no, I don’t.”

His laughter came through the headset, and my entire body warmed. There was just this protective way about him, and it was something I’d never experienced once I reached adulthood. I never felt like I could trust someone so wholly, but with Jake, everything was different.

“I started flying with my dad,” Jake answered my earlier question. “After he died, flying was one of the places I could find solace.”

“I can see why.” I was shocked at how at ease I’d already become in the sky with nothing more than a few blades whipping around overhead. My shoulders no longer felt knotted and tense, and my spine was no longer as stiff as a popsicle stick. I might even be able to get used to this. “I’ve never seen so much beauty in one place.”

“The northwest is a pretty spectacular place.”

“It is.”

“Hound Island is coming up.”

“Already?” An enormous wave of disappointment spread through me. I wasn’t ready for this to be over. I wanted to explore more.

“Already.” Jake laughed. “But I actually have a surprise planned.”

“I don’t know how many more I can handle in a day.”

“You’ll love this one.”

I nodded and looked over at Jake as our eyes connected, and I knew I was falling hard for my rescuer.

“So can you land anywhere you want?” I asked.

“There are a lot of rules and variables, but basically, if it’s on private property that’s rather secluded, and I have permission, yes.”

“So this is why nobody sees you in the ferry lines.”

His smile spread and he nodded. “This would be the reason.”

“You know, you’re not nearly as scary as the town made you out to be.”

“All that matters is that you think that.”

“And here is Hound Island.”

The jagged cliffs made way for vast, pebbly beaches the farther north we flew. My mind was on overload at the sheer beauty of the land. Hot pink fireweed, white and yellow daisies, and purple thistle dotted the pastures in between the heavily wooded forests.

“It looks like the thistle is going crazy down there,” he told me, moving us down closer and making my entire world spin out of control.

“All the purple?” I barely squeaked out.

“Yep.” He took us back up, and I felt like I was walking a tightrope, but I didn’t want to get off.

“Welcome to the Purple Farm,” Jake said, pride filling each syllable.

I flashed my gaze ahead, and my heart nearly stopped as my mind tried to reconcile the most gorgeous sight I’d ever seen. Brilliant shades of purple and lavender were spread across the entire tip of the island. The more I tried to take in, the smaller my comprehension. Patterns of blues and purples etched into the earth and created a quilt-like design.

“I’m in heaven,” I whispered, looking below as we flew out to sea.

“Coming from this direction is pretty breathtaking too.”

We turned around, and I was literally speechless as the cliffs ahead framed the purples and blues in every direction.

“I hope this makes everything worth it.”

“More than you’ll ever know,” I whispered as Jake hovered on the tip of the island, where I could take in the beauty of trying something new, and I realized my life would never be the same.