Chapter Thirty

**Sargent**

“What’s that?” Maddox asks, pointing at the white bandage on my chest. “You okay?”

“New ink,” I reply, chewing on a piece of jerky.

“Can I see?”

I shake my head. “Needs to heal a bit first. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“Whatever.” He taps away on his phone and sighs. “Tempest is leaving early in the morning. Are you coming to see her off?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

He rolls his eyes. “Scared you’ll cry?”

“I’m over it,” I lie. I’m not over it. Not in the slightest. I can’t say goodbye because watching her go will destroy me.

“You love her,” Maddox states simply, grinning at me again. “I don’t know how you don’t know it, but you do.”

“I don’t love her, Maddox. Christ, she’s half my age.”

“Age is but a number when you got wicked chemistry.”

“Suddenly you want me and Tempest together?”

He smiles genuinely. “I want you both to be happy and you make each other happy. Who cares about anything else?”

“I don’t love her.”

“Prove it.”

“I will, by not seeing her off.”

“That’s just cruel.”

I shrug, wincing when my tattoo gives a sting of protest. “It doesn’t matter how either of us feel. We want completely different things.”

“So?”

“So?” I question his question with the same question.

“You love her, she loves you, everything else will fall into place.”

“You’re as naïve as she is.”

He laughs loudly. “Probably. What would you have done if she were pregnant?”

“I would have done the right thing and married her.”

He rolls his eyes again. “You’re an idiot and you’re missing out. She’s going to come back with another man on this trip and forget all about you. He’s going to be younger, better looking, more adventurous…”

“Maddox,” I warn, not needing the visuals of her with another man.

“But you’re over her so you don’t care.”

“She’s leaving in the morning, like you said. She can do as she pleases.”

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

“Because I want her to be fucking happy!” I yell, slamming my hand on the counter between us. “Enough, Maddox. She’s better off without me and you know it. We’re too different and those differences will drive her to fucking depression and resentment like your mother.”

“Whoa,” he murmurs and blinks at me, astounded I just said how I’m really feeling. “It’s not your fault Mom is the way she is. She’s a bitch, she was like that before you came along. As for Tempest being miserable? She already is. The only time I’ve ever seen her truly let herself be happy is with you. That day on the beach… I’ve never heard her laugh like that before. Never seen her smile like that. She thinks a life of unhappiness is her penance for her past.”

I hate that she feels that way and wonder why I never just asked her about her past. I guess I was worried if I brought it up it would bring her mood down. Tempest always seemed so at peace with me, so relaxed. I got the feeling she didn’t get that often so I let her have it.

“Drop it, Maddox.”

“Go to Africa with her. It’s only for two months. I can handle things here.”

“No.”

“Dad…”

“I said no. Let her find happiness with somebody that can keep it long term. I’m a fleeting love for her. A stepping stone. She deserves so much more.”

He blows out a breath and throws his hands up. “I tried. You’re being a fucking moron.” Then he leaves the room, slamming the door behind him.

I’m doing the right thing.

A few hours later, I peel back the bandage from my chest. My left peck to be exact and unveil the words that are a glistening black scrawl.

I weep at mine unworthiness, that dare not offer
What I desire to give, and much less take
What I shall die to want.

When Maddox sees it soon after he laughs once and snaps. “You don’t love her, Dad, really? Pretty sure that’s a specific line from The Tempest. Coincidence? Me thinks not.”

I don’t love her. He’s wrong.

I don’t love her because love isn’t a strong enough word.

Tempest
I became one of those flimsy teen girls last night when I checked my phone repeatedly. I couldn’t sleep. I need to accept the fact he isn’t coming to say goodbye.

The fact I’m leaving hasn’t hit me yet, not even slightly.

Maddox is here, looking around nervously on the tarmac below the private jet that will be dropping Cassius, myself, and the rest of the team off in Pointe-Noire. We’re going to be traveling in total for at least three days to get from LA to Central Africa. It’s around a twenty-five-hour flight with a couple of stops for fuel.

To say we’re dedicated would be an understatement.

I hug his waist and rest my head on his shoulder.

“He’s not coming, stop looking for him.”

I feel him shake his head and hear him sigh. “He’s an idiot, Pest. You can do better. I was wrong.”

“It is what it is.” I lean back so he can kiss my forehead and tears blur my eyes and his. “Look after yourself, stay out of trouble.”

“You too. I want weekly emails or I’m coming to look for you.” He hugs me again and we sway for a while. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll be back before you know it, sleeping in a spare room of your massive house, eating my way through your food.” I’m joking of course. When and if I come back, I’ll be an independent woman. Maybe I’ll even find a new love.

Anything is better than this gaping hole in my chest.

I’m not going to shut myself off from the world and the prospect of love because it hurts. I like the hurt because it comes after all of the happiness and the happiness is worth this. It really is. My time with Sargent was worth this.

“Time to board,” Cassius says and Maddox steps away from me to hug Cassius.

“Keep her safe.”

“I’ll do my best,” Cassius replies and winks at me.

“Back on the meal replacement bars. I don’t know how I’m going to cope without chocolate,” I mumble when one of the crew wanders past with a box full of silver packets ready to be distributed during the flight.

We’re all allocated a certain amount of food each for our bags so nobody can take more than they need.

“I’ll send you some when I can,” Maddox promises but we both know it won’t get there.

I take one last look around the busy airport as planes take off, people stand at the windows and other planes circle above waiting to land.

“I was expecting some kind of romantic ending,” I say and then start laughing. “I thought he’d come running for me at the last minute, we’d kiss and say one last cliché goodbye and that would be that.”

“I’ll give him a hard time for it later.”

“Don’t. He’s doing what’s easy for him. I can’t fault him for that.” I hug my friend again and squeeze as hard as I can. “I’m going to miss you both. Tell him… tell him I’m not sad. That I get it and… yeah, just tell him that.”

“I hate that he’s done this.”

“Don’t. I get it. He can’t say goodbye.” I back away and move to the narrow metal steps leading up to the plane. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You better be back for Christmas!” he snaps.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Weekly emails, Pest!”

“I’ll do my best,” I repeat, smiling sadly now.

“Stay safe.”

This time I whisper it, “I’ll do my best.” Then, with tears falling from my eyes, I head inside and find a seat before the rest of the team arrive and the plane begins to fill. I sit by the window, wiping under my eyes with a balled-up tissue. He didn’t even come to say goodbye.

**Sargent**
My heart breaks when I see her tears. She’s crying for me, of course she is. I don’t know how I ever doubted her love for me or ever let her go.

I keep my cap low and my head down as I make my way to the seat beside her. She doesn’t look up from the window until I’m sitting next to her and place my hand on hers.

Her questioning scowl becomes a smile of so much happiness and love.

I lace our fingers together, her warm hand heating me to my frosty heart.

“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, bringing her knuckles to my lips. “We have approximately three minutes until this plane leaves. Tell me right now you can’t forgive me and I’ll get off and you’ll never see me again. Tell me I still have a chance and I’ll come with you and show you every day how much I love you and love being with you.”

“There won’t be mattresses,” she sniffs, turning to face me.

“I know.”

“No home comforts, no coffee, no tea after the first few weeks. No internet, electric, chocolate.”

I smile softly. “Will there be you?”

“Yeah,” she replies, biting her lip. Her gorgeous eyes glitter with excitement. “There will be me.”

“And you’ll give me a do-over?”

Tears come with her laughter as she unbuckles her belt and wraps her arms around my neck. “I’ll give you a do-over.”

“Then I’m going wherever you are.”

When I kiss her she accepts it and returns it with equal passion. She tastes sweet and I wonder how I ever thought I could give this up.

“I’m making the selfish choice, Tempest. I’m keeping you even though it’s probably not the right thing to do.”

She shakes her head at me, looking amused. “I don’t care, we’ll take it one day at a time. Everything else can come as it comes.”

“Finally.” Cassius grins at us before taking the seat beside me. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

I grin and kiss her again.

“There’s a stipulation to this though, Tempest. After this trip we have to go on a vacation of my choosing, with a pool, and a beach and waiters.”

She laughs, throwing her head back with it. “Deal. One hundred percent that’s a deal.”

I kiss her again, swallowing her laughter as Cassius makes gagging noises beside me. That is until I kick him in the shin with the back of my heel.

“It’s time for safety speeches,” somebody calls from somewhere on the plane.

“The things we do for love,” I grumble, kissing her one last time. “If I die, it’s on you.”

“Not even funny, Sarge,” she replies, slapping my chest directly over the tattoo I’ll reveal to her later. For now, I’m going to sit back, relax, and enjoy these last few hours of electricity with Tempest. Soon it’ll be sleeping bags and tents.

Maddox: Miss you both already. Look after her, Dad.

Sargent: That goes without saying.

THE END