Page 37 of The Last Bachelor Dragon

“How long do we have?” he asked, reaching for the computer. “We need to implement the evacuation protocol right away. The staff knows what to do.”

“It’s already done. Mateo made the call a few hours ago,” Harrison said, handing over the computer. Max, it’s going to hit and hit hard. We’ve got about eighteen hours to shut the island down and get everyone off.”

He’d known that this day would come but had hoped that there would be a few more years before they had to face a storm of this size. Watching the radar, his heart ached when he thought about the damage the storm would do, but he took a deep breath, reminding himself that he could mourn later. It was more important to get everyone off the island safely.

“Well, I think my recovery time is over,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do before the storm hits.”

“Are you sure that you’re ready?” Nora asked, her face full of concern. “Maybe we should ask the doctor what she thinks.”

“I’m fine, sweetheart, I promise,” he said, ignoring the little twitch in his side when he got out of bed. “I have a responsibility to the guests and the staff. I can’t stay in bed and let everyone else handle this, I have to get up.”

“Just promise me that you’ll be careful,” Nora said. “And no breaking your promise this time.”

Just then, the doctor came back in. “I almost forgot,” she said, handing Nora a sheet of paper with a little smile on her face. Here are the results from the test we ran.”

He sent Nora a questioning look, saw the blush on her cheeks, and turned to Harrison. “I’ll meet you in the conference room,” he said. “We should use that as our headquarters.”

Harrison looked between the two of them and a smile spread across his face. “Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll give you two some privacy,” he said, grabbing the computer. “Congratulations.”

When he was gone, he walked over to Nora. “Well, what does it say?” he asked, smiling down at her. “Are we pregnant?”

She thrust the paper at him. “I can’t look,” she said. “I’m too nervous.”

He unfolded it, read the few words on the page, and then looked down at Nora. “It looks like we’re going to be parents,” he said, then crushed her to him. “I love you, Nora.”

“I love you too,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe it’s true. I’ve already been given so much.”

***Nora***

Nora stood at the end of the dock, her feet plantedagainst the wind, rain managing to find its way under her rain slicker, and helped the last staff member into the boat. “We’ll see you when this is all over,” she yelled over the storm. “Be careful, and let us know when you’re safe.”

She waved the boat away, relieved that the island was almost empty. Exhaustion pulled at her, but she took a deep breath and waved the next boat over. Much bigger than the last one, it took all her limited skill to get it tied down to the dock, and her shoulders ached from the effort. Looking back up the dock, she signaled to Max, who was waiting with the other couples in the shelter of the Marina office. He came out first, leading the other couples, and she smiled as she watched them all approach, the feeling of connection warming her from the inside out.

Max reached her first and put his arm around her. “You’re doing great,” he said. “We’re almost done, hang in there.”

She was more than ready to get on a boat and run from the storm, but first, she wanted to make sure her friends were safe. “We’ve got this,” she said, smiling up at him. “We’re going to beat the storm.”

They helped everyone load up as the wind began to howl and the storm intensified. Sheets of rain pelted them as the couples disappeared into the cabin of the boat. When they were all safe, Max helped her on board and untied the line from the dock. Then, he turned to look back at the island, a worried look on his face. Shaking his head, he turned back to the boat just as a huge gust of wind came howling in from the sea, catching the boat and dragging it away from the dock.

The line slipped through Max’s hand, and he stood watching her as they floated away. “Go back,” she screamed to the captain. We’re not leaving him behind.”

The captain tried three time to get back over to the dock,then shook his head. “It can’t be done,” he shouted. “The wind is too strong.”

“Go on without me,” Max yelled. “I’ll be okay. I’ll find somewhere safe to ride out the storm.”

She considered it for only a second, then shook her head. “Try again,” she shouted. “We’re not leaving him behind.”

The captain managed to get the boat a few feet from the dock, but a gust of wind hit, and she felt the boat pulling away again. Without thinking, she jumped onto the swim platform and launched herself at the dock, landing with a thud on the wet boards right in front of Max. Anger flashed in his eyes, then he grabbed her, hauled her to her feet, and pulled her up the dock as the boat’s engine roared to life.

“What were you thinking?” he screamed at her. “Now we’re both stuck on the island.”

“Last time we were separated, you got shot and you almost died,” she yelled back at him. “I wasn’t taking that risk again, you stupid man.”

“Stubborn woman,” he shot back. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said, smiling at him as the rain poured down on them. “We should find some shelter.”

They ran back to the village, then paused, trying to decide where to go. Then a flash in the trees caught their attention. When the bright light appeared again, Max grabbed her hand and pulled her toward it. The flash in the trees moved as they approached it and soon they were following a trail into the jungle, fighting the storm every step of the way. Keeping her head down, she put one foot in front of the other, counting her steps to keep herself distracted from the falling branches and leaves whipping through the air.

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