Page 41 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

I struggled not to laugh at the tone of his voice. “I promise.”

“You don’t stop for anyone along the highway. I don’t care what the circumstances are. I don’t care if you see little kittens and puppies crying for help. You do not stop.”

“Jackson. I promise. It’s going to be broad daylight.”

I got a long-winded sigh from his end. “Take this serious, Emily.”

“I’m taking this seriously.”

CHAPTER 14

On Friday at 4 PM,I rolled up to the gates of the military base. I had texted Jackson my estimated time of arrival, but it shocked me to see him sitting on the tailgate of his truck waiting for me.

He wore army boots, grey and white military fatigue pants and a grey t-shirt. He also wore some sort of body armor vest and a baseball hat. My heart tripped in my chest. He had more facial hair than I remembered and when he stood up, he looked absolutely massive.

My hands shook as I put my car in park. I did not remember him being this big. Chloe howled with excitement beside me. I opened the passenger door so that she could greet him. I watched as she ran and leaped into his arms. She squirmed and licked him. I saw that familiar smile break across his face and just like that my heart squeezed a bit tighter. If only my reunion with him was as easy. I closed my eyes and took a calming breath.

I got out of the car slowly, feeling self-conscious as he watched with interest as I walked towards him. He set Chloe down who immediately wandered off to explore. It was positively unnerving how good looking he was. I had practiced what I would say to him,but all those witty little conversations completely evaporated beneath his intense scrutiny of me.

“You look bigger than I remember,” I blurted out.

“I tend to bulk up a bit when we’re in training.”

“Oh,” I looked down and pushed a bit of gravel around with the toe of my sneaker.

“How was your drive?”

“It was good.” I looked back up at him.

We studied each other. He seemed tougher, harder to read. We felt like two strangers. Was I married to this man? Away from New York and the loft he seemed so different than I remembered.

“Your boxes arrived.”

“Oh,” I chewed on my lip. “Okay.”

His glance dropped to my stomach. “How’s Alien?”

“Normal. Still inside of me.”

A smile traced on his perfect lips. “Ready for this?”

“Yes.”

“Follow me.”

I followedJackson’s truck through a fenced gate that reminded me of a border patrol. There were real soldiers with real machine guns. It took over an hour to get my special military ID. I would need that ID to get on and off the base, to buy groceries and to see the doctor.

I slowly followed Jackson’s truck through what appeared to be a small functioning town. I had never been on a military base before. The main street looked quiet and almost deserted. We traveled through a few streets, and then Jackson pulled up in front of a small two-story, boxy white house with a red door and black shutters. It had a huge tree in the front yard. The street looked like an ordinary suburban street.

Clutching my jasmine plant in a death grip, I followed Jacksonup to the house. Jackson unlocked the door, and the three of us wandered in to look around.

The house wasempty except for my shipped boxes which were stacked high in the hallway. On the left was a small sitting area that extended to a dining room. Straight ahead, was a large kitchen that was stark white. There was an area for a kitchen table. Just off the kitchen was a family room that had windows that overlooked the backyard. The back door led to a sizable plain deck and a massive backyard. Just off the kitchen was a small laundry room closet without a washer and dryer.

Jackson and Chloe stepped outside to explore the backyard. Curiosity drove me upstairs. There were two bedrooms. The master bedroom had a small walk-in closet and a full bath. The hallway had a second bathroom. The place felt different than the loft. This house had a distinct suburban vibe.

I heard the back door slam and then my name, “Emily?”

“Upstairs.” I walked out of the bedroom and looked down.

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