Page 13 of Sail Away
“Nope,” he said, looping his arm over his bride. “But I don’t have a choice anymore, now do I?”
“I guess not.” Darcie laughed. “I will enjoy watching you attempt this.” She patted Callie’s belly. “You do know my big brother dropped me on my head when I was a baby.”
“Everyone dropped you,” her mother said. “And your cousin Zane. It was a thing.”
“Right. That’s your excuse for why I turned out this way.”
“Those are your words. Not mine.” Her mother held out her arms and wiggled her fingers.
No matter what, Darcie would always be the baby of the family, and there was nothing she could do about it. She just wished everyone would stop treating her like she was incapable of making grown-up decisions.
“Hey, Mom. Dad. Happy anniversary.” No matter how the family dynamics played out, or the razzing she took, she would always click her heels together and remind herself that when push came to shove, these were her people. Whenever the world caught her off guard, her parents and siblings had her back.
No matter what.
Even when they disagreed with her and her life choices.
There was still no place like home.
“How’s my pumpkin?” Her father kissed her temple and hugged her close. “I hear you have to leave bright and early in the morning.”
“I hate to do this, but I won’t be staying the night. I’ve got to sleep on the charter tonight.” Total lie, and she wasn’t going to sleep onThe Weatherby. Nope. She was going to get a bottle of tequila and do a few shots before climbing into her bunk on her own vessel to pass out, and hopefully not dream about Reid.
“Do you have to?” Her mother lowered her chin and fluttered her lashes over those big blue eyes.
“Ma. That only works on Dad.” Troy laughed. “But I’ve got some bad news, too.”
“No.” Her mother raised her hand and cupped Troy’s cheek and gave it a good shake. “You have to leave tonight, too?”
Troy nodded. “Unfortunately. I have to be on a C-150 transport plane leaving for Germany at one in the morning. I’m lucky that I got to come at all. Duty calls. You know the drill.”
“We’re just glad you got to be here, son.” Her father clapped Troy on his shoulder. “We understand and we appreciate what you do for our great nation.”
Darcie resisted rolling her eyes. Both her brothers got a shit ton of respect, and they deserved it. One being a fighter pilot for the Navy, and the other being the chief of police for the Langley Police Department. They were noble professions, and she was honestly insanely proud of her older siblings. They inspired her every day to be a better person.
And her sister, Ziggy? Wow. She was a firecracker who didn’t take no for an answer and always got what she wanted. Darcie had always wanted to be more like her sister, but Ziggy had this big personality and always managed to be in the right place at the right time.
But Ziggy didn’t work in a man’s world, nor was she constantly looked at as if she didn’t cut the mustard.
It wasn’t that Darcie worried she wasn’t good enough. She knew she was good at her job and that she’d make a great captain. She had the skill set, the passion, and she knew more than half the yahoos who went into yachting in the first place. But she struggled because most of her efforts ended up washed out to sea because yachting was still a man’s world, and no one would take her seriously. And even if they did, she still felt like she had to prove herself to the point where it became a ridiculous game.
“We’re so blessed to have such great kids and soon to be our first grandbaby.” Her mother planted her hands right on Callie’s stomach. “I can’t wait to meet this little creature. And more importantly, I so look forward to watching Jag try to change a diaper.”
“You and me both,” Callie said. “I bought a toy baby for him to practice on.”
“Yeah. That’s not happening,” Jag said. “I’ll have you all know I plan on being the best dad ever.”
Darcie laughed. “I’m struggling with that concept.”
“Isn’t everyone?” her father said.
Life in the Bowie household had been filled with laughter, love, and a shit ton of teasing. No. More like harassing. Darcie had learned at a very young age that if she was going to survive in this family, she had to balance dishing it out and finding solace in her favorite hiding places when the energy level was at a category five.
She loved her family and wouldn’t give up the razzing for anything. She just wished she knew what to do with her life when her yachting journey came to an end. Being on the water had been all she ever dreamed about, but she didn’t want to be in the Navy. That wasn’t the right career. The military wouldn’t give her the proximity to the sea she craved. She could have ended up in a landlocked post, doing a job that had nothing to do with the water. She’d considered being a marine biologist for about five minutes in high school, but college wasn’t her cup of tea either.
Sitting still was something she hadn’t ever mastered.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, people.” Jag lifted his wine and took a long sip.
