Page 110 of Rescuer
Mia gaped at her mom. “Since when did you become sassy?”
She enjoyed seeing this side to her.
Carol Turner smiled, a hint of sadness lurking in her eyes. Mia had told her about Blaine’s arrest. “I used to be very sassy. Until I married Blaine.”
Mia pushed back from her seat, walked over, and hugged her mom. “I’m glad you got it back. You deserve to be happy too.”
She used to just have Gus and Shannon. Now she had her mom, Jackson, and Dylan too. Her small circle continued to grow.
More than that, she had God on her side. The man she’d thought was her father had been cold and unapproachable. Thanks to Jackson, she now knew that she had a heavenly Father who loved her infinitely.
Life was good.
Twenty-Four
Six weeks later
Dylan
Doctor says I can stop wearing a sling
Jackson grinned at the text from Dylan. His brother was a trooper, but six weeks in a sling had tested his patience.
Jackson
Great news! Still up for camping?
He worried about that one. He and Dylan had decided to go camping to exorcise the bad memories by making some new good ones. It had sounded great when they’d talked about it. Now that they were doing it, he worried Dylan might have some misgivings.
Dylan
STOP with the mother hen act. You worry too much. It’s all good.
He chuckled. He and Dylan had a new understanding. If something bothered them, they would talk about it.
Jackson read down his list and checked off each item.
Clothes. Extra socks. Toiletries. Snacks. Flashlight…By the time he’d made the list, it’d had over twenty items on it. He’d never realized how much gear he took for a two-day camping trip. But he wanted to make sure he had everything he needed.
He laughed at himself. Until he’d started dating Mia again, he’d never bothered making lists. She’d been a good influence on him in more ways than one.
But this was with Dylan. They hadn’t been camping together in so long, and he wanted this weekend to be special for them. Dylan had been through so much. They both had. He hoped their experience would draw them closer together.
His phone dinged. He picked it up and saw that, as if thinking about her had conjured it, a text had arrived from Mia.
Mia
What time are you going to get Dylan?
He tapped out a quick response.
Jackson
I’m finishing packing now. I’ll be heading out in five minutes.
He set the phone down and closed his duffel bag. He’d call her once he got into the car. He wouldn’t see her again until Sunday night, maybe even Monday. That would be the hardest thing about this trip. Three days without Mia. He didn’t mind sleeping outside. After the military, sleeping in all kinds of weather, catching his own food, going without electricity for a few days—all of that was easy. It wouldn’t bother him.
But not seeing Mia every day or talking with her on the phone—that would be a trial. In the past six weeks, they’d seen each other almost every day. His buddies at the station had given him some hassle about it, making kissing noises or wolf whistles when they saw him. He didn’t care.
