Chapter 18

“These are so good,” Alexa said Wednesday morning, taking another bite of the fresh pastry Callie had picked up earlier. They were relaxing on the balcony of Callie’s apartment, enjoying the gentle Hawaiian breeze before they each got to work. Alexa took a sip of her Kona coffee, letting out a happy sigh.

“Isn’t this coffee the best?” Callie asked. “Even if I’d never met Wyatt, I’m not sure I could’ve moved away from Oahu. I need my fresh Kona coffee.”

Alexa glanced over at her friend, grinning. “Did you know you can order stuff online now?” she joked with a wink. “Even Kona coffee beans. And what if Wyatt ever got stationed elsewhere? Would you stay just for the caffeine fix? The coffee is damn good but not exactly…orgasmic.”

Callie burst into laughter. “I’d go with him of course, but thankfully, he’s not leaving. The sublet on this place is up soon, and I’ll be moving in with him. We’ve still got to figure out what to do with my things in storage in California. I’m going to have to make a trip to see my parents and get all that sorted.”

“And then move in with your man. Nice,” Alexa said, waggling her eyebrows.

“Somehow I feel like you and Austin aren’t that far behind us.”

“We’ll see,” Alexa said, but she was grinning from ear to ear. Things might’ve fallen into place rather quickly with Austin, but everything just felt right between them, too. “Where do you think they are right now?” she asked.

“I’ve got no idea,” Callie admitted. She took a sip of her coffee, looking thoughtful. “I mean, they truly could be anywhere in the world. The one mission with the hijacked cargo ship a few weeks ago was on the news, so in a way, that felt easier. Wyatt could never say where he went, but I think we both correctly assumed that’s where they were. Of course, I met Wyatt for the first time in the Philippines—talk about the flight from hell.”

“It’s awful what you went through, but meeting Wyatt out of the deal seems pretty perfect. And I doubt I’d have met Austin without you already knowing them. My father kind of left me with a distaste for most military men.”

“Austin sure changed your mind.”

“He did, didn’t he?” Alexa laughed. “But if you recall, we were just flirting and having fun at first. It bothers me not knowing where he is,” Alexa admitted. “I always felt like I was pretty laid back, but his career makes me nervous.”

“It’s because you care about him. I think anyone would worry in our situation.”

“Absolutely. The military has different support groups for spouses and significant others. Goodness knows my own mother had to deal with that constantly over the years. My father was always busy, putting the Navy before us. I didn’t give it much thought growing up. But now that I’m living it? Totally different ballgame.”

“You should ask your mom about it to see if she has any suggestions for dealing with deployments,” Callie said.

“I don’t know. Sometimes it felt like my parents’ marriage was more of a business transaction or something. I think they loved each other in their own way, but it wasn’t like Austin and me. We’re crazy about each other, but we’re also friends if that makes sense.”

“It makes total sense. Wyatt and I have very different careers, but our personalities and goals are similar. Oh, did I tell you that I ran into Riley when I was picking up coffees earlier?” Callie asked.

“Oh yeah? How’s she doing? I haven’t been to Coconuts much recently, aside from when I took you to breakfast. She’s usually working the evening shift.”

Callie nodded. “She’s good. Did you know she has a toddler?”

“What?” Alexa looked over at her friend in surprise.

“Yep. A two-year-old girl. I was surprised, too. I’m not sure who watches the toddler in the evening when she’s working. I just didn’t ever get the “mom” vibe from Riley,” Callie said.

“Me either. Huh. I guess the dad’s not in the picture?”

“I doubt it. Riley always seems interested in Wyatt and Austin’s teammates.”

“That she does,” Alexa said. “Hopefully she’s not just after them for money or something. I don’t know her well at all, just that some women like to chase after military men for their benefits.”

“Hmmm,” Callie mused. “I didn’t get that feeling about her. She usually seems more flustered around them than some assertive chick after an engagement ring. Oh! Speaking of engagement rings, how’d the meeting go yesterday with the engaged couple? We barely got a chance to talk when I dropped you off since I had that call with a brand I’m teaming up with for a blog post.”

“I know you were in a rush. Thank you so much for playing chauffer,” Alexa said. Her hands briefly moved to her abdomen. “I’ll be so happy when I can drive again in a few days. Did I tell you the doctor said I was healing nicely?”

“That’s great news!”

“It is. I’m sore but feeling a lot stronger every day. And the meeting with my new client went great. The woman seemed nice—maybe a little different than I expected. Many couples come together to interview wedding vendors—including photographers like me—and the bride-to-be is usually bubbly and excited. This lady was all business.”

“Huh. So the groom didn’t show?” Callie asked, briefly glancing over.

“No. She said he was out of town. It’s not a big deal,” Alexa said with a shrug. “Usually, the bride is the one with the vision of how her wedding or engagement photos should go. Not in every case though,” she added with a laugh. “I still remember this one couple where the guy was totally full of himself. His fiancée was so sweet, but he was super into his looks and getting the best angles of himself in each and every photo.”

“Weird.”

“Oh, it really was. I actually felt bad for his fiancée. But Melissa—that’s the future bride I met—and I discussed pricing and got into the specifics of flying me out to Kauai for the engagement photos. They’ll cover the flight and transportation on the island, plus any incidentals. She seemed surprised that I had a P.O. Box and not an address on my business card,” Alexa recalled.

“That’s funny. It’s pretty standard for anyone running a business without a storefront to have a P.O Box nowadays. Most people don’t want to blast their home address on the Internet.”

“Exactly. Since I’m not a studio photographer, it would make zero sense for me to rent office space in Honolulu. But anyway, I gave her my card and said I’d send over a contract this week. We discussed pricing, like I already mentioned, but I need to total both sessions and possibly include travel time. I’m actually kind of excited about it.”

“It sounds like so much fun. When do they want to do the engagement session?” Callie asked.

“In a couple of weeks,” Alexa said. “They recently got engaged and want to use the photos to send out save the date cards.” She shrugged. “Whatever they want is fine. I do have other sessions coming up but am not booked solid.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.”

“So, think you’ll come with me?”

“Absolutely! I can even help haul gear around if you want. Even a few weeks from now, you still won’t be one hundred percent healed. I’ll take some of my own photos for my blog and social media posts. Oh! If you get any amazing shots, maybe I could use those, too, and mention your name and photography business.”

“That’d be awesome, actually. You’ve got way more of a following than I could ever hope to have.”

“Well, that was the point with my blog. The more followers, the more advertising dollars. I’d love to funnel some photography business your way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Alexa said.

Callie’s doorbell rang, and she rose to her feet, barefoot. “It’s probably just one of the neighbors. I’ll be right back.” Her friend walked back into the apartment, and Alexa took another sip of her coffee, her mind on the photos she needed to edit this morning. There was a slight creaking as the front door opened, and then Alexa heard a happy shriek.

She looked back, her jaw dropping, then let out a squeal herself as Austin and Wyatt came striding in. Austin paused for just a moment, drinking her in, and then they were both rushing toward one another, Alexa jumping into his arms.

“You’re back!” she exclaimed.

“God I missed you.” His voice was deep and husky, and she breathed in his familiar sent. They locked eyes for a moment, and Alexa knew the emotion in his was reflected in her own. Time seemed to hang in that very moment, and then Austin’s lips were on hers. Hot. Hungry. He swung her up, carrying her out of Callie’s apartment as she giggled.

Wyatt was chuckling as he shut the door, but Austin held her close. She felt his heartbeat beneath her hand, the slight stubble on his cheek from a spot he’d missed as he’d quickly shaved. His clean scent surrounded her, soap and something else pure male.

Austin carried her across the apartment complex to Alexa’s place, and after he set her down so she could unlock the door, Alexa quickly pulled him inside so they could enjoy a private reunion all on their own.