Only Mine (Fool's Gold #4)(89)
As he got closer to the South Salmon airport, he reported his approach and headed in to land. When the wheels touched down, he steered the plane toward the hangars he and Bill owned. His partner was waiting for him by the main building.
Bill was a tall, thin guy in his early forties. His father and Finn’s father had worked together in the business. There was a lot of history between them.
“How did it go?” Bill asked. “You’ve been flying a lot of hours.”
Finn handed over the clipboard containing the signed delivery receipts, as well as the plane’s log. “I’m going to get some rest now. I’ll be back about four.”
He meant four in the morning. Shifts started early in the summer. They wanted to take advantage of as much daylight as possible. Flying was a whole lot easier when you could see everything.
Bill took the clipboard. “You adjusting okay?”
“Sure. Why do you ask?”
His partner shrugged. “You’re not the same. I don’t know if you’re missing something or someone, or if it’s having your brothers gone. There’s a lot of new business, Finn. A couple contracts and other folks interested in signing. I’ve got them for you to look at. The thing is, if you’re not going to be here, then I need to hire new pilots. Maybe bring in my cousin.”
His partner looked at him. “Do you want me to buy you out? I can. My in-laws have offered me the money. I could pay about half in cash and get a bank loan for the rest. If you’re not sure, this is the time to tell me.”
Sell the business. He couldn’t say he hadn’t been thinking about it. Three months ago he would have sworn everything he wanted was in South Salmon. Now he wasn’t so sure. His brothers had left and they weren’t looking back. They’d found it surprisingly easy to make a life somewhere else. He had new ideas about what he wanted to do with his life. Run charters, teach kids to fly.
And then there was Dakota. He missed her. As much as he didn’t want to, as much as he was pissed and wondering if she’d done her best to trick him—even though he knew in his gut she hadn’t—he wanted to be with her. He wanted to see her and hold her and laugh with her. He wanted to watch Hannah grow from a baby to a toddler, then into a little girl with bright eyes and a ready smile.
As for the baby… He couldn’t go there. The thought of it overwhelmed him. He’d never considered the idea of more kids. From the day his parents had died, he’d always told himself that when his brothers were finally ready to walk away, he would do all the things he’d missed. He would go where he wanted, do what he wanted. He would be free. He never wanted to “have to” do anything again.
As much as he’d loved his brothers, there had been days he’d resented having to take care of everything. At a time when most guys his age were screwing everything that walked and partying with friends, he was checking homework, doing laundry and learning how to cook. He’d balanced work and parenting. He’d had to be both mother and father, and every single day he’d wondered if he’d been messing it up.
“Finn?”
Finn looked at his partner. “Sorry.”
“You were somewhere else.”
“The past.”
“About the business?” Bill asked. “Can you get back to me by the end of the week?”
“By Friday,” he promised.
Bill nodded and walked away.
Finn stayed where he was. There was a post-flight check to be done on the plane and paperwork to finish. But instead of moving on that, he found himself thinking about Dakota and how she would have to be both mother and father to her two children. She’d sought out the adoption, but the baby was as unexpected to her as it was to him.
He was sure she’d meant what she’d told him—that she had no expectations. That he could walk away. She would probably draw up one of those agreements where he gave up all rights to the kid and she gave up all rights to financial support. She wouldn’t want him to feel trapped.
Which should have made him happy. It had taken eight long years, but he was finally exactly where he wanted to be. Free. He could go anywhere, do anything. Hell, if he sold the business to Bill, he would have freedom and cash. Life didn’t get any better than that.
“I’M FINE,” Dakota insisted, speaking the words for the fourth or fifth hundredth time. “Completely and totally fine.”
Both her sisters stared at her, as if not convinced. The statement would probably have been a little more believable if her eyes weren’t red and puffy from all her crying. During the day she managed to be brave, but as soon as she was alone at night, she kind of lost it.
“You’re not fine and you shouldn’t be,” Nevada told her. “You told Finn you loved him and he left. He didn’t say anything, he just walked away. You’re left here, pregnant with his baby and completely alone.”
“Thanks for the recap,” Dakota murmured. “Now I sound pathetic.”
“You don’t,” Montana said quickly. “You sound like you’ve been through a lot and you have. You’re strong. You’ll be okay.” She and Nevada exchanged a quick look.
“What?” Dakota demanded. She wasn’t surprised they’d been talking about her behind her back, but she was concerned that they’d reached a conclusion that hadn’t occurred to her.