Eyes Turned Skyward

“Jagger, let’s go,” I whispered. Who was Anna? What did she mean to him? My head spun so fast that I felt dizzy.

The senator smiled like Jagger had said he’d love to join him for dinner. “Why on earth are you still going by Jagger? I thought that phase would wear out. I never should have given in to her on that, but she was determined for your middle name, and I loved her.”

Jagger tensed. “You loved her money. I won’t buy your front-page bullshit.”

“I loved your mother, but she had an addiction. That wasn’t her fault.”

“Yeah, and who gave her the first hit? That’s on you.”

All trace of amusement fell from the senator’s face. “Six years, and this is what you want to bring up?”

“Seven next month, and I don’t want to bring up anything. I want you to leave me alone.”

“Stop acting like a child.”

Jagger laughed, the sound empty. “Like I was ever a child.”

The muscle in the senator’s jaw ticked, just like Jagger’s. They looked so alike—the same blond hair, glowing skin, strong jawlines. Except the senator’s eyes were brown.

“What the hell do you want from me?” Jagger asked.

“Do I need a reason to see you? At least appreciate the lengths I went to for this to happen. Not that you were that hard to track down.”

“I’ve been careful.”

His dad laughed. “Son, you changed your last name to your mother’s maiden name and didn’t bother with your Social Security number. How careful could you really be? You graduated in May, took a pit stop in Florida, and reported to Fort Rucker after buying a house in Enterprise. Did I miss anything?”

“Why are you here?” he asked again.

“Come on, Prescott. You can’t be that surprised. I raised you smarter than that. How could you possibly think I wouldn’t keep track of you? I knew when you got into CU, when you applied for flight school…” He grinned, and my stomach turned over, nausea flooding my mouth with saliva.

“You had nothing to do with that!” Jagger shouted. “I got here on my own.”

“Are you so sure about that? What are the odds of two lieutenants getting chosen for aviation from the same ROTC class and going to flight school at the exact same time? I’ll tell you what they are—about as common as a senator placing a phone call.”

“No,” Jagger said, his certainty slipping. My heart hammered in my ears, but I ignored it, tightening my grip on his hand.

“This is where you say, ‘thank you, Dad.’” The senator adjusted his pocket square.

“Get the fuck out of my life,” Jagger growled.

His father tsked. “In public? Prescott, we raised you better than that.”

“You didn’t raise me. Mom did, or tried to when she wasn’t wasted or zoned out on her medication.”

His father’s eyes hardened. “Looks like you’re doing well enough, though. Latching on to a general’s daughter was a good move for your career, but gutsy to split your focus while you’re in flight school, don’t you think?”

I sucked in my breath, and Jagger stepped to the right, blocking me. “We’re done here.”

My head started buzzing like I’d had too much to drink, and my watch blinked. I turned off the alarm and leaned into Jagger, trying to calm my heart. I needed to lie down.

“We are not done!” his father hissed. “I left you alone for nearly seven years after you dropped that ridiculous letter on me about how wretched I was. I gave you time to get over your tantrum, to be out of the public eye. I let you use your ridiculous new name.”

“Let?” Jagger’s voice rose, and my eyes flickered to the doors, wondering how much longer we could make it without causing a scene. “You don’t let me do anything. I control my name, my trust fund, and my future. Remember? You are nothing to me but a biological contribution.”

I concentrated on my breaths, trying to slow them down, but the buzzing only got worse.

“Of course I remember. I signed the damn papers, didn’t I? I let you leave your preparatory school, turn down your appointment to West Point, and attend some middle-of-nowhere third-tier school all in the name of tracking her down. Was it worth it?”

Her? I looked at Jagger, who was quickly blurring in my vision. Anna.

“Yes,” he seethed. “She has always been worth it, you bastard. She is beautiful and smart, and deserves far more than the shit you threw at her!”

I wavered on my feet and grabbed ahold of the large table we stood next to for balance. A feeling of unease settled into my heart. He’d told me he’d never been in a functional relationship before. Was Anna the dysfunctional?

“She’s a washed-up drug addict who did nothing but pull you under, drowning you. I did what I had to in order to save you.”

“Save me?” Jagger shouted, his voice booming across the foyer. “Losing her destroyed me! First Mom died, and then you ran Anna off. She was all that was holding me together!”

“She was ripping you apart! She still is!” His father took a deep breath and smoothed the lines of his lapel. “I thought I could trust you to make better decisions, Prescott, but when I learned that you raced off to be with her last month…”

I tensed. He’d been with her last month? My hand slipped from his, and I turned toward the table, using both hands to hold my weight. It was getting more and more difficult to stand, my head clouding. He spent that week with another girl, and it hurt my heart physically.