Grey Skies - A Military Romance (Complete)

Grey Skies: Chapter 30

Max brushed his thumb over the rough cotton of Sophie's jeans, more to center himself than comfort her. When she'd arrived at the campsite, he'd thought he'd been dreaming or conjured her up in some alcohol-induced fantasy. Only when he saw her face, the fear evident in her stoney features, did he snap back to reality.

"I can't get hold of Mary." Frustration leaked through Simon's admission from the back seat. They'd crawled along the trail back to the main road, the deepening snow covering any trace of the tire tracks from Sophie's drive in. Only a few minutes ago had their phones come to life with a barrage of dings and buzzes, Finn and Simon attacking them. Simon chewed on his bottom lip. "My calls keep going to voicemail."

"She's with Emily." Sophie's eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror. "Mary refused to leave her."

"Probably ordering the doctors around." Max joked. No one laughed.

Finn's head poked out from the back seat. "Can't you go faster?"

His demand caused Sophie to jerk the wheel to the right, and the car began to slide on the snow-drenched road.

Max whirled around. "Don't shout at her." The loudness of his voice shocked Max. "She's saving your ass."

"Sorry Sophie." Both men in the back said in unison, like little boys reprimanded by their mother. Finn slumped back in his seat, crossing his arms.

The car had slowed to a crawl. Max gave her thigh a small squeeze. "Are you okay?"

Her fingers were white where they clung to the steering wheel, but her shoulders decreased an inch. "I think so."

"Take a deep breath." He sucked in air with her. "There's no rush."

"Actually—"

Max glared at Finn and his ex-commander, took the order, pressing his lips together.

"How much further?"

Sophie's question brought his attention back to her. He checked the map on his phone. "A few more miles to the highway."

The muscle under his touch tightened. Max kept his voice low. "You can do this. We'll take it nice and slow. I'm right here."

Sophie's chest rose and fell as the car moved forward.

Snowflakes crashed against the windshield, and the wipers scraped across the glass, removing the watery residue. "Back home, this is nothing. I remember one year, maybe I was six or seven, it snowed for days. We lost power and lived in our basement for what felt like a week. Mom and Dad made a game of it, called it camping inside." Max paused, and the car drifted to the right. "Dad opened the front door, and it was a wall of snow." Sophie righted the Jeep, and he kept on talking. "I had to climb out my bedroom window onto the roof to get out of the house."

The headlights snagged on a blotch of red up ahead. "At the stop sign, turn right."

The turn signal ticked away as four heads swiveled to the left, searching for oncoming traffic. All Max saw was a wall of white. "I think it's clear." Sophie eased the Jeep around the corner without incident and they both exhaled. "See, you got this."

"My sister and I built this massive snow fort, or I guess it was more like a tunnel system." Max continued weaving the story of his childhood until they found the exit to the interstate. In a stroke of luck, they merged onto the highway behind a snowplough. The vehicle inched along, but the cleared road seemed to give Sophie more confidence. Other cars formed a line behind them. "Take this exit."

"I can see the hospital." Finn undid his seatbelt like he was about to abandon the car and run across the field.

"Keep your ass in your seat, soldier." The confidence in Max's voice surprised him, and the small smile on Sophie's face caused a spike of warmth in his chest.