Page 141 of One Last Shot

Mostly, surprise Boo.

Please let her be there.

“Anytime you’re ready,” Hux said and put on her headphones. She went inside the room.

He took a couple breaths. Inside waited Seraphina with her two children, along with Huxley, and Beto on camera.

Smile. He pushed inside the rehab room.

They’d closed the curtains to control the light, and Seraphina sat on a chair beside the bed. Mike sat up, fully dressed in a pair of sweatpants over his cast and a black T-shirt that suggested he’d been working out at least his upper body over the past few weeks since his discharge from the hospital. He bore signs of health in his color, the bruises nearly gone now, his eyes bright as Oaken walked in.

“Oaken Fox! What a surprise,” Mike said.

Yeah, yeah. Whatever.But Oaken held out his hand. “Mike. Wow, it’s good to see you.”

Mike shook his hand. “You’ve met my wife, Seraphina.”

Oaken bent and gave her a hug.

“Thank you,” she said quietly into his ear.

“And this isJasmine and Liam.”

“Hey,” Liam said, nodding his head.

Jasmine grabbed Oaken’s hand. “I remember you!”

He grinned. So much for that. “Yeah, I was here after the accident, while your dad was still sleeping.”

He turned to Mike, Jasmine still holding onto him. “So, I see you’re up and running around. Causing trouble.”

Mike laughed, then grimaced.

“Ribs still sore?”

“A little. It’ll be a while before I jump out of any more choppers.”

Oaken laughed. “Me too, pal.”

“How’s the music industry?”

“Busy. I’m writing songs for a new album”—there, he’d checked that off Goldie’s list of things to mention—“and heading out to do some promo for the movie I’m working on.”

“Any more thought to joining the Air One Rescue team?” Mike raised an eyebrow.

Oaken laughed. “I think rescuing you was enough fun for one lifetime.”

Mike clasped his hand again. “Don’t forget—Live big! Live wild!”

Oaken pointed at him. “The best is yet to come!”

They laughed together.

“And, cut,” Huxley said. “That’s in the can, Oaken. Good job, and thank you.” She took off her earphones. “Too bad Reynolds didn’t stick around to see that.”

“Reynolds was here?”

“Yeah, he left a couple hours ago. Said he had some errands to run before he caught his flight back to L.A.,” Seraphina said. “But Huxley showed us the first episode of the show—they’re doing an intro with the footage before Mike’s fall. You on the beach and then whatever they could grab from your GoPro.”