Chapter 12

Jake’s POV

The beach was quiet on this side. The sea stretched out for miles in curling waves of blue and green. I had already run three miles when Luis found me. 

“Sanchez,” I said as we clasped hands before bumping our shoulders together in what qualified as a hug. 

“It’s been a while.” Luis smiled.

 “You look good, Middleton,” he said, and he looked me over carefully.

 “It’s like you never left the army.” 

“I make sure to run at least three times a week,” I told him. 

“How do you even manage to find the time?” 

“I drop Noah off at kindergarten, do a seven-mile run, and head into the office a little late.” 

“Perks of being the CEO, huh?” he asked. 

“Definitely,” I nodded. I met Luis Sanchez when I was still a rookie in training.

 He was a marine and had a couple of years and a whole lot of experience with me. 

But it had taken one conversation to make us f