The confident reply settled something within him. “Mum’s still hoping I’ll change my mind.”
Callum smiled as he stared out into the night. “She wouldn’t be Isobel if she didn’t. To her, you’re still the wee boy she had to care for all on her own, even though she was barely a girl herself. For eighteen years, her life’s been all about keeping you out of danger. It’s hard for her to see you walk into a situation that’s the opposite.”
“But the army will train me for anything that comes my way. And I already know how to look after myself.” Probably more so than any of the other recruits in his class. Because Jack had spent two years training with Callum and the other ex-military personnel at Benson Security. He had a black belt in Karate and was on his way to one in Krav Maga. On top of that, he knew his way around a series of firearms, had basic knowledge of how to function in a tactical situation, and was pretty decent in a knife fight. He was prepared, at peak fitness, and had support and experience at his back, giving him a quiet confidence most kids his age didn’t possess. That he was even aware of the difference between himself and his fellow recruits spoke volumes.
In other words, he was lucky, and he knew it.
“Being trained doesn’t stop crap from happening.” Callum pointed at his legs.
If anyone knew that to be true, it was Callum. Under his jeans were two state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs. He’d lost his legs after bombing while on an operation with the SAS.
“I could also step off the curb tomorrow and get hit by a bus,” Jack said.
“Especially in London,” Callum said with a grin.
They lapsed into another comfortable silence, each lost in their thoughts. In the distance, a siren wailed as the constant noise of London ebbed and flowed around them.
“Do you think I’ll make it?” he couldn’t help but ask. “Or do you think I’ll wash out of training?”
“I don’t think you’ll make it,” Callum said. “I know you will. And I also know that you’ll be one of the finest paratroopers the unit’s ever seen.”
Jack blinked hard as his eyes began to sting; he blamed it on the London air—the only downside of living in the capital. “Not sure I’ll live up to your reputation though,” he joked.
Callum McKay was a legend within the parachute regiment. One that had gone on to join the exclusive ranks of the SAS. It was a path Jack hoped to follow, but he was more than aware he had big shoes to fill.
“Son.” Callum’s serious tone made Jack look him in the eye. And the intensity he saw there made his breath hitch. “You are going to surpass me in every way. And I couldn’t be prouder.”
Jack cleared his throat and looked away. “Got to make it through thirty-nine weeks of training first.”
“There is that,” Callum let him lighten the mood. “Have you said goodbye to your girl?”
Jack nodded. “Yesterday.”
“The army’s hard on relationships. Having a man who’s always away can make a woman wonder if she’d be better off on her own, or with a guy who isn’t in the military.”
“Is that what happened to your first marriage?”
“Aye. That and we got into things a bit too young.”
Jack knew all about taking on responsibility far too young—he was the child of a teenage mother. And, as much as he loved his mum and thought she’d done an amazing job bringing him up, he wanted to experience life before he had to deal with being responsible for someone else, whether a wife or a kid.
“I know this sounds nasty,” he confessed, “but I don’t think Shelley and I are gonna survive my training. And, I’m okay with that. I mean, I like her, but she isn’t…”
“The one?” Callum cocked an eyebrow at him.
“Aye.” Jack’s shoulders slumped. “If there is such a thing as the one.”
“Oh, there is. It just takes some doing to find them, not to mention a whole lot of luck that you’ll recognize them when you see them.”
“Mum?” He held his breath as he waited for the answer.
“Aye. Your mother’s it for me. I’d do anything for that woman.” Callum looked at Jack. “And for you kids. I might not have given you my genetics, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re one hundred percent mine. You and little Sophie. You’re both mine.”
It was hard to speak through a tightening throat. “And the baby.”
“Aye.” He smiled widely. “And the baby.”
“I’m glad Sophie has a sister close to her age. I would have liked a brother when I was a kid.”