The Pilot

Book 3: Alpha Cove

by Susan Stoker

Genres: Military Romance

Synopsis

Sparks fly when a former bully moves in with her former victim in New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker’s tantalizing third foray into Alpha Cove, a spicy military romance steeped in emotion.

Ex-fighter pilot Lincoln “Linc” Young is a survivor, masking his PTSD and nightmares behind a calm exterior. When his father’s death brings him back to Maine to help his mom, he never expects to cross paths with his former high school tormentor. But the woman who once made his life hell now stirs completely different emotions in Linc, and when he finds Harper in need, he impulsively offers her and her young son a place to stay.

Harper Bates thought she’d hit rock bottom after returning to her childhood home in Rockville, Maine. Then her father begins judging her every move—and worse, her son Kash, when they discover he’s being bullied at school. The last person she expects help from is Linc, the boy Harper herself had bullied years ago. Now a commanding presence who makes her and Kash feel safe, Linc inspires both a growing attraction…and lingering shame over her past actions.

Temporary cohabitation quickly turns into something more as Harper and Linc reveal intimate secrets that put them both on a path to healing. But they’re unaware someone else has a secret. And it’s about to impact the one person the couple can’t live without—Kash.

Release date: August 4, 2026

Publisher: Montlake

Sample

Chapter One

Harper stared blankly at the Walmart store at the other end of the parking lot. She was parked all the way in the back of the lot, under a light to be safe. Her adrenaline was still coursing through her body after the fight with her dad earlier in the evening.

She wasn’t even sure how the argument had started. All she knew was that she’d needed some space. Needed to get away. And her dad had the audacity to order her to leave . . . which was fine with her, since she was already halfway out the door.

Sighing, Harper closed her eyes and rested her head on the seat behind her. How had she ended up this way? In high school, she was part of the popular crowd, smart and with a ton of friends.

Well . . . she’d thought they were friends. The girls she’d grown up with, who she’d thought would stay in touch forever, seemed to disappear entirely a few months after graduation. Sure, they’d gone their separate ways, but Harper honestly hadn’t thought that would matter.

She’d moved to New York City, ready to take on the world. She’d had aspirations of getting into modeling, which was ridiculous. She wasn’t nearly skinny enough, liked sweets a bit too much, and while she was five foot ten, plenty tall enough to be a model, she was told she didn’t have the “right look.” Whatever that meant.

But Harper was stubborn, like her dad, and she’d refused to give up. She worked crappy jobs that barely paid the bills while attempting to get the one big break that would make her famous.

What a joke.

All moving to the city had ever gotten her was heartache.

Except for Kash.

Her boy was literally the only reason she was still breathing today. There were plenty of times when she’d wanted to give up. To throw herself in front of a subway train and end it all. But her little boy would have had no one. So she kept going, even when she wanted to quit, because of Kash.

She loved that kid more than she’d ever thought possible. He was a bright spot in her otherwise bleak life. Every time she lost a job—the buses were running behind and she was fired for being late one too many times, a boss thought she owed him sex just for hiring her, or the hours didn’t work out with Kash’s schedule—she’d think about moving back to Maine, putting her pride aside and asking for help. But she always seemed to find another job right when she was at her lowest.

Except for that last time.

She’d lost their apartment, as shitty as it was, because she had no money for rent. She’d gone to a few shelters, but having Kash with her made things a little more tricky. And none of them really felt safe.

Then one night, when she and Kash were sleeping in her car—again—she’d heard his little stomach growling, because she didn’t have money to get them anything for dinner. And Harper was done.

She’d put her pride aside and asked her dad if she could move home.

Harper had known it would be difficult. Part of the reason she’d left home at eighteen was because of her dad. He was strict and judgmental. Never seemed to approve of anything she said or did.

When she’d called home and told him that he was going to be a grandparent, instead of being overjoyed, her dad had asked about the father. When she’d admitted that he wasn’t in the picture, he’d harrumphed and told her not to expect any monetary help. She’d made the decision to have a baby out of wedlock, so she was on her own as far as raising that child went.

It was a blow, but nothing she hadn’t expected.

She was now thirty-eight years old, almost thirty-nine, but there were times she felt as if she were eighty. Harper couldn’t think of anything she’d done in her life that was special. She was a failure at pretty much everything, except for her son.

And now here she was. Sitting in a Walmart parking lot in her hometown after storming out of her dad’s house in a snit.

Sighing, she opened her eyes and stared into space. Being here in the dark reminded her a little too much of those nights in the city, when she and Kash had found a dark corner of a free parking area to sleep. Was she really any better off now than she was then? Harper wasn’t sure.

Maybe her son would be better off without her around. Her dad could raise him. He’d have a warm and safe place to lay his head every night, and he wouldn’t have to be embarrassed that his mother worked an entry-level job in retail.

But the thought of leaving Kash at the mercy of her father’s influence made her lip curl.

That was the very subject of the argument that had sent her running.

Kash had come home from school so proud that he’d been chosen to be part of the robotics club. Apparently it was a pretty competitive thing, and while robots weren’t his first love, he enjoyed tinkering with them enough to want to join.

Her dad had actually laughed. Told Kash he would’ve been better off trying to join some sort of sport . . . even though Kash didn’t have any interest in sports. He backed off some after that, but when Kash went up to bed, he started in again. Telling Harper that her son was going to be a laughingstock. That he was going to be picked on. That he’d be bullied because he was such a nerd.

Harper saw red. She might allow him to bad-mouth her, but she wasn’t going to sit by and let her father tear Kash to pieces.

She’d lit into him, claiming he was a judgmental jerk and warning him to leave her son alone.

That had been enough for him to turn his judgment on her. Expressing his disappointment in how she’d turned out. Saying he’d expected so much more.

The last straw was when he’d said her mom would feel the same way.

It was a low blow, and Harper was done. She’d stormed away before she could say something she’d really regret.

To save face, her dad yelled at her to get out when she was already halfway to the door. It was typical Victor. Always determined to have the last word.

With nowhere to go, she’d ended up in the parking lot of her workplace. Where she felt as if she spent most of her time these days. She’d missed out on too much of Kash’s life. Before she knew it, he’d be graduating and moving on. She’d already missed his amazing performance at the crate race at Lobster Fest because she was working.

Her boy was growing up, and Harper both hated that and was as proud of him as she could be.

Pressing her lips together, she decided everything that was shit in her life was karma doing her thing. Harper was well aware that she hadn’t been a nice person when she was in high school. For no reason at all, she’d thought she was better than most of the kids in her class. And when her so-called friends started bullying some of their classmates, she went right along with the pack. Back then, it was more important for her to fit in than to do the right thing.

Those thoughts led Harper to think about Lincoln Young.

She’d been particularly horrible to him. A total bitch. A classic mean girl. And she had no clue how to make it right now. Or if she even could after all this time.

Linc had been a scrawny kid back then. Which didn’t make it right that she and her friends picked on him every chance they got. And having a kid like Kash made her actions back then seem so much worse . . . because he reminded her so much of the boy Linc used to be. Smart, lost in his own head, obsessed with all things nerdy.

But the man Linc grew into was someone to be admired. She’d heard the stories of his career as a fighter pilot in the Air Force. How he was literally an American hero. It made her treatment of him when they were kids all the more painful. She wasn’t the same person she was back then, but she wasn’t sure how to change the perception Linc, and everyone else, seemed to have of her.

The truth was, she liked Linc. Was grateful to him and his family for embracing Kash the way they had. She knew about the fort in the woods that used to belong to the Young boys, the one that Kash had taken over. She wasn’t upset about it in the least . . . not like her dad would be. He disliked the Young family and did his best to discourage Kash from spending time with them, to no avail.

Kash loved Evelyn Young. She was the grandmother he’d never had. After a misunderstanding about the kind of person she was—thanks to his very own grandfather—hanging out at Lobster Cove, the Youngs’ property, was one of Kash’s favorite things to do after school. Mostly because of the cookies he got from Ms. Evelyn . . . but also because he got to see Linc.

Harper’s mind went back to the man she’d so badly wronged when they were teenagers. He was so good with Kash. Had taken him under his wing, so to speak. Been a mentor to him. Encouraging him, supporting him, and her son had a huge case of hero worship . . . not that she could blame him.

She wished moving into the small house on the Lobster Cove property had worked out. It would’ve been a huge break. Her dad was making her pay rent to live with him, which she honestly didn’t have a problem with . . . but she was barely making ends meet. She was managing, but living at Lobster Cove would’ve helped her actually save money. Evelyn had only planned to charge her two hundred bucks a month. Which was ridiculously low, but Harper wouldn’t have complained.

That opportunity had fallen through when unexpected repairs had to be made to the small house. Unfortunate . . . especially considering her dad had been even more impossible ever since she’d told him that she and Kash were moving to his neighbor’s property.

It was as if he considered it a personal attack against him, which it wasn’t. Harper would literally move into the heart of enemy territory if it meant improving Kash’s life. At this point, her life was all about her son. His needs. His wants. What she wanted didn’t matter.

Although Harper had no idea what she wanted. She’d been on autopilot for so long, struggling to keep her head above water, that she hadn’t been able to stop and think about what she hoped to get out of life.

Motherhood hadn’t been something she’d aspired to. Kash wasn’t planned, but she wasn’t sorry she’d chosen to have him. She didn’t even want to think about where she might be today if he hadn’t come along twelve years ago. Probably dead in a gutter in New York City.

With that depressing thought swirling through her brain, Harper didn’t even see the car pull up behind her and cut its lights. She was so lost in her head, she also didn’t hear the car door shut or see the man walking up to the driver’s side of her older-model minivan.

So when he rapped on her window with his knuckles, she jumped about ten feet and let out a girly little screech in fright.

When she turned her head, Harper saw the very man she couldn’t get out of her head, slowly backing away with his hands up as if to show he was no threat.

Her heart beating a hundred miles an hour, Harper frowned. What was Linc doing here? How did he know where she was? Was he driving by and just happened to see her car? Her face flamed. The store wasn’t open. So there was no good reason for her car to be sitting in the lot.

Karma, that bitch, was still hard at work. Making Harper pay for the way she’d treated this man all those years ago. Making sure he saw her at her worst, time and time again.

Frowning, Harper disengaged the locks and cracked her door open—she didn’t have the engine running, to save on gas, so she couldn’t roll down the automatic windows. “What’s wrong?” she asked Linc. “Is it Kash? Is he okay?”

She both hated and loved that her son had such a good relationship with Linc. That he felt comfortable enough to text him whenever the mood struck.

“He’s worried about you,” Linc said simply.

Harper closed her eyes for a beat. Of course her son had overheard her arguing with her dad. Of course he’d been worried. Her son had taken on the role of protector as well as he could at such a young age.

“I told him I’d check on you.”

“Well, you’ve checked on me. I’m fine,” Harper said, her words sounding sharper than she meant them to. This man brought out her defensiveness faster than anyone she knew. Well . . . maybe other than her dad.

In response, Linc stared at her for a beat, then walked around the front of her minivan to the passenger side. He climbed inside as if he had every right and sat, slamming the door behind him. He turned in the seat so he could see her better and simply stared without saying a word.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Checking on you,” he told her.

Harper sighed. Fucking karma. How long was she going to have to pay for the horrible way she’d treated this man? Wasn’t her life turning to shit while he’d literally soared to great heights enough?

Apparently not.

It felt as if every time she turned around, he was witnessing her humiliation.

“I’m fine, Linc,” she said, letting her head drop back on the seat behind her. Her head felt way too heavy to hold upright. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

“You don’t look fine,” he countered.

Harper let out an unamused huff. “Well, I am. I just needed a break from my dad. He’s kinda difficult. I’ll go back before Kash gets up for school. I work in the morning anyway, so I need to shower and change.”

Linc nodded. “Your dad is . . . he’s a lot.”

Harper turned her head where it rested on the seat and snorted as she said, “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out with the house on Lobster Cove.”

Harper shrugged. She was sorry too, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.

“You planning on living in your car again?” Linc asked, in that blunt way he had.

Harper blinked. “What? No!” She hated that he knew she and Kash had lived in their car at one point, but the gossip network was alive and well in Rockville. And since he and Kash had gotten so close, she wasn’t surprised her son had told him about that time in their lives. Just another humiliation this man was privy to when it came to her personal business.

“Look, I’m sorry Kash overheard my dad and me fighting. I’m sorry if he thought I might have left the house for good to live in my car. I’m sorry he contacted you in the middle of the night, and I’m sorry you felt the need to come all the way out here to find me. If you get out, I’ll go home now. Will that make you happy?”

“It’s not about what will make me happy, Harper,” Linc said, almost gently. “It’s about you. And your boy.” He studied her for a long moment. “You know I bought a house when I moved here. It needs a ton of work. It’s drafty, smells a little funky, and it’s probably not the most comfortable place in the world. But I do have hot water—the water heater was one of the first things I replaced—and the roof is good, thanks to my brothers helping me put a new one on recently. There are also more bedrooms than I know what to do with . . . You and Kash could come live with me.

“There’s a bus stop on my street,” he hurried to add, almost as if rushing to get the words out now. “I’ve seen kids standing out there in the mornings, so Kash can still get to school easily. I’ll stay out of your way. I’m at Lobster Cove a lot anyway, and when I’m home, I’m usually working. I recently finished one of the two main bedrooms in the house, the one on the first floor, which I’d planned to move into. You and Kash can have the entire second floor to yourselves. I won’t bother you, Harper.”

She stared at the man sitting next to her in disbelief and shock.

Her first instinct was to refuse. To shake her head and say no way in hell was she going to live with the boy she’d tormented in high school. This was probably his sick way of getting back at her.

But . . . no. That wasn’t the kind of man Lincoln Young was. She knew that without really even knowing him. Though, Harper wasn’t sure about his motivation. Why was he trying to help her?

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she whispered, almost scared to hear his answer. “I was horrible to you. You should hate me.”

“Harper, that was twenty years ago. A lot has happened to both of us since then. It makes no sense to hold a grudge for that long. Yeah, you were a bitch, and when we graduated high school I was glad I’d never have to see you again. But life has a funny way of bringing things full circle.

“I don’t hate you. Did I ever expect I’d be sitting here, inviting you and your son to live with me? No. But I’m also not the kind of man who’s able to watch a kid I like and respect stress because he’s worried about his mom. Say yes, Harper.”

She wanted to. He was dangling the proverbial carrot in front of her, and it was taking all her strength not to grab for it. “How much would rent cost?” she asked, attempting to keep her voice level.

“No rent,” he told her.

Harper shook her head. “No, Linc. I can’t come live in your house and not pay my and Kash’s fair share.”

To her surprise, Linc chuckled. “You did hear me say how much work the house still needs, right? It’s pretty much a shithole at the moment. You’ll probably walk in, then turn around and walk right back out. The bones are good, but she’s in rough shape. There’s no way I’d charge anyone to live there right now.”

“I can’t,” Harper said, sticking to her guns.

He stared at her for a beat. Harper thought she saw respect in his gaze, but she was probably mistaken. She was pathetic at best. At a very low spot in her life.

“How about this? I know you’re working a lot right now, and you don’t have a lot of free time. But what if when you are around, you help me with the house? You and Kash. I could teach him things like simple carpentry and plumbing, how to install appliances, the right way to paint, how to put insulation in . . . things like that. He could be my helper when he’s not at school.”

Harper wanted to cry. She knew without a doubt Kash would love that. He didn’t have a lot of friends at school, and he already idolized Linc. Having his idol teach him “boy” things like fixing up a house would be a dream come true.

She swallowed hard. She didn’t like charity. Didn’t like knowing she wasn’t able to give her son the things he needed and deserved on her own, the very reason she was living with her dad. But Linc was offering something that might mean she could save enough to get her and Kash their own place by summer.

Independence.

He was offering her a way to get her pride back.

But a part of her still wondered about the catch. Because she certainly couldn’t see a lot in this arrangement for him. It wasn’t as if she or Kash would be that much help around his house. She didn’t know the first thing about home improvement.

“Say yes, Harper,” Linc repeated firmly. “I know you don’t like me, have never liked me. I don’t know why, it’s not as if I’ve ever done anything to you. Not back then and not since I’ve returned to Maine. But—”

“I like you!” Harper blurted, interrupting him. “But more than that, I respect you. Linc . . . there aren’t many men, many people, who would do what you and your brothers did. Move back to Maine when you had your own lives and jobs elsewhere, to help out your mom. If Kash turns out half as good as you are, I’d be proud.”

“You should already be proud of him,” Linc said with a scowl.

“That’s not what I meant. I am proud of him,” Harper insisted. “He’s my entire world. I just . . . was trying to . . . never mind.” She looked down at her fingers in her lap.

She was always saying the wrong thing around this man. She felt tongue tied and inferior to him. He’d done things after high school. Had made a difference in the world. She’d wanted to, but all she’d managed was to screw up her life before eventually running back to her daddy with her tail between her legs. She and Linc couldn’t be more different.

“Trying to what?” Linc asked.

She sighed. “Let you know that I admire you. That I’m grateful you’ve taken such an interest in Kash. That you and your family were there for him when I couldn’t be. That you haven’t let my dad’s prickliness taint your feelings for my son.”

“Victor’s an asshole, but deep down—deep down—he’s a good man. He wouldn’t have reached out to Chad when he saw my mom being kidnapped if he wasn’t. He wouldn’t have spent all day on the water looking for Marit if he wasn’t. I’m not saying I want to hang out with him or anything, but I kind of understand him.”

Harper lifted her head and looked at Linc. “Understand him?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t elaborate, and Harper was kind of scared to ask for details. She certainly didn’t understand her father. He’d always been extremely hard on her. Expecting perfection when she was anything but perfect. She felt that pressure from him now more than ever. Felt his disappointment that she wasn’t successful. That she’d had to come back home to live with him. That she wasn’t married. That she’d had a child outside of marriage.

“Say yes,” he said again. “If things don’t work out, on either of our parts, you can always go back to your dad’s. Or better yet, the smaller house on Lobster Cove will probably be fixed up by the spring. You and Kash can go there if you can’t stand my piece-of-shit house—or me—any longer. Say yes for your son. He worries about you. Feels as if he needs to look out for you. He’s your protector, and he should be sleeping in the middle of the night, not awake and texting me because he’s concerned about where you are and what might be happening to you.”

It was kind of a cheap shot, but Linc was right. Harper was well aware that her son was older than his years. That he had a tender soul. That he wanted to take care of her. They’d been taking care of each other for years now.

“All right. Thank you, Linc. I accept. But if at any time you get tired of us, and you want us out, you have to tell me. I won’t be mad. I can always go back to my dad’s place. I still don’t really understand why you’re being so generous and gracious, but I’d be stupid to say no.”

To his credit, Linc didn’t look smug or crow about her giving in. He simply nodded. “You need help moving your stuff over tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Harper asked in surprise.

“Why not?”

“Well, I have to work.”

Linc stared at her for a beat. Then asked, “What time?”

“Ten.”

“Can you go back to your dad’s house and get some sleep?”

Harper frowned. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be able to?”

“Kash said Victor kicked you out.”

She snorted. “He did—after I was already halfway out the door. I’ve learned that when things get heated, the best bet is to put space between us. He’ll be fine.”

“All right. I’ll come over with Chad tomorrow, and you can show us what you want moved. We’ll do the heavy lifting, and when you get off shift, you can come straight to my place and put things where you want them.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Harper said, stunned that he’d even offered.

“I know I don’t.”

“Well . . . okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I usually wouldn’t suggest waking a kid, but maybe you should let Kash know you’re back when you get home. So he doesn’t worry anymore. You can tell him about the new living arrangements and figure out the bus thing tomorrow. I don’t know how that works.”

It wasn’t quite that easy, but in the scope of everything else, they’d figure it out.

Then something occurred to Harper—and she felt the need to be clear. “Just because I’m moving into your house, that doesn’t mean I’ll be obligated to you . . . sexually.”

The look on Linc’s face made Harper regret her words instantly. She saw shock, then anger flash over his features before he quickly masked his emotions.

“I’ll follow you back to your dad’s house,” he bit out, reaching for the door handle.

Before he could throw himself out of the vehicle, Harper grabbed his arm. He froze with one foot on the ground, halfway out of her car.

“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just . . . I didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings.”

“Did I give you any indication that there were strings with my offer?” Linc asked quietly.

“No. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I’ve learned the hard way that most men have hidden agendas.”

“I don’t,” he said firmly. Then he stood from the minivan, nodded at her, and shut the passenger door. He walked back to his SUV and climbed behind the wheel.

Harper closed her eyes for a moment. She’d screwed up. Big time. And yet, Linc hadn’t rescinded his offer to have her and Kash stay with him. She still wasn’t sure why he’d offered in the first place . . . but a huge weight felt like it lifted from her shoulders.

Not having to pay rent, being able to save such a big chunk of each paycheck, would go a long way toward padding her bank account. She could be independent again, which seemed surreal after so many years of struggling.

She hated that she’d offended Linc, but she had to be sure of his intentions. As she’d told him, she’d definitely seen the worst in humanity over the years. Experienced it firsthand.

Looking in her rearview mirror, she saw him waiting patiently for her to pull out of the parking lot. He didn’t really need to follow her home. The weather was clear, there was no snow on the ground yet. She could certainly drive to her dad’s house without worrying about getting there safely.

But she couldn’t help feeling a twinge in her heart that he wanted to make sure she got there all right. Lincoln Young really was a good man. Better than so many people she’d met over the years.

She had a lot to atone for. She’d been terrible to him when they were kids, and there was nothing she regretted more.

Sighing, she started her engine, absently noting that she needed to get gas in the next couple of days, before pulling out of the parking space where she’d fully intended to spend the night.

As she headed toward her dad’s, Linc’s headlights stayed right behind her. And when she pulled into Victor’s driveway, he flashed his lights after pulling in behind her, then immediately backed out again, turning around to head to his own house.

Harper’s mind spun with all that had happened in the last thirty minutes or so. How her life had once again turned on a dime. She had no idea if she was making the right decision to move in with Linc or not. She knew her dad would definitely have something to say about it. He’d probably disapprove, but then again, he’d pretty much disapproved of everything she’d ever done, so why this would be any different, she didn’t know.

But for the first time in ages, she was looking forward to what was to come. The change would be good for both her and Kash. Her boy was struggling, and maybe, just maybe, living with a man who was full of praise and compliments, instead of judgmental looks and frowns, would help Kash flourish.