Virgin Flyer

“Why not?” I snapped over my shoulder as I continued walking. “Give me one good reason to stay here and take this bullshit nonsense.”

I heard Millie’s soft voice saying, “Tell him, you idiot.”

But he didn’t say anything. The silence lasted long enough for me to turn around and look at him.

He was on his knees with his hands clasped in front of his forehead. “Because I love you.” His voice cracked and broke. He looked up at me with such anguish, dropping his hands onto his thighs. “And I don’t ever want you to be scared. And the idea of you sacrificing your happiness to help my family is… is… overwhelming. What if something had happened to you? What if you’d been hurt? I can’t lose you, because I love you. So much. So fucking much.”

I stared at him with my mouth open. Was this really happening right now? All the pieces began clicking into place. My heart thundered with the combination of everything that had already happened today and everything this amazing man was offering me with his words.

“Say something,” Jack said in a whisper. “Please.”

I walked toward him feeling lighter and freer than I had been at 10,000 feet.

His eyes were pleading with me as I got closer. By the time I stood in front of him, he’d stood back up and held his hands open by his sides. He looked so handsome in his pilot’s uniform even if the short-sleeved button-down was a bit rumpled from the long flight. The four gold stripes on his epaulets glinted in the bright summer sun. I hadn’t expected him back until later tonight. I’d planned on surprising him with the news about my skydive after I was safely on the ground. Now I felt like I was still free-falling, only this time it was a thousand percent better.

“I love you too.” The words came out of me in a rush—had been waiting, in fact, for longer than I realized. As soon as the words came out, I felt tears fill my eyes. Stupid fucking emotions. “I’m not sorry for jumping, but I’m sorry I worried you.”

Jack yanked me into his arms and bear-hugged me until I could barely breathe. “I love you so much,” he said again and again, tucking his face into my neck.

“I missed you,” I admitted softly. “I know traveling is part of your job, but I’m still allowed to miss you when you’re gone, right?”

“Only if I’m allowed to miss you just as much.”

Jack pulled back and met my eyes before leaning in to kiss me. He cupped my face with both hands and poured all of his feelings out in that kiss until I was dizzy.

“Mpfh. Pretty sure the cameras are more in love with the two of you than me.”

I turned to see Ryan Fae standing behind me with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. Sure enough, all of the cameras were pointed at Jack and me.

Heat flooded my face as I turned back to bury it in Jack’s shirtfront.

I heard Millie’s unique combination of happy squeal and clapping before noticing the rumble of Jack’s laughter through his chest.

He leaned down to press a kiss against my cheek. “I’m sorry for freaking out. Did you, ah, have fun?”

I glared up at him and then turned to make sure the cameras weren’t focused on us anymore. I’d heard Ryan trying to corral them back on him now that our drama was over. “No, dammit. I did not,” I hissed. “I’m never doing it again, and also fuck you very much if you even think I’m getting in an airplane again for any reason because I am not. Ever.”

Jack’s laugh was big and boisterous. The stress from earlier was finally gone, and my heart had settled back to a steadier beat.

Jack’s eyes twinkled at me. “You’re in love with a pilot and you refuse to board an airplane.”

I ran a finger along the edge of his jaw and down his throat before grasping his necktie and pulling him in until we were nose to nose.

“I guess you’ll just have to find other ways to make me fly.”

Epilogue

Jack - One Year Later

“This is stupid,” I muttered. “He’s going to hate it.”

I looked out across the dark water of Lake Michigan sparkling in the summer sun. It was an absolute perfect day to spend at the park with our closest friends. Millie had offered to bring a picnic lunch for everyone, but Rourke had insisted on having lunch catered instead. Bossy rich bastard.

Rourke bumped me with his chair. “Cut the crap. He’s going to love it. He gets off on cheesy shit like this.”

I looked down at him. “You didn’t curse like this before you started dating Ty. Which is weird because he doesn’t curse a lot. Yet somehow he still manages to be a bad influence on you.”