“I told you, I won’t have you tell me what to do,” she scolds.
While removing my shoes, I look down and smile. “Good. Because I happen to like how bossy you are in bed.”
“Be careful because I can be very demanding.”
“I plan on it.” I lift my shirt. “Now, what would the lady like her man to do first?”
She licks her lips and stares at me. Not at the chiseled body or the bulge in my pants. No, she stares into my eyes and declares, “Make love to me.”
“Gladly.”
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Jolene
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to San Francisco International Airport where the local time is 1:04 p.m., and the temperature is seventy-seven degrees. On behalf of your flight crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip, and we look forward to flying with you again in the near future.” I put the intercom in the socket and stay seated as the captain finishes his taxi into the airport.
“You off now?” the flight attendant who I’ve shared this three-day trip with asks.
“Yeah. I’m excited to be home.”
Home. Those four letters carry more meaning than any word in the entire English language.
It took a while for me to get the new schedule I wanted. I have some seniority in my field, but moving my home base airport from JFK to San Francisco took longer than I would have liked.
“Have a great time with your family, Jolene,” she says as we depart the plane after completing our post-flight checklist.
“You too,” I say and walk down the jetway and into the terminal.
The airport. My home away from the home and place that still brings me joy. Except, now, it brings me a different kind of joy, and I’m okay with walking away from it until my trip next week. Now, I have a new adventure to look forward to on the ground.
As I walk toward the double doors that lead outside, I can’t help but think, I love everything about this day.
I locate my Uber and climb into the backseat, resting happily against the headrest, checking to see that I’m right on time.
Not only did it take a while to change my schedule, but it also took awhile to find the perfect place for Zack and me to move into. Every time I was here, we’d search, which was harder than I’d thought it would be. It wasn’t just about the size of the rooms or quality of home, but we also had to find a home that was close to the bar yet not too far away from Natalie’s house and Luke’s school.
Just like everything else that’s happened lately, we found the perfect place right at the perfect time.
My transfer came through, and within days, our realtor called to say a listing had just come up. It wasn’t an apartment, and it wasn’t a rental. It was a cream-colored townhome on Nob Hill with three bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen, and a small yard. I told Zack it was too much, but he assured me that we could afford it—by we, he meant he—and put in an offer. I refused. It was expensive. And then he promised me I could get a cat, like the one I’d loved when I was a teenager, and, well, I caved.
We moved in last weekend, and today is a special day because we finally get to show Luke his own room. Since Zack won’t be living above the bar anymore, he said he wanted to start having Luke stay with him overnight. I was shocked when he said Natalie hadn’t put up a fight. With Luke being older, she was more comfortable with it and sounded almost excited at the idea of being able to have a few nights to herself. She even mentioned going on a date the other night.
To my surprise, she’s actually been friendly to me. Even though she and Zack had some hard times in the past, they both feel that having Luke has been the best thing that’s ever happened to them, and it’s worth it for them to move on with their lives and be happy for each other.
When I pull up to the bar, Zack is already outside, waiting for me.
“I thought I’d surprise you inside,” I say, pulling my carry-on behind me.
Zack takes the bag from me and snakes his free arm around my waist. “I don’t think you understand just how much I miss you when you’re working.”
His lips on mine are the sweetest homecoming a girl could ask for.
He takes my hand and walks me to the back where his truck is parked. He keeps his hand in mine the entire time while I tell him about my flight to New York and then the tour of London I did while on layover. My new schedule has me doing three-day trips over the month to different international locations, and I’ve been enjoying it. Besides Italy, London is one of my favorite cities, and Zack puts in his cookie and candy requests for my return.
I bend down and take a small plastic bag out of my purse as we get in the truck. “I got you treats.”
“Please tell me there are Maltesers in that bag,” he pleads for the malted candies.
“I also brought you back some Turkish delight.”
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it. “This is the only reason I’m okay with you still flying off to Europe.”
I raise a brow. “I thought it was because travel brings me immense joy?”
“Maybe I’ll hit the lotto, and we can spend our days traveling all over the world.”
“A man can dream,” I sigh.
He keeps his eyes on the road after pulling onto the street as a huge grin spreads over his face. “Nah. I already got my dream right here.”
And this is why I am so blissfully happy with Zack. I have a gorgeous man who loves me and my crazy ways. More importantly, I am wildly, passionately, infinitely in love with him right back.
As we pull up to Luke’s school, we get out and look at the steel door where kids are waiting with their teacher for them to confirm they see their parents in the pickup crowd. As soon as Luke sees us, he comes running toward us, jumping into my arms. I wrap them around him and squeeze him hard.
Luke has been the cherry on top to my new life sundae. I never knew I could love a child this much. I’d say it’s because he’s part of Zack, a spitting image of the boy I knew way back when, but it’s more. This kid is funny, loving, and accepts people unconditionally. We’ve spent many days talking about cities and the places he’d love to travel to. We’ve found a bond over building Legos of iconic buildings from around the globe—the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, and the Great Wall of China, to name a few.
“We have a big surprise for you today,” Zack says, grabbing Luke’s shoulders and excitedly jostling him.
He looks over at his dad with wide eyes and an anxious grin. “Is it ready?” he asks.
Zack rubs his hand through Luke’s hair, slightly messing it up. “Sure is, bud. Are you ready to see it?”
“Do I get to stay the night too?” His little face lights up, and I can’t help the huge smile that plasters itself on my face.
“You sure do. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Zack motions back to the truck.
“I’ll race you!” Luke yells over his shoulder as he takes off with Zack close on his tail.
I make my way back a little slower since my stomach hasn’t been feeling the best today. Damn jetlag.
We get in and drive to the new place. Just like Luke, I’m extra giddy, too. That feeling doesn’t go away the entire ride, and only amplifies when we pull up to the grey and white house that’s now ours.