Chapter 10
Cash
“One more flight,” I hear Lilly tell Jax as we board the small plane. I don’t mind flying, but this day has been exhausting. We woke up at five this morning, got both the kids up and ready, then drove the forty minutes to the airport where we caught our first flight. That one took us from Tennessee to Seattle, and once in Seattle, we boarded another flight to Anchorage, Alaska. Once we arrived in Anchorage, we made our way quickly from the terminal to our gate in order to head outside and board another plane to the small town that her parents lived in.
“I want to sit with Daddy,” Ashlyn says when we all file onto the plane. The seats are all two-by-two, so we have to split up into pairs.
“That’s fine,” Lilly says as she helps Jax buckle into the seat next to her across the aisle from Ashlyn and me.
“How much longer?” Ashlyn asks, and I can tell she’s getting tired. Lucky for us, both kids are pretty well behaved, so we haven’t had any real drama or breakdowns today, but it has been a long day and it’s starting to wear on all of us.
“Forty-five minutes,” Lilly answers. Once all the other passengers are on the plane and the door is closed, the sound of the engines fills the plane. It’s so loud I look nervously over to Lilly who smiles. “They call these planes pond hoppers.” Lilly laughs when she sees the look on my face. “Don’t worry, we’re up then back down on the ground before you know it,” she says with a smile as Jax takes her hand. The plane starts to speed up, and I know we’re off the ground when the plane shakes and the sound of the engine gets even louder than before. This has got to be the scariest flight I have ever been on; I feel like the plane is going to rattle apart. About twenty minutes into the flight, Ashlyn has curled up in her seat with her head against my ribs. I look over at Lilly and Jax, seeing that they are both asleep. Lilly’s head is back against her headrest, and Jax is in much the same position as Ashlyn. The stewardess doesn’t even come through the cabin for drink service; she just stays strapped into her seat. Before I know it, the captain makes an announcement that we will be landing soon. Once I feel the plane touch down, I reach across the small aisle and run my fingers down Lilly’s cheek. Her eyes open and meet mine before looking down at Jax, who is now awake, then over at Ashlyn. We wait until most of the passengers are off the plane before we stand and get our carry-ons out of the bins; it’s easier than trying to fight everyone to get off.#p#分页标题#e#
We step off the plane, and I have never been happier in my life to have my feet on solid ground. All I want to do is eat, shower, and sleep.
“Do you want me to take her?” Lilly asks, looking at Ashlyn, who is still asleep.
“No, baby, I got her,” I say, grabbing her hand as we make our way into the terminal.
“Mommy…I mean…Lilly,” Jax says, and I look over at Lilly, who is smiling down at Jax.
“Yeah, honey?” she says quietly, running her hand down the back of his head. My stomach drops as I watch the woman I love and plan on asking to marry me interact with my son, who has gotten so close to her that he slipped and called her Mom. I wish his mother was normal and sane and had a relationship with him, but she doesn’t. I don’t even think she cares one way or another what happens with Jax. The more time that goes by, I’m convinced that the only reason she is involved in Jax’s life at all is to hold him over my head or fuck with me.
“Can we go fishing like Grandpa talked about?” Jax asks.
“Yes, I’m sure Grandpa will take you fishing, just not today.”
“Okay,” he sighs, grabbing Lilly’s other hand. “Can we go look for beers?”
“Yes, honey, but not today.” She laughs softly. I drop her hand so I can shift Ashlyn, and I feel Lilly’s hand go into my back pocket.
“Can we go out on the boat and see otters, like Grandpa said?” Jax asks and I chuckle. He and Ashlyn have been having Skype sessions with Lilly’s parents every few days since our first time a few months ago. Every time the kids talked to Lilly’s parents, her dad told Jax about all the cool things that they were going to do when we came to visit.
“I'm sure we will go out on the boat at some point while we’re here, honey.”
“Can we go to McDonald’s?”
“There is no McDonald’s here.” Lilly laughs when Jax’s eyes get huge, and he looks around the airport—if you can even call it that; it’s more like a large metal building with a check-in counter and two doors, one where you enter, and one where you go out onto the tarmac. Every plane that lands has to be boarded from outside.