One Final Breath

by LK Collins

  “Are you ready to see what’s in here?” he asks us all with the mystery package in hand.

  But before he can say anything else, the boys yank it from him and tear it to shreds as they open it. They pull out what appears to be t-shirts. They each got their own, and as they look at their names written across it in the unique Disney style font, both remove their shirts and put the new ones on. Thane hands me mine which I hold up, tears clouding my eyes as I read “Mom” written across it. “What’s yours say?” I ask him and when he shows me “Dad,” I smile. I’m okay with things; in fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “Thank you, Thane,” Braxley tells him and gives him a big hug.

  “Where’s my thanks?” he asks Jack who crashes into him as he’s kneeling down, still holding on to Braxley. With the boys in his arms, he says to them, “Now, flying this plane is a big task. Do you think you guys can behave and stay in your seats?”

  “You’re flying the plane?” Braxley asks him.

  “I am, and your mom’s gonna sit up front and help me.”

  “Wow, that’s so cool.”

  “I want this seat,” Jack hollers and runs claiming the one he wants. Braxley gives Thane another hug and whispers something into his ear before he plops next to Jack.

  “Are you ready, beautiful?” Thane asks me.

  I nod, swallowing, not sure if I am ready, but knowing I don’t really have a choice.

  He leads me up front to the cockpit, and the sheer volume of controls ignites my anxiety.

  “Take your seat.”

  I listen, and he helps me strap up, then sits down next to me.

  “Put your headset on.”

  I stare at it, not able to move, my adrenaline peaking and I shake my head, telling him, “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Sure, you can.”

  “No!” My palms are sweaty, and I reach for the buckles on the restraint. “I can’t.”

  However, as I go to unbuckle myself, Thane says to me, “‘Thank you for taking me on my first flight’—that’s what Braxley whispered to me.” My eyes get wide, and I look at him as he sits so confidently in the seat next to me. “Everything is going to be okay, Faye. The weather is clear, this plane is practically brand new, and you trust me, right?

  “I do,” I tell him because it’s the truth.

  “Then take a deep breath and let go of your fears.”

  My hands are balled into fists, and I search for the strength to listen to him, for my son.

  My eyes are shut tight as he begins the process. All I hear are switches and the motors coming to life as he starts the plane. Then he calls over the intercom, “Boys, you ready for takeoff?”

  I hear them answer and look back to see they haven’t a worry in the world. So why am I so scared? They are chatting it up, strapped safely into their seats.

  As Thane radios into the control tower, I want to hear what they are saying, so I reach for my headset, putting it over my ears right as they give him the clearance for takeoff.

  “Ready?” he asks me pulling the plane down the runway.

  I nod and close my eyes again, feeling Ben’s presence with us. He’s with us today—every day—and will guide us there safely.

  Thane talks to the control tower again, then to me as he says, “Open your eyes, babe, enjoy this.”

  I look at him, and he winks, then the plane charges down the runway, going from zero to what feels like top speed within seconds. My blood pressure is through the roof as we lift off. My hands are gripping my seat, and I close my eyes, scared to death.

  My ears pop, but the take off is very smooth. Looking over at Thane, he’s got the controls in his talented hands and knowing how capable he is reassures me.

  I look at the sights around us, my death grip finally loosening on my seat, and to my surprise, my stomach settles watching the ground get smaller and smaller, the higher we get. The noise of the boys in the background is like music to my ears, and I zone in on it. Reaching over, Thane rubs my cheek with the back of his knuckles, I lean into his touch and thank not only God but Ben for giving me this amazing man and a second chance at love.

  Chapter 29

  Thane

  “We have our own room?!” Braxley yells as the boys jump up and down on their beds.

  “Yup,” I tell them.

  “How did you plan all of this?” Faye asks me, as I sling my arm over her shoulder and we gaze out at the sights of Disneyland together.

  “It was easy. Being in my line of work, I called in a few favors.”

  “Thank you for this,” she tells me, and I lean in to kiss her, but the boys charge into our room ruining the moment.

  “The fireworks are going off,” they say, and we all spot the astonishing display that lights the night sky. We spent the day at the main Disneyland theme park, doing as much as we could, minus staying for the nightly fireworks show.

  “Wow!” Jack says and leans into me. I hold on to him tightly, grateful that we are all here together.

  Then there is a knock on our door, and I go to answer it. The room service we ordered for dinner is here. The employee’s wheel in the two carts of food we ordered and I tell them, “Thank you,” handing each one a tip from my wallet. The boys rip the covers off the food and start eating their fries.

  “Did you boys pick a movie yet?” Faye asks them.

  “Yup!”

  They run into their room, and I wheel the cart after them. Once they are situated and comfortable in their beds, with their meals, I go back into our room and find Faye waiting for me with a glass of wine.

  “Here you go,” she hands me the glass, and I hold her chin in between my thumb and forefinger. Molding my lips over hers, she melts into me, kissing me softly, holding her glass of wine so gingerly that at any moment it might fall to the floor.

  “I want you,” I tell her.

  “Me too.” But her stomach growls and I know we need to eat. Plus, the boys will be out soon and then we’ll have our time together. “Let’s eat.” I pull her chair out for her, and she sits down at the table in front of the window of our room.

  As I start to eat my steak, she watches me, not yet touching her food and I ask her, “What?”

  “Nothing, I’m just admiring you. That’s all.”

  “Are you now?” I ask her and give her a sexy grin. She smirks back at me and lifts a forkful of her pasta to her mouth. I’ve never seen someone make eating such a sexy thing.

  “I am. I’m not sure how I got so lucky.”

  “Oh, I could say the same thing.” And I could. Faye is by far the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. Her strength and resilience are something else. Something that I wish I had. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if I ever had to endure half of what she’s been through, I wouldn’t be able to go on. At least not the way Faye does. She’s an amazing mother, always putting Braxley first.

  “What are you thinking?” she asks me and I find myself now not eating, only focusing on her.

  “Nothing. Did you have fun today?”

  “I had a blast, but I don’t think I had as much fun as the boys did.”

  “No way, they loved it.”

  “Do you hear that?” she asks me and I listen for the noise. All I hear is the television from next-door, then my ears zone in and I think I hear snoring.

  “Are they already out?”

  We both get up from the table and glance into their room. Sure enough, the little guys are tuckered out. Braxley is snoring, sitting up with half his chicken strips still on the plate. Faye takes his plate, setting it on the cart before she pulls the covers over him and I do the same for Jack. She kisses each of them good night, and I stand stunned, my heart warmed by her affection towards my son.

  As I press the power button on the TV, she wheels their cart of half eaten food back into our room. With her hands wrapped around the handle, I hold on to her hips and grind myself against her ass.

  She glances over her shoulder at m
e, and I raise my eyebrows at her. She bites her bottom lip, and I toss her over my shoulder, carrying her into our bedroom. Quietly, she giggles against my back, and I latch the door locking it. Glancing around the room, the bed is so inviting; I can already imagine Faye naked on it.

  Setting her feet on the ground, she grabs the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head. My hands cup her tits, yanking them out from beneath her bra and she shivers when I pinch her nipples. The feeling of holding on to her like this, makes me want her even more.

  She reaches behind herself and unclasps her bra. I let go of her, and slowly she slides it down her arms.

  Then, out of the blue, she drops to her knees. The sight of her kneeling in front of me like this makes me so horny.

  “Can I suck you?” she asks, unbuttoning my jeans.

  “Fuck yes!” I tell her eagerly.

  Then she lets my pants fall to the floor and takes my cock out, stroking me from base to tip. Heat radiates in my balls with every movement of her hand. My eyes are on her lips, wanting her to wrap them around me. She licks them, and I nudge forward, getting distracted by her tits. God, they are perfect. Plump with hard pink nipples. I could fuck them, and as I imagine my cock pressed down on her sternum, she pulls me out of my erotic daydream by taking my shaft all the way into her mouth.

  “Oh fuck, baby,” I tell her, and she lets go of my dick, holding her boobs, one in each hand. She bobs fiercely up and down on me; her full lips stretched wide as she takes almost all of me into her mouth, playing with her nipples. Reaching down, I hold on to the back of her head. Pushing her further down around me as I nudge into her.

  With her lips pressed down around me, pulling the skin of my shaft with every stroke, she swirls her tongue over the end and a violent orgasm brews inside me. Ready to be free, I go to pull out of her mouth, but she grips my ass and holds me close. I lose my control, my entire body tensing. I let go of her head, giving her free rein to do what she wants.

  My cum coats the back of her throat, and she moans, swallowing every bit I give her.

  Once I’m finished, I wait for her to stop, but she doesn’t. Finally, I back out of her mouth and yank her to her feet.

  “Pants off,” I order her, and she removes them in two swift pulls. Lifting her under her arms, I toss her back on the bed. She lands with her ass just dangling over the edge. Taking her body by the ankles, I run her legs up the front of my body and push my cock inside her.

  Her tight, wet pussy swallows me whole. And then I spread her wide. She leans up and observes me fucking her as I grip her ankles. “You like watching me fuck your pussy?”

  “Mhhhmmm,” she whimpers, gripping the comforter.

  “Touch yourself,” I tell her and her eyes get wide. Fuck, I want to see her rub her own pussy. “Like this,” I say and take her right hand, moving it back and forth over her clit as I stimulate her insides.

  “Oh God!” she cries out, and I hold her legs open, slamming into her intensely. With every thrust, I grunt. My eyes scan her whole body, eating up the way her tits bounce from me drilling her, to her own hand pleasing her.

  Her noises get louder and louder, and I know she’s close. Then her body arches off the bed, and she tries to close her legs as she rubs herself vigorously.

  I hold her in place, loving what we are together—so powerful—an unstoppable hurricane of pleasure.

  My balls let loose again, and I shove myself deep inside her, holding still. Able to come just from her pussy muscles flexing tighter and looser around my shaft.

  When I’m with Faye like this, the pleasure is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and as she lies under my control, sweaty and panting, I know I’m falling for her—no—I’ve already fallen for her.

  Chapter 30

  Faye

  Text me when you’re up. I took the boys out to do some exploring. xoxo, Faye

  I leave the note on Thane’s nightstand, and then the boys and I sneak out of the hotel room, leaving Thane sleeping peacefully.

  “Where are we going?” Jack asks me.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “I’m hungry,” Braxley says as we walk down the hallway together.

  “Then we’ll eat first.” Both of them seem excited to get out and explore.

  Once we’re in the elevator, I say to the boys, “There’s another reason I wanted you guys to come with me this morning.”

  “What’s that?” Jack asks.

  “What do you think would be a good gift to buy for Thane?”

  “We could get him a Lego set,” Jack says.

  “Or a new stuffed animal,” Braxley adds.

  “Not gifts for you guys, for him. Did he say anything to either of you that he wanted yesterday?”

  Both shake their heads, and the elevator doors open allowing us to walk into the lobby of the hotel. Immediately the scent of coffee invades my nose. We get in line at the coffee shop, and I ask them, “What do you guys want?” and they ogle the case of pastries.

  “I wanna Mickey donut,” Jack says.

  “Yeah, me too!”

  I order my usual coffee and the boys each a donut and milk. I consider getting Thane his Chai Tea Latte, but I pass since I have no clue where we are headed or when we’ll be back to the room.

  The girl hands the boys their donuts and milk, and I tell them, “Pick a table to sit at.” And they run off sitting by a huge window, that overlooks the outside. I love how close they are; they really are like brothers. I hope that if Thane and I ever break up, the boys can remain friends. I’d hate to break them apart. I know when Thane and I split before after we’d first gotten together, it was hard on Braxley and I’m sure Jack felt the same way.

  After I add cream and sugar to my coffee, I sit down with them, and both have chocolate smeared across their little faces. “You guys enjoying your breakfast?”

  “Uh huh,” Jack says.

  “Hey, Mom, what’s that guy doing outside?” Braxley asks me.

  And I peek over his shoulder at an older gentleman who is setting up some sort of a cart outside of the hotel. We watch him for a few moments, pop up a huge red umbrella, and then display an array of pictures. “I think he’s a caricaturist.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He draws pictures of people and makes them look funny.”

  “That’s what we should get Dad,” Jack says.

  “You think he’d like it?”

  “Uh huh, especially if it made him laugh. He never used to laugh much before you.”

  “Well then, we must get it done,” I tell him and I can’t envision Thane not being happy, but I guess before he and I met, he was in a dark place a lot like I was. A single father—going through a divorce—alone. “So, what do you think, should we do it?” I ask Jack, and he says, “Yes!”

  Once they are finished eating, I know this is the right gift to get him, as there wasn’t a single thing he wanted or seemed interested in yesterday. Jack and Braxley hop out of their chairs. “Throw your milk away,” I tell them and they listen, then I follow them outside the hotel. They run up to the guy, and I’m not far behind them.

  “Good morning, ma’am,” The man says as the boys inspect his other drawings.

  “Hi,” I tell him.

  “Did you draw all these by yourself?” Braxley asks, “They’re so cool.”

  “Yes, I did. Would you and your brother like one done.”

  They nod frantically, not even noticing the man called them brothers. I chuckle as they take a seat together basically on one chair and the man looks at me for reassurance.

  “Would you like to be in the picture too?”

  I shake my head, but the boys call me over to them. “Come on, Mom!” Braxley hollers and the man says, “Yeah, come on, Mom.”

  I smile, taking a seat on the other chair, the three of us squeezing in, and I hope Thane likes this gift. I really want to do something nice for him after he’s been so generous. Flying us here and paying for everything and ne
ver complaining one bit.

  As I sit with the boys, I can only imagine how silly this is gonna look. But…that’s what it’s about after all, right? Being here in this place, it’s like being a kid again, and if Thane has shown me one thing, it’s to be myself.

  ***

  “Dad’s gonna love this!” Jack says, looking down at the framed picture of him, Braxley, and I as we walk back down the hall towards the hotel room.

  “It did turn out pretty cool.”

  I check my phone and don’t see any messages from Thane. He must still be passed out. “Ready to surprise him?” I ask and slip the key into the door. It turns green, and as I turn the handle, we quietly walk towards the bedroom where we find Thane still sleeping. The room is dark, and the boys yell, “Wake up!” He sits right up, then falls back when he sees us, and I open the curtains.

  “Is it morning already?” he asks, pulling the covers up and over his face. Jack and Braxley, kick off their shoes and climb in bed with Thane. They are like two little monkeys. Jack almost hits Thane in the face with the huge picture, and I take it in my hand, helping him hold on to it as I say, “It’s time to wake up, sleepyhead.”

  Thane hears my voice and peers out at me. I set his Chai Tea Latte on the nightstand that I grabbed on the way back. But it’s not enough, he burrows back under the covers, and the boys rock back and forth on the bed trying to wake him.

  “We got you a present!” Jack says in his cute voice, and that gets Thane’s attention. His tired eyes blink a few times, and then he looks at the picture in front of him that I’m holding up

  “Is this it?” he asks, and they nod together.

  “Wow! I love it. Now let me guess. This is you, Braxley?” And he points to me on the paper. I sit on the bed next to Thane, and he wraps his arm around me. Braxley tells him, “No, that’s Mommy!”

  “Now I see it; it is Mommy. Doesn’t she look pretty?” They agree and I watch Thane look at the picture, the smile on his face is clear—this was the perfect gift—he loves it.