“She heard, buddy,” Cole said. “I’m really happy and honored that you want to take my name, and I’ll make sure and file the proper papers just as soon as I marry your mother. You can both have new names together.”
He ran over to hug Cole, and I breathed a sigh of relief that we had that all settled. I had been afraid he wouldn’t want the name Hyde at all, and I still hoped I was making the right decision by letting him. But after seeing Cole’s face, that bright, big smile that he carried, I knew I had. He was truly the only dad that Cam had ever known, and I wanted them to have that special bond of a family name.
“So, now that that’s settled, when are we going to the hangar?” I asked.
“Just as soon as we finish eating and get ourselves ready. Then, I’ll take you all for ice cream.”
“Does Sky get to have some too?” I looked over to Sky, and she was all smiles like she knew what ice cream was.
Cole stood up and took Sky from her chair. “I think I might be able to give her a bit of mine. It won’t hurt her, and she’ll like it. She’s getting so big, it’s time to sweeten her up.” He held her close, and she patted his face as always.
Cam finished with his breakfast too and then got down to bring his plate and Cole’s to the sink. I tried to hurry, knowing they were waiting on me, and sure enough, Cole had his keys and had already packed Sky’s bag.
Finally, after finishing my food, I went to the vanity in my room to make sure I didn’t have waffle in my teeth, put my hair up in a ponytail, and slipped on some casual clothes. I was in my full mom attire by the time we left, complete with baby and diaper bag attached.
Loading into the car wasn’t as easy as it used to be, but in the short time we’d had Sky, we’d learned to do it efficiently.
Before we knew it, we were unpacking again at the hangar.
Cole grabbed the diaper bag and then took his briefcase from the car. “I have to go up to my office for a minute. We’ll go by the lab first.”
I was down for anything and felt like it was a treat just to be out of the house without something already planned for my day. “Sounds good. Lead the way.” I kept seeing him look at me, and while I knew I looked tired, I was beginning to get a complex.
As we walked into the building, Cam ran to the toys that Becky kept behind her desk for him and the other kids, and he started flying a small plane around the room with his hands. His sister watched as he made sound effects, and soon we got in the elevator and headed up.
We walked out of the elevator and down the hall, passing my little office door before we got to Cole’s. I hadn’t been working out of it for months now, but I missed the little room and its peace and quiet.
“I should come down here more often,” I said. “My little office misses me.”
Cole unlocked his door. “My little office misses you, too, but you’ve been working well from home, and the website is doing great. It’s actually getting us a lot of attention.”
“The lawsuit helped with that, actually, but thanks for giving me the credit.” I gave a chuckle, and he laughed and poked me in the rib playfully. I took the chance to pass Sky off and let my arms rest.
Cole brought her into his office and walked over to his desk chair as I walked with Cam to look out the window and down into the hangar which was dimly lit by the security lights.
After a moment, Cam went over to Cole’s desk, and I looked up to find him texting. “Leslie says hi,” he said.
It wasn’t often that my best friend messaged my soon-to-be husband, but when that happened, I knew it was only in gratitude. “Did she thank you for the tuition again? She’s been going on and on since she registered about how grateful she is that you lent her the money for college.”
“And I keep telling her that it isn’t a loan. Do me a favor and make her understand that she doesn’t have to pay me back.” He opened his desk drawer as if looking for something.
“I’ve tried. She’s hopeless. Although it is hard to get used to the money.” I walked over and took Sky and sat on the other side of the desk from Cole, who continued his search.
“How do you think it is for me to have earned all of it? I remember when I made my first ten grand. I felt like a millionaire then. Then when I hit a million, I felt like I was living in a dream. It all happened so fast too, as if one day I was living in my car, and the next, I was buying a house. I was shell-shocked. It took me forever to get used to sleeping horizontally again. I bought one of those expensive beds that you can raise, and gradually, night to night, lowered it until my poor brain could handle lying down.” He searched another file drawer and then closed it, only to go for another.
“It must have been horrible sleeping in your car.”
He shut the drawer and slumped in defeat. “That’s a pretty good description.”
“Are you looking for something in particular. Perhaps I can help?”
He looked up at me with widened eyes. “No, it’s not important. I’ll have Tanner help me. It’s just a form.”
I wasn’t buying it. He had that look of concern on his face that told me he was trying to spare me worry, but I knew better than to press on about it. With the wedding coming, it might be best if I didn’t have the extra added stress of whatever he was keeping from me. As long as whatever it was didn’t interfere with the wedding, it wasn’t my concern.
“Can we see the plane now?” Cam asked with a hopeful look.
Cole seemed to have given up his search, but the look of worry was still plastered on his face. “Sure, buddy. Let’s go give her a look.” We walked down the hall to the back staircase leading to the private shop where Cole worked on his special projects.
“Careful on these stairs,” he said as we walked down into the room.
But Cam bounded down them in such a hurry, he seemed lighter than air. “Woah, that’s neat,” he said, looking up at the small white plane. “When are you going to fly it?”
“Not long now,” said Cam. He gave me a nervous smile, and it dawned on me that the test flight might be what the papers were for.
“Did you talk to Tanner? Did he check on those permits?” I hated to ask, but I had a feeling there was something he wasn’t telling me that actually could create a problem for our wedding.
But he put on his most charming smile and shook his head. “He’ll let me know when he does. I’m sure we’re good, baby. No worries.”
“I want to go inside it. Please?” Cam walked over to the hatch and turned to look at Cole with pleading eyes.
“Sure,” he said, taking Cam by the hand. “Let’s go inside.”
I hitched Sky up on my hip as I watched them, and I knew in my bones that there was something going on with Cole. When he came out of the plane minutes later with Cam, I took him aside. “What’s the matter? You’re acting funny.”
“Am I?”
I gave him a pointed look. “Are you sure you’re not keeping something from me?”
He smiled and let out a breath. “You got me. I’m taking you out on a date later. I wanted it to be a surprise, and Leslie said she’ll watch the kids. I know you’ve been stressed, so I wanted to give you a little time alone with me.” He stepped forward and brought me and Sky closer.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I should have known that things would be okay. “I’d love that. It’s been too long.”
“I agree. We can practice up for our honeymoon,” he gave me a wink, “and make sure that we still know what we’re doing.”
“Oh, you can bet I haven’t lost my touch.” He pulled me in for a kiss, and we laughed when Sky patted his stubbly chin.
Cole
I had never seen Jessica get so stressed over getting ready for a night out, but she hadn’t really been out on an official date in the past six months after having the baby, and according to her, none of her clothes fit.
“Ugh! This is tight in the hips. This is tight in the boobs. I have nothing to wear.” She plopped down on the vanity seat and gave me a helpless look
.
I had told her to go clothes shopping and had even given her my credit card to get anything she wanted. “And whose fault is that?” Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.
“I’m sorry if I don’t have more time to spend your money, but I’ve been busy with our baby.” She had bought the little one more clothes than she would ever be able to wear but nothing for herself.
“You’ve got to remember to do things for yourself,” I said.
“I didn’t want to buy new clothes, hoping I’d lose weight.” She looked down to the floor. “I’m fat and tired. Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
I walked over and picked up a beautiful blue dress that she’d bought at the beginning of her pregnancy. “This one. It’s lovely on you.”
She shook her head. “It’s maternity. It’s the only one that fits me. But it’s not even that.” She began to tear up.
I pulled her into my arms and tried to comfort her. “You’re beautiful. Your body is amazing and can do amazing things mine can’t, like have babies grow inside of it. You’re not fat. Tired, yes, which is why we’re going on this date. And then, the next favor I’ll ask is for Leslie to take you out shopping. You can leave Sky with me.”
“I don’t want to leave Sky at all,” she said with big tears in her eyes. She made a sound of frustration, and I could tell that she was upset with herself about more than the weight. “I haven’t been away from her since she was born.”
“And Leslie is your best friend, and she’s more than capable of taking care of Sky for one night.” She had known Leslie for ages, and I couldn’t imagine what was making her so irrational about leaving the baby. I knew that some mothers were overprotective, but I would think she’d want a break. I knew I did. I needed my wife again; I needed to hold her and kiss her without the kids interrupting us for five minutes and to make love to her where she could scream out in ecstasy, instead of biting her lips to keep quiet.
“It’s not that I don’t trust Leslie. But you don’t understand. I haven’t been away from Sky at all, and she’s so little. Overnight is a long time to a baby. What if she misses me? She might even think I’ve abandoned her.” She walked to her closet and pulled out a few other dresses.
“Did Cam feel abandoned when you left him for the first time? I mean, you were a single mother. Surely, you had to leave him and go to work, right?”
“This is different. Cam was used to it by six months old, but Sky’s not.”
“I’m sure that Leslie can watch the babies. Besides, I’ve already made arrangements for the kids to go along on the honeymoon, which is more like a family vacation with me hiring a nanny to watch the kids.”
“I still think that’s a horrible idea. I don’t know this Nanny Ellen person.”
I walked over to the pile of dresses and found the one I liked. “Blue dress. You bought it when you were barely showing, and it’s beautiful. Put it on, and let’s go.” I tried to remain firm but gave her a pleading glance at the same time. I would dress her myself and then pick her up and carry her to the car if I had to.
“Fine!” she snapped. “You’re the one who has to be seen with me.”
“And it’s an honor, I assure you.” I waited until she was almost ready and then finished up by pulling on my shirt and tie. I found a jacket and pulled it on then gathered my wallet and slipped on my shoes.
I was still done and waiting by the time she put on the finishing touches, and she looked like a million bucks. The blue dress was perfect with her alabaster skin and dark hair, and even though she had dark eyes, the blue seemed to make them brighter.
She didn’t have much to say in the car on the way, mostly because I’d made her give a quick goodbye instead of a lingering one. She would have had both kids strapped in with us if I’d let her.
As we passed the hangar on our way into the city, she turned to look at me. “Did you ever ask Tanner about what you were looking for at the office?”
I cleared my throat and decided to still keep it vague. “No, I’ll get with him Monday. He’s been busy since his mother hooked him up with Mercedes.”
“Mercedes sounds like an older woman,” she said, making a face. “I can’t see Tanner with an older woman.”
“According to Tanner, she’s about two years older, never been married, and is kind of bitchy. She’s a friend of his mother’s, and I think she knows her from a social club. Young Women’s Business League of Boston or something like that.”
She shook her head. “I can’t see Tanner settling down. After we got engaged, he was with three different women in a week. What kind of man does that?”
I tried to keep the guilty look off my face but failed miserably, and she caught on.
“Cole? Don’t tell me you were that type before we met.” She gave me a hard glare, and I shrugged.
“I’m going to plead the fifth.” I wasn’t about to talk about our pasts on the way to the most expensive restaurant in the city.
“Never mind,” she said. “Forget I said anything.” She turned and looked out the window, and I was glad I hadn’t admitted that I couldn’t even find the permits to check the dates. While Tanner kept insisting that we had another month, if they were sixty-day permits instead of ninety, we were screwed.
We remained quiet for the rest of the drive, and we got to the restaurant, which was an elegant dining establishment that looked more like a botanical garden and had a waiting list a mile long if you didn’t have anything under a cool million in your pocket. I usually didn’t go with anyone but Tanner, but the chef was one of the best in the world, and I wanted Jessica to experience it at least once in her life.
We walked in and were led to a VIP area where the tables overlooked the entire city, which was always breathtaking no matter how many times I’d seen it.
Jess’s eyes lit up, and she held onto my arm as she took in the view as we passed. “Oh, Cole. It’s so beautiful. I’ve lived here all my life and haven’t ever seen the city this way.”
“It’s why I brought you here. I thought you’d love it. And you’re going to love the food as well.”
She looked around at some of the other tables and then at a tray of food that a waiter carried high over his head. “I won’t know what to order. You’ll have to help me.”
“You can’t go wrong with the lobster ravioli, and if you like calamari, theirs is to die for.” I’d never had a bad meal there, and the seafood and produce were always the freshest of any around.
“I’ll do the ravioli. That sounds perfect.” She looked out at the view, and when we finally made it to the table, she sighed. “I wish I’d brought my camera. Do you think I’d be completely touristy if I held up my phone and took a few shots?
I pulled out her chair. “I don’t think anyone would mind.”
She lowered herself into the chair. “Thank you,” she said. “For making me come out tonight. I know I was being a bit irrational earlier, but it’s just so hard to leave them. And while I know it’s silly, it makes me feel like a bad mother.”
Our kids were truly special and lucky to have her. Just like I was. “Don’t worry about it. You’re a great mother, and you’re going to be a great wife.” I gave her a wink.
“I can’t wait. It was so nice to wake up this morning and know everything is done. All I have to do now is wait.” She took a deep breath just to let it out. “I can’t wait to see it all come together. The flowers are going to be breathtaking, and the cake? I can’t wait to taste it.”
We had done a tasting, and it was the best tasting white chocolate I’d ever put in my mouth. “Yeah, I still remember it.” I was interrupted by the waiter and ordered us a bottle of wine, and then we gave our orders.
After he left, I reached across our intimate table and held her hand. “Everything is going to be perfect. Including the bride.” Her foot slipped up into my pant leg, and she gave me a smoldering look.
“I can’t wait until we go to our room,” she said.
“Me too. I’ve w
anted to get you alone for a while now.” I leaned in closer and lowered my voice. “Someplace we don’t have to worry about being quiet so you can scream my name.”
“I can’t wait to see the view there, too,” she said with the same low tone. “I happen to know it’s just as breathtaking.”
She was the only woman who had ever made my cheeks warm, and though I hoped I wasn’t blushing, I knew my desire for her had to be written all over my face.
When the food came, we both ate without making much conversation, but her foot was still working my leg under the table, and at one point, her toe made it all the way up to my thigh. I nearly choked, and the two of us began laughing together like two idiots.
“Graceful,” she said.
I wiped my mouth. “It’s quite distracting.”
“Let’s take the rest of this to go, Mr. Saunders. I’m feeling a bit impatient.” Knowing she couldn’t wait to get me back to the hotel had me so turned on, I couldn’t help but feel the same. I called the waiter, got the check, and took one more look at the view as we left the building.
The only thing I wanted to see was the look in her eyes when I was buried deep inside of her.
Jessica
Cole and I had left the restaurant in such a hurry, we had forgotten our bottle of wine, but truthfully, I was already feeling a bit warm inside. Perhaps it was Cole making me feel that way.
He’d barely been able to keep his hands off me in the car, and I had sat so close, with my lips softly kissing his neck, that I wasn’t helping. Or perhaps I was?
We checked in, and after we made it to our room, he wasted no time unzipping my dress. “I don’t want to wait another second,” he said as he pushed the straps from my shoulders. The fabric of the bodice fell around my hips and then took the rest to the floor.
I reached forward, my hand falling upon his crotch where his hard length was tight inside of his pants. “So impatient,” I said.
He smirked. “You’re the one who suggested taking our meal on the road, so I think you’re the impatient one.” He took off his jacket and loosened his tie.
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