Playboy Pilot (29 page)

I’d arrived at the airport three hours early even though I was taking a domestic flight, and Carter had booked me a first-class ticket that had its own line that always breezed through security. I couldn’t stop smiling. The little girl in front of me had on one of those black Mickey Mouse ear hats and could hardly keep still while her mother checked them in for their flight to Orlando. Her anticipation dulled in comparison to how I felt.

If everything went on schedule, I would be back in Carter’s arms in a little less than six hours. His flight was due to arrive an hour before mine, and he’d assured me the eager Captain would be landing his
sweet ride
on time.

Just being in the airport, seeing all the International Airlines’ uniforms that were similar to Carter’s, made me feel better than I had in days. It was pretty screwed up that the Dallas airport brought me more comfort and felt more like home than going to my real home this week did.

After I’d made my decision about what I was going to do, I decided not to share it with my mother. There was absolutely no good that could come of it. She would only put a damper on my excitement. I’d always known that my mother put finances toward the top of her priority list. I just didn’t want to believe that my happiness wasn’t above her desire to maintain a certain lifestyle. The last week had forced me to see things clearly for the first time. Or maybe I’d always seen her for what she was; I’d just chosen to turn a blind eye to it all.

Even though I didn’t admit to my mother that I’d made my decision, I think she knew. When I woke up this morning, I’d found a manila envelope on the dining room table with my name inked across it. Inside was a lengthy co-parenting agreement—one that spelled out that Carter had no legal financial claim to any of my or any future child’s inheritance. All I’d need to do was fill in Carter’s name and have him sign it. When Mom woke up around noon with her daily hangover, she’d find the envelope exactly where she’d politely left it for me. Except the agreement was sitting on top of the envelope, and it was also ripped in half. Figured I’d make my point a little less subtle than she did.

I stopped at a newsstand, picked up some magazines and snacks, and headed to my gate. There was a gaggle of flight attendants sitting across from me. I hated that I immediately wondered if Carter had slept with any of them. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, because oddly enough, I completely did. But I found myself extremely territorial when it came to Carter. The thought of him being with anyone else caused an ache in my chest. Even though I knew it was ridiculous—we’d both been with other people—I couldn’t help feel that way.

The plane boarded almost a full hour before takeoff, which was always a good sign. I had priority boarding since I was in first class, yet I waited until the gate had almost completely emptied out before heading down the jetway to board.

I was sitting in row 2A, an aisle seat. Stowing my bag overhead, I quickly got myself organized and took my seat. I smiled at the woman next to me as I buckled. The flight attendant quickly came over to offer us a pre-flight drink. She glanced down at her cabin list. “Can I get you something, Ms. Sparks?”

“That would be great. I’ll take a glass of merlot.”

She then spoke to the passenger next to me. “How about you, Cass? Milk, water, orange juice?”

“I’ll take a water. Thanks, Lana.”

When I glanced over at my seatmate again, she offered an explanation. “I’m a flight attendant on this airline. Flying standby and was lucky enough to get the big seats.” She smiled.

I’d only had my wine for less than five minutes when the captain came over the loudspeaker and said we were going to push away from the gate. Needing something to calm my nerves for so many reasons, I guzzled down the full glass knowing the flight attendant would be by to collect it any second.

The woman next to me sighed audibly. “What I wouldn’t give to do what you just did.”

“Guzzle a full glass like a sailor and hope no one notices?”

She patted her belly and grinned. “Exactly. I’m four months along.”

“Wow.” I looked down at her practically non-existent belly. She was barely showing. “I would never have guessed. You’re so tiny.”

“The bulk of the weight seems to have gotten confused and swung around back. My ass is tremendous already.”

“I doubt that’s true. You look thin all over. But even if it is, big butts are in now, so you’ll be in style.”

“I’m hoping I gain some up top eventually. My boobs are so small, and this little guy’s daddy is a boob man.” My mind wandered to my own body. Would my breasts be big when I was pregnant? Carter had always said he liked my perky B cups, but something told me he wouldn’t be upset if I had a little boob gain myself.

After the flight took off and leveled out, Cass, which I found out was short for Cassandra, took out a pair of Beats headphones and instead of putting them over her ears, slipped them over her small baby bump. She was playing music to her stomach. When she caught me looking, she said, “I read somewhere that babies might be able to hear in the womb, so I started to play him classical music.”

“Him? It’s a boy?”

“I’m not sure yet.” She rubbed her belly. “But I really think it is.”

There was so much I was going to have to learn. Since I didn’t know this woman, I decided to let her in on my little secret. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Did it take you a long time to conceive? I mean were you trying for long? I’m asking because my boyfriend and I…” I hesitated before admitting it out loud for the first time. “We decided we’re going to try to get pregnant.”

The woman gave me a genuine smile. “That’s great. Congratulations.” It was the first time anyone had seen anything positive about my plan to have a baby. And it felt good. Everything was starting to fall into place.

“Thank you.”

“Actually…it didn’t take us long at all. I got pregnant the second time we were intimate.”

“Wow. That’s amazing.”

“It is, isn’t it? This little guy was definitely not planned. But I think he was meant to be. He’s the glue that is going to bind the three of us together forever.”

“Will you be able to work much longer? The airlines have rules against flying too far along into a pregnancy, don’t they?”

“Yep. Another twelve weeks or so, and then I’m going to be grounded. Most of the airlines won’t even let passengers fly after twenty-eight weeks, no less their flight attendants. Too much risk for early labor. They’ll give me a desk job. Probably checking people in and out or working the gate. I’m hoping I can transfer to Florida anyway, so the change will be good timing.”

“You live in Texas now?”

She nodded. “I live in Allen. But I’m originally from Florida, and most of my family is still down there. Plus, the baby’s dad lives in Florida, so I’m probably going to relocate.”

“Do you think you’ll go back to work after the baby’s born?”

“I hope not. All I ever wanted to do was get married, have a bunch of kids and stay home. It’s not easy these days to make it on one salary. Gotta make sure you snag yourself a good one like I did.”

Her intonation soured me a bit.
Snagging
a good gravy train. It was probably because it was something my mother would say.

After my second glass of wine, I started to come down from my adrenaline high, and exhaustion was beginning to creep in. Knowing Carter was going to be insatiable when we reunited, I figured I would get some sleep while I still could. I didn’t wake up again until the captain was speaking overhead telling us that we were going to be landing in just a few minutes.

I stretched in my seat. “Wow. I was really out.”

“You were. Had to take the headphones from the baby to drown out the little snore you had going on.”

I covered my mouth. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

She uncapped her water bottle and finished the little bit left. “I’m just teasing you. You were snoring, but it didn’t bother me any. I think I’m too nervous to sleep, or we would have been doing a duet together”

“Nervous about the baby?”

“No. I’m seeing the baby’s dad tomorrow. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“I know how you feel. I haven’t seen my boyfriend in a week, and I’m a nervous wreck. If I hadn’t inhaled those glasses of wine, I would never have slept. I’m so excited.”

“It’s been a little longer than a week for us.”

“Oh? How long?”

“Three months.”

“Wow. That’s a long time. He hasn’t even seen your new pregnancy body yet.”

“Yes, that’s true. Although that’s the least of my worries.”

My brows drew down so she explained. “He doesn’t even know I’m pregnant yet.”

“Oh. Wow. Oh my.”

“Yep. Now you can understand why I wanted to guzzle that wine.”

“I certainly can.”

“Do you…do you think he’s not going to be happy about becoming a father?”

“I have no idea how he’s going to react. He’s a bit of a wild one. Not sure he planned to ever be tamed. But down deep, I think he’s a stand-up man, and he’ll do the right thing.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the
right thing
even was. The entire conversation was beginning to turn my stomach. What kind of a woman doesn’t tell a man she’s pregnant for months? Although I suppose there could be a lot of reasons for that. Maybe he’s not the greatest guy, and she considered not even having the baby or something. It really wasn’t my place to judge. Especially with all the crazy stuff I had been planning on doing. You never really know anyone’s true story unless you’re standing in their shoes.

Landing was bumpy, but I was thrilled to have arrived a few minutes early. I wanted to use the airport restroom to freshen up before I met Carter at the bar we were going to meet at.

As we taxied to the gate, I began to clean up my magazines and tossed my garbage into my bag. Smiling, I turned to Cass. “Good luck. Are you going to get to see your boyfriend soon?”

“Tomorrow,” she said. “He’s got a flight in the morning that I’m going to join him on. Although he doesn’t know that yet either.”

The plane came to a stop, and a ding came over the loudspeaker indicating it was safe to get out of our seats. I began to unbuckle. “Does he travel a lot for work or something?”

“He does. All the time, actually. He’s a pilot.”

I stood and opened the overhead, grabbing my bag. “Oh, that’s funny. So is my boyfriend.”

The cabin door opened quicker than any flight I was ever on before. The gods just seemed to be smiling down on me today—a smooth flight, pregnant traveling companion, on time arrival. Stepping into the aisle, I said, “It was nice meeting you. Best of luck with your pregnancy and everything.”

“Thanks. You too. I hope you get pregnant as easily as I did.”

I was just about to walk off the plane when I heard the flight attendant saying goodbye to Cass who was right behind me. “Good luck, sweetie. Give me a call later, and let me know how Trip takes the news.”

I froze mid-step. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. Turning around, I asked. “Did she just say Trip…how Trip takes the news?”

Cass smiled, thinking nothing of it. “Yes. It’s a nickname for my baby daddy. His name has three of the same letter so they call him trip for triple.”

I felt the blood rush from my face. “What three letters?”

“C. His name is
Captain Carter Clynes
.”