Page 109 of Come Fly with Me

He holds up a finger, looking again at the GPS as he begins to circle the plane back toward the airport.

“Jake, come on.”

“Okay, look now,” he says, pointing out the window as he lowers the plane just slightly. We’re out over the blue waters of the Pacific, Santa Monica State Beach, a sprawling area of sand and people below us, and that’s when I see it.

My girls are standing on the beach with a huge sign that says, “I love you, Taylor”, but it’s what comes after the sign that causes me to burst out laughing. Standing at the end of the line of girls is Sofia with an addition to Jake’s sign that says, “in a way that’s nauseating to others”.

“Why are you laughing?” Jake asks and I can hear the confusion in his voice. I point out the window, and when he takes in his sign, he lets out a long sigh. “It was supposed to be romantic.” He sounds defeated, a hand scrubbing over his face.

“Jake, first of all, it’s really sweet that you set this whole thing up. It’s adorable, but you know I’m not that girl. I’m cynical and jaded and probably sometimes a little bit scary.” I chuckle a little at that last line because hell, even I know I’m not always a joy to be around. “These are all the things that come with being my own hero, they’re the things that show I struggle. I have a past, and I’m flawed, but you see through that. You see that inside me is someone who can be loved. And all I ask, for the rest of our lives is that you continue to prove me wrong, that you continue to show me that not all men are the worst.”

I lean over to him, my hand resting on the back of his neck as my fingers stroke gently. Pushing the sleeve of his shirt up, I press a kiss to his shoulder and continue. “Anyone can make a sign that says ‘I love you’, but it’s the things that happen in the background that matter. The silent choices you make are what draw me to you, what makes me trust you and those are the reasons I love you.”

“Can you give me a small hint on what it is that I do so I can continue doing it?” Jake asks, a cheeky smile on his face as he pinches two fingers together, showing a small space between them.

I laugh at him, pressing another kiss, but this time on his cheek, as I reply, “I wouldn’t ask you to change the world for me. I’d expect that we’d do it together.”

Jake

Eight Months Later

I touch down at JFK with an hour to spare. After going through the usual post-flight checklists, I grab my things, disembarking the plane and heading into the airport with the rest of the crew. After we’ve passed through arrivals though, I hang back, checking the board to see what time the next flight gets in.

“You coming?” one of the flight attendants calls out to me.

I smile, shaking my head as I gesture to the board and say, “Nah, gonna wait for Taylor.”

The girl smiles, nodding her head as she says, “Cool, say hi to her from us.”

I return the smile, waving to the rest of the crew as they head out to catch the bus. Things are so different now after everything Taylor did, everything she achieved. She’s like a rock star at Crescent Airways these days, which in addition to meaning everyone, including her, now gets the pay and conditions they should, also means she’s finally treated with the respect she deserves.

It’s all been a huge achievement and relief and it makes me crazy happy to know she’s done this. That she stood firm on what she believed in and fought to get this for everyone, not just herself.

The added bonus of it all is that everyone knows we’re together too, and I no longer get hit on by flight attendants who think I’m somehow okay with hooking up while Taylor and I are apart.

The board changes to indicate Taylor’s plane has landed, and I smile, reaching into my bag to grab what I prepared before moving to a spot directly in front of the gate so I don’t miss her. I know she isn’t expecting me, and I don’t want to miss her when she finally walks out.

When the doors open and the passengers start to file through, I scan the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of the crew as they make their way through the VIP channel. Eventually, I see the tops of their hats, the small group of people all dressed in Crescent Airways uniforms, laughing and chatting as they make their way to the exit.

I hold up my sign, keeping my eyes on them as I finally spot Taylor. She’s laughing, relaxed and happy as she walks alongside Dean, the two of them having flown this leg of her route together. I watch her the whole time, even as I see other people turn to look at me from the corner of my eye.

Dean sees me before she does though, the smile on his face getting wider as he nudges Taylor and then gestures toward me. I watch as she turns, her eyes finding mine in the crowd, her smile growing even wider when she realizes who she’s looking at.

And then they dip lower, scanning the sign I’m holding up and taking in the words I’ve written before she bursts out laughing, covering her face with her hands as she walks toward me.

“Hey, baby,” I say, pulling her into my arms and kissing her hard.

“Oh my god, Jake, what are you doing here and what is that sign you’re holding?”

I laugh, holding it up again as we both look at the words written in big black letters on the white cardboard.

Taylor Patterson.

Love of my life.

You are the crayons to my coloring book…

The jelly to my donut…

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