Page 135 of Return to Us
“You okay?” Jess asks as we walk holding hands.
“Yeah, just . . . I don’t know. If you had told me six months ago that this would be our life, I would’ve laughed.”
“I know that feeling.”
“It’s just too good to be true.”
Jess rests her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know about that. Maybe it’s just how it should’ve been and happiness is what we are meant to have.”
“How very Dr. Warvel of you.”
Jessica’s musical laughter echoes in the trees. “I’ll be sure to tell her you think she’s rubbing off on me. Tell me, how was your talk with Jack?”
“I think it went well. We discussed your idea, and it seemed like he was intrigued.”
She perks up at that. “You think he’ll run his company from here?”
Jessica had a great suggestion that would help us to set ourselves apart from your typical inn surrounded by woods. She talked about how the pilots and flight attendants went on a company retreat every year and thought this would be a perfect location for them. Jack would be able to expand his business by offering a bonding experience to the groups who book with us and hopefully that would lead to them wanting to return.
“He didn’t say no.”
“I think what’s going to set us apart is being able to offer many options here. If we aren’t just one thing, it’ll help us in the beginning.”
I smile at the one word she used. “Us.”
Her gaze meets mine. “What?”
“You said us.”
“You’ve implied . . .”
We stop at the edge of the water, and I wrap my arms around her from behind, my hand resting on her stomach. “It’s always us, love. It’ll always be us.”
In the last few months, my entire life has been upended. I found Jess again. I’m going to be a father again. I’m opening my own business and building on a piece of land I never thought I’d develop. All of it feels like it’s because she came back to me.
One gift that has multiplied and become more than I could’ve hoped for.
I kiss the crook of her neck, and she sighs. “As much as I love the house, I love this place too.”
“I do too. I feel like it needs a good name.”
“Any ideas?”
She tilts her head back. “I don’t know. I keep thinking about us and how to combine it all together. Plus, your family since you’re all owners too.”
“So, what are your words for us?”
Jessica laughs softly. “Fire. Plane. Fly. Crash. View. Mountain. Return.”
“Well, I don’t know that crash is a good word for a resort.”
“Agree.”
“But, what about Firefly?”
Her head rests on my shoulder. “Like what we used to catch as kids?”
“Well, and you were in a fire and you fly.”
