Page 54 of The High Price Of Loneliness

She felt his warm admiring gaze for a long moment before Crystina returned with the mimosas for each and said, “Cheers! I will be back after takeoff for your dinner orders.” Nodding graciously to them both, Crystina returned to the front to notify the pilots that they were all aboard with seat belts on and ready to roll.

The captain’s voice came over the PA system from the front of the flight deck. “Good evening, Mr. Gray and Ms. Hart. This is Captain Charles Gross joined up front by Co-Captain Michael Bailey for this evening’s flight. We will be taxiing and preparing for takeoff shortly, and I will return later in the flight to provide you with an update. If you need anything, just let your exceptional flight attendant Crystina know, and we will see you on the ground in under two hours from wheels up to wheels down. So please sit back and enjoy. We have a clear night with 72 degrees in Washington, D.C., so you should arrive on time with a smooth flight this evening. Captain out.”

Angelica, squeezing his arm with one hand and raising her champagne flute with the other, smiled broadly and said, “Cheers!”

Gray winked at her as they toasted, and he commented with a bit of humor, “Things could be worse.” They both smiled and took a sip.

Edward changed his tone and asked, “Did you do your homework assignment for me? I didn’t hear back from my text last night.”

Angelica silently nodded a few times in the affirmative, looking down at her glass.

Gray waited a moment before inquiring further, “And… how did it go?”

She paused and answered, “I did everything you asked. First, a bubble bath and then the Mirror Exercise. I did the full fifteen minutes like you said.” Angelica stopped there without further details.

Probing a bit further, he asked knowingly, “How did it feel?”

Angelica instantly welled up with a resurgence of the tears from the night before as she said, “I couldn’t stop… crying.”

Edward held her hand and said, “It’s ok. Thank you for sharing that.” Gray thought about their journey together to this moment, how they had met, and the many steps to here and now. “It gets easier.” Angelica’s eyes met his to listen to his meaning. He gazed deeply back at her and added, “When you are ready, try the Mirror Exercise again, and it will be different next time.”

She heard Edward’s words, and the tears were fading now, so she asked simply, “How do you mean?”

Gray looked at her knowingly and, with a kind voice, shared, “The next time, you will actually hear the words and be able to process them a bit. The third time you do the exercise and beyond is when it starts to happen.” Edward paused, looking at her for a moment before looking away, leaving her hanging there.

As the plane started rolling in its preflight taxi, Angelica took the bait and asked open-eyed with curiosity, “Whenwhathappens?”

Gray paused for a heartbeat before moving closer to her ear to kiss her softly and whispered, “Before you start to believe,” he paused once more, then added, “in the real you.”

Angelica felt herself shake just once, but she quelled the feelings, not wanting to return to that state from last night. Not right now. And not in this place. She took one of those long deep breaths and held it briefly before letting it out slowly.

“Feeling better?” Edward asked with a gentle smile.

Angelica looked up to Edward with her eyes worshipping his protective male energy over her and simply affirmed, “Always, when I am with you.”

She felt the warm squeeze of his hand on hers as the Captain announced, “We have been cleared for Manassas Regional Airport serving Washington, D.C. Please confirm cabin is ready for takeoff.”

Angelica felt the power of the mid-size jet instantly pressing her back into her seat; not at all like a regular commercial airliner. The force was smooth but much more powerful. The feeling of acceleration was quick, as was the lift-off from the ground.

“Whoa!” said Angelica, smiling, as they lifted the first few hundred feet off the ground in just seconds.

Edward added, “Now, that’s a jet!”

Angelica laughed out loud at the rush of power, speed, and relief, letting go of her memories of the homework assignment. She looked out the oval jet windows at the beauty of Sarasota Bay. It was only a short time until sunset, and she could see all the boats on the bay, literally right where she grew up as a little girl. It all came rushing back to her, growing up in her sleepy small town with many hopes and dreams. But Sarasota had grown up a lot since those days. Perhaps it was her turn?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The Capitol

They landed at Manassas Regional Airport, just a short drive from downtown D.C. There was a fantastic vista of the capitol’s nighttime skyline as they descended to land. Angelica loved the grand and incredible view of the capitol buildings and monuments from the air. Her heart began racing again as the excitement continued. “I loved our flight up, and the dinner was simply amazing! I didn’t know airplane food could be so delicious,” she said, smiling about their private flight.

“Well, that’s probably because it wasn’t airplane food, Kitten. It was custom-ordered gourmet, catering selected just for us. I am glad you were pleased,” Edward said, winking at her with a bit of a playful smile.

Angelica, smiling gratefully at this attention to their every detail, added, “Well, that certainly explains it.”

As their G-650 taxied up to the jetport, she noticed out the window that they were not the only sizeable private jet on the tarmac. They were clearly in a different world from Sarasota and now on the bigger stage Gray liked to operate on.

The Captain’s voice came overhead for the final time. “Thank you for flying with us this evening, Mr. Gray and Ms. Hart. We hope you have a great weekend in Washington, D.C., or wherever else your travels might take you. We will be parked at the Manassas jetport momentarily.”

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