Page 61 of When We Collide

“One thousand two hundred miles per hour? That’s insane. Jesus, it’s giving me chills just thinking about it.”

Dean smirks, “Try doing that speed while trying to dodge an enemy aircraft firing missiles at you during a dog fight. It doesn’t matter how many times you do it, hands down, the scariest shit I have ever done in my life.”

“Stop, I don’t want to be picturing that when I think about you being up here.”

As we fly further out over the sea, I feel a deep sense of peace and freedom. The worries and stresses of the world seem to melt away, leaving just the two of us and the wide open sky. I steal a glance at Dean, his eyes hidden behind aviator sunglasses, his expression one of contentment. For a moment, I forget that I’m the one flying the plane and just marvel at the beautiful man sitting beside me.

“JJ, take a look at your ten o'clock,” Dean says, a hint of something playful in his tone.

I glance to the left, following his instruction, and my breath catches in my throat. Below us, the sea is dotted with small boats arranged in a perfect formation. Together, they spell out two simple words; ‘MARRY ME’.

“Oh my God...” Tears spring to my eyes as the realization hits me, and I look over at Dean, my heart pounding in my chest. He’s smiling now, that lopsided grin that always makes me weak at the knees. “Dean...” I whisper, my voice overcome with emotion.

Dean reaches over and takes my hand, his fingers warm and strong around mine. “JJ, I know I screwed up our marriage the first time, but will you marry me again, so we can do it right this time?”

The plane dips slightly as I momentarily forget to keep my hands steady, overwhelmed by the moment. But Dean’s hand is right there, steadying the yoke, steadying me.

“Yes,” I breathe, tears spilling over as I smile through them. “Yes, Dean, I will marry you. I’ll marry you a million times over if I have to. There is no one else for me but you, Dean. In any walk of life and any lifetime I will always chooseyou. If it’s war, we’ll face it together.”

Dean’s sexy grin widens, and I can see the relief and joy in his eyes, even behind those dark lenses. “Even if the odds are stacked against us?”

“Especially when the odds are stacked against us.”

“I’m so fucking in love with you,” Dean murmurs and leans over, pressing a tender kiss to my lips.

The world around us dissolves into a blur of colours as the sun slowly sets behind us, casting a warm orange glow over everything. “Hold on,” Dean whispers with a devilish smirk as he takes control of the yoke and pulls away from me.

I can't help but feel a twinge of worry at his mischievous expression, and my instincts prove right as the plane suddenly accelerates and plunges into a nosedive.

“Dean...” I say, my voice trembling with warning, but he just winks back at me in response. “Don't you dar—oh my God, I'm going to kill you!” I squeal, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through my veins as my heart leaps up into my throat. My stomach flips and churns with every wild manoeuvre he performs, and I want to reach out and smack him over the head, but I’m holding onto anything I can for dear life.

As terrified as I am in that moment, despite all his quirks and infuriating habits, I can't imagine navigating this wild and unpredictable life with anyone else by my side. Dean is my anchor, my constant in a sea of chaos.

“Dada.”

“No,mama.”

“Da... da.”

I sigh and drop the plastic spoon on the plate while Dean snorts a laugh from the breakfast table while chomping down on his stack of banana and syrup pancakes. I throw a dirty look his way and he shrugs. “That’s my boy.”

“This is bull-doo-doo, I’m with him the majority of the time and he’s not said ‘mama’ once. I thought boys were supposed to be more attached to their mothers?”

“That’s an old wives’ tale.”

I raise a brow and pin Dean with a pointed look. “So says the mama’s boy over there.”

“I am not a mama’s boy.” It’s my turn to snort and Dean cuts off a piece of pancake and shoves it in his mouth. “I’m not a mama’s boy, Oz is a bigger mama’s boy than I am. He still lives at home. Also, I resent that, because there is nothing wrong with a son loving his mother.”

“No, there absolutely isn’t,” I coo, picking up the spoon and feeding DJ his breakfast. I still can’t believe he’s almost one year old. “And you’re going to love me more than your daddy loves Nana, aren’t you?”

“Na-na.” I stare at DJ and hear Dean choking on his food behind me. Oh, you have got to be kidding me!

“Really?” I sulk, poking out my bottom lip. “You can say nana, but you can’t say mama? Just once, please baby, say mama.” DJ smiles, crinkling his tiny nose while he grabs the spoon and pulls it toward his mouth. I’ve been trying to teach him to use utensils, so far, he’s not a fan.

“Honey, you forcing it on him isn’t going to make him say it any faster. He’ll say it when he’s ready,” Dean rationalises as he wanders into the kitchen and places his plate in the dishwasher.

“Fine, but if he doesn’t say it in the next couple of weeks. I’m taking him to the doctors. Maybe he’s suffering with some sort of delayed trauma from where he was abducted.”

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