Page 125 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
“I don’t like crying.”
“We know. It doesn’t make you weak. And we both know that’s why you’re fighting it,” Bailey argues.
Inhaling deeply, I move on with my job’s regular tasks, feeling more antsy and restrained than I have in the last few months. I wonder if I’ve received any emails back about the flight schools I applied to. Carter pushed me to inquire about the ones he felt were the best. I haven’t even told anyone but Piper.
Straightening my skirt, I bury all the sadness and despair. I’m an independent and strong woman. I’ve had to quit men who I’ve had feelings for in the past. I can easily do it again.
Even in the safety of my head, I know that’s not true. Why does it seem impossible to walk away from him? Carter runs deep. He’s the other half of my whole. His energy whirls inside me like chaotic water, somehow finding the way it’s supposed to go—leading back to him.
We only have a few minutes before the passengers start boarding the plane, and I’m standing in the middle of a Boeing 747 cabin, rethinking my entire existence. I need to try to call him when we land. And if he doesn’t answer, I’ll keep trying until he does. He needs to know how I feel.
When everyone has boarded the plane, the flight crew and I begin our typical tasks—the same mundane checklist that leaves me unsatisfied and searching for more. I can’t explain the surge in energy pulsing through me, directing me into the cockpit. Maybe I am finally ready to move into a new role.
Carter believes in me. Why aren’t I believing in myself?
Two hours later, we’re preparing to land in Cancun for thenight.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking …”
My heart stills. My limbs lock in place. I know that voice! But the person it belongs to was not scheduled to pilot our trip today. With my eyes wide, I drag them along the aisles until I reach the back of the plane. Avery’s large smile leaves her mouth open in shock. Bailey is frozen in place with the bucket of snacks resting on her hip. Her eyebrows pinch together, and her cheeks turn red.
“I want to let you all know you’re on a very special flight today …”he goes on. I hear the low hum of chatter from the passengers while they whip their heads around, looking for someone who might know what’s going on.
“I’m Captain Hernandez and the woman I’m madly in love with is one of your incredible flight attendants today.”
My lungs push out a breath, forcing a cough.Oh my god. What is he doing?
Avery’s hands fly up to her face while Bailey’s eyes now bulge from their sockets. Rendered speechless, my throat runs dry. Suddenly, thirty rows of curious passengers start glancing between my friends on one end of the plane and me in the middle.
“Her name is Lina, and she’s the beautiful blonde with a tenacious attitude and eyes that could melt any heart. I’m going to need your help …”
I blush as my eyes fill with tears. Rows of people smile warmly as they listen to Carter proclaim his love for me. Burying my head in my hands, I don’t know what to think.
“See, Lina was recently accepted into flight school and will soonbe on her way to piloting her own plane.”
I don’t know if I’ve been accepted yet. How would he know that? Unless he has another friend who owes him a favor.Oh, Carter.
The sound of his voice is now clearer. I instantly lift my head and see him standing at the front of the plane with the microphone of our PA system up to his mouth. Every bone and muscle in my body liquifies. Silence surrounds the cabin. I smile at the love of my life and all his perfection.
Carter’s amber eyes blaze so bright, I can see them from here. “You can’t quit me, baby.”
A collective “ahh” buzzes through the cabin.
Staring at him from down the aisle, I shake my head. “I’m not going to.”
A smile grows across the bone structure of his chin that I’ve come to memorize so well. In a black long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, Carter drops the microphone. The entire cabin, filled with passengers, falls silent as I wait in anticipation as he walks toward me.
Watching him through watery eyes, I melt as soon as his strong arms slide around my waist, pulling me in. The instant we connect, a sea of applause erupts.
Covering my face with one hand, I wrap a shaky arm around Carter’s back.
His nose is buried into the crook of my neck. “I love you.”
“I’m not the girl men want to keep around. I’m the one they have fun with.”
“Because you’ve always been mine.”
I sniff as my nose runs. “I don’t deserve you.”
