Page 32 of You’re Mine

“Hmm?”

“Come on, Jace. Fair play is fair play. Do you have a special someone? I already told you,” she says with a saucy look.

Oh right.

“No,” I grunt my one-word answer. Let her ask more.

“Is there a reason?”

I huff in response. This girl! She’s about to break me down all over again, but I merely shrug.

“I guess I never found the right person.”

“Oh, I see,” she knits her brows. Maybe I said the wrong thing but then again, we’ve been apart for so long. Before I can reply, she asks a quiet question.

“Are you happy?”

That catches me off-guard because it’s a difficult question to answer. Am I happy? I’ve been thinking about it for months, and the answer is what motivated me to finally come to Lenville. The realization that I wasn’t happy, and that something needed to change are why I’m here now, with this woman by my side.

In the beginning, when Haley first left me, I thought success would be what brought me out of the trenches. I thought that once I made a name for myself, and that once I had money, fame, fortune, and power, I would be happy. But I wasn’t. I was living an empty life in New York, and the realization made me book this flight home in order to confront my past. But I can’t lay this on her now because it’s too much. We only just met again after a long separation.

“What’s the first thing you want to do once you’re settled in New York?” is my question.

She blinks.

“What?”

“You know, once we’re in New York. What are you going to do once you get there?”

She looks confused.

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t really had time to think about it, if you can’t tell.”

I grin. Of course. This has been such a mad dash that there hasn’t been any time to take a real breather until now.

“That’s not a problem. I can show you and Jamie some of the coolest spots around.” We could talk about how I’m determined to become a real father to my son, but I think that’s evident given that I just helped them escape from the clutches of her dad.

Haley tucks her legs under herself.

“Thank you, I’d like that,” she says quietly. Hope beats in my heart.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she blushes. I’m starting to think that there might be a chance for us, and the thought fills me with joy. Is this what happiness is? A second chance with the woman of your dreams? There’s so much to discuss, and so many things to figure out, but suddenly Jamie runs up with a big grin on his face.

“Mommy!” Haley snaps out of the moment and turns to our son. He’s holding a light saber I hadn’t realized was still on this plane. “Look what I found!”

He shows off some sword skills, making whooshing noises.

“Wow, you’re looking really cool! Where did you find that?”

“It was in the closet in the other room.” Haley looks at me questioningly. I grin apologetically.

“I think it’s left over from when some of my business partner’s kids were travelling with us.” Jamie stares at the lightsaber with wonder. While his are the same blue as mine, their innocent appearance is all his mother.

“Do we have to give them back?” he pouts.

“They’ve probably forgotten about them by now,” I reassure him.

“So I can keep it!” I nod with a grin.

“How else are you going to train, space cowboy?”

“Yay!” he shrieks and then runs off to keep playing, the lightsaber almost hitting a couple pieces of furniture. I almost laugh because I’m sure he knew exactly what he was doing, making that light saber his.

“Thank you, Jace. Jamie’s never had a lot of toys because you know how my dad can be.” My heart contracts.

“It’s no problem. I want him to be happy.” Before I can respond, my pilot, Edward, walks in. He’s a paunchy man with a jolly red face.

“Mr. King?” I get up to talk with him.

“Hey, Edward. Were you able to get everything squared away?”

“Yes, sir. We’ll be taking off in about thirty minutes. I’ll make an announcement before starting the plane.”

“Perfect. Thanks for taking care of everything so quickly. I really appreciate it.”

He grins, looking a lot like Santa Claus. Ever the good employee, he doesn’t ask who Haley and Jamie are, even as the little boy rushes by him, still brandishing the lightsaber.

“It’s no problem sir. We’ll be on our way in five.”

I let him leave and return to my seat across from Haley. She’s quiet, looking out the window, and I’m stunned by the beauty of her profile. Her nose is so small and delicate, but there’s strength and determination to her chin. God knows she needed it, living in Herb’s house.

Soon, we’re in the air. Jamie and Haley fall asleep fairly quickly into the ride. My son is sprawled on top of his mom who’s draped over her seat. Usually, on plane rides, I do my best to get as much work done as possible, but right now, I just want to stare at the two people in the world who mean the most to me.

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