...secondly...Tiffany has not read over this part and lastly...we both thank you for the feedback and bumps!!Tanya
Chapter 19
“Are you okay?” she asks me for what I think is the third time, since we’ve boarded this tin on wheels with wings…er…airplane I mean.
“I’m perfectly fine. I told you already.” I try and relax my body, but it’s impossible when I know the fate of my life is in the hands of someone I don’t even know or see for that matter.
“You don’t think we’re going to be on like autopilot right? I mean, someone has to be flying the plane at all times.” I turn to her and see her trying to hold back a laugh. It figures, my one moment of weakness and she is here to revel in it.
“Max, are you sure you’ve flown before?” she asks me skeptically. I nodded my head indignantly.
“I already told you. I’ve flown several times, but nowadays you don’t know whom you are flying with. The airs are dangerous,” I shudder visibly trying to draw her attention from the very fact that I’ve never flown a day in my life! Hell my first honeymoon was a cruise, I could handle that, there are life rafts, and I can swim. But plummeting to the earth from thirty thousand feet onto the ground seems a bit…I don’t know terrifying!
She laughs, “You liar! You’ve never been off the ground a day in your life.” She pokes my side and my hips protest against the binding seatbelt. I wonder, why are there seatbelts? Do they really think that’s going to help when we are falling from the sky, crashing to the ground in a ball of explosion? Or better yet, let’s be strapped in so I can be latched to my seat when we plunge into the ocean and I drown because I can’t get out of my damn seat! I shudder at the thoughts flashing before me. But I’m not scared…I’m simply pointing out all the things that normal people think about before they fly…right?
“Okay, so what? I’ve never flown and I have just cause for not.” I protest weakly as I see the tears of mirth brimming her big brown eyes.
“Please…tell me why.” She urges on as the pilot announces our departure. I grip the armrests until my knuckles are white. I’m such a coward.
“Okay, I will. And damnit stop laughing!” I growl out.
“I’m sorry baby.” She leans over and kisses my lips gently.
“First of all, this thing weighs a ton, yet it glides in the air with two engines? What if one fails?” I asked seriously and she pretends to ponder the question before answering.
“There is the other one, and they will emergency land if necessary.” She waves her hand in the air dismissively. I don’t get it, am I the only person worried about things like this?
“Okay…what if both engines go? Then what? We fall from the sky like a brick hitting the bottom of the ocean.”
“Must you be so dramatic?” she asks with a shake of her head.
“I am not being dramatic,” I point out in annoyance. “I’m simply expressing my convictions about flying.”
“Max?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” I smile as she leans over once again and this time I reach up and cup her face in the palm of my hands and kiss her thoroughly. She tastes like honey and tea, sweet and tangy.
“Now, are you going to be a big boy for the rest of the trip? I like my men strong and masculine not cowering like a child.”
“I am not cowering, Liz. And you know I’m not a child…not where it counts,” I add reaching down, daringly, and tracing the swell of her breasts through the fabric of her shirt.
“Max, behave!” she reprimands me…but it only fuels the desire to see her squirm. I’m so very happy she’s sitting in the window seat. I turn slightly, even as the death belt, I mean seatbelt digs into me. I reach down and slowly creep my hand up her shirt, and land the palm of my hand firmly against one lace covered breast.
“I can’t believe you,” she draws an intake of breath and I smile in satisfaction. Not only am I unequivocally distracted from the flying nonsense…but I have her heated and in the palm of my hand…literally. I don’t think there is anyplace I’d rather be than in this very seat, next to her in this flying piece of tin foil with wings.
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“Max, maybe we should eat something before we go.” I look up from my suitcase to regard her. I know she is a little scared to face her parents, but that’s what we’ve come here for.
I drop the shirt in my hands and reach out for her, engulfing her in a tight hug. “I love you, and you are stronger than you think. Besides, I’ll be there with you every step of the way, trust me.” I nuzzle her neck gently, and then place a kiss on her naked shoulder. I wish we never had to leave this hotel room, but things need to be done today.
“I trust you, Max.” She smiles softly as she pulls free from my grasp.
“Where are you going?” I fake sadness as she begins to finish getting dressed. But I really liked her the way she was.
“Stop pouting, Max. I’m sure I can make myself available later for your groping pleasure.”
“Oh really? Sounds like a plan.” I smile triumphantly. “Let’s get going munchkin.”
She frowns. “I thought I was past that nickname? I thought telling you I loved you would guarantee me never to have to hear it again.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, like a small child protesting what she was having for dinner.
“I never said that, nor did I give you that impression. And besides, are you telling me you only told me you loved me because you thought munchkin was off the list of things I could torture you with?” I ask, feigning disappointment and hurt.
“No, but I thought it might help if I threw that in there,” she laughs as I hurl my shirt at her.
“You’re a cruel and evil woman,” I protest.
“Yes, I am. But you love me anyway don’t you?” she awaits my response and instead she gets me pouncing her and devouring her mouth with my own. I think she gets the picture loud and clear.
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I can feel the apprehension rolling off of her in waves. “Do you want me to knock?” I ask softly from beside her.
“No, I can do it.” But she doesn’t move. I wait, reaching out and gripping her small hand in mine. I offer her my silent support; I know this is something she needs to do herself. A minute later she lifts her hand and knocks on the solid wooden door before us.
After what seems like a lifetime, the door swings open and a middle aged woman with light brown hair answers the door. I can tell immediately that she is Liz’s mother the features are that strong. The brown eyes, the petite stature and the perfect pert little nose.
“Liz,” her mother pauses with a gasp before the door falls open fully to reveal a taller man with graying hair. He must be Liz’s father.
“Back with your tail between your legs?” I think I want to slap this pompous asshole for talking to his own daughter this way, but I hold my tongue.
“Actually no dad,” distain laced in every syllable she speaks from here on out. “I’m here to finally tell you the truth about that happened and the reason why I left.”
“Why you left?” came her mother’s soft-spoken voice. Maybe she’ll be the voice of reason here…I hope.
“Yes. Can we come in?” Liz’s asks, and I think it’s a damn shame that she has to ask permission to enter her own parent’s home. They don’t protest, but they don’t agree either, instead they step back away from the door.
I enter in last and close the door behind myself. “This is Max Evans, my boyfriend.” She smiles, despite the situation, when she looks at me.
“I see you moved on pretty quickly,” came her father’s snide remark.
“Excuse me but I know it’s not my place, but I would think you would hold judgment until you’ve heard her out.” I add in when I feel the fight deflate from her.
“Look, Max. I understand you’re here to support Liz but you don’t know the situation, not fully. She walked out on Kevin and us. Skipped town without looking back. I told her it was the biggest mistake of her life, but she refused to listen.” Mrs. Parker says calmly, but I can feel the undertone of animosity coming off of her and direct itself right for Liz. How can parents be this cruel?
“The only mistake I made was coming here today, to explain to you why I left. But you don’t care. You only care about appearances, and for a long time that’s all I cared about, but then I realized that I was the only one suffering for them. It wasn’t fair; you are my parents yet you acted like I was insignificant in your plans. Whatever they might have been…” her words cut off by her father’s roaring voice.
“Plans? You were to marry Kevin, or did you forget? You promised yourself to him and then skipped off? How are we supposed to act? You disappoint me Liz…”
“No! You disappoint me!” Liz yells out, turns on her heels and makes for the front door before I can even follow. I stand watching her for a second before I face her parents again.
“I don’t understand how you could be that cruel to her,” I begin but am promptly discarded as quickly as they discard their own flesh and blood, but I’m persistent.
“You don’t know…”
“No, you’re right, maybe I don’t know but I do know something you wouldn’t even give your daughter a chance to explain.”
“Yes, and what is that?” her father asks, practically towering over me. I swallow thickly before speaking.
“That while you were sitting on your high horses, worried about appearances, your daughter was suffering in silence.”
“Suffering? What are you talking about?” Mrs. Parker asks moving a step closer to me.
I look her in the eyes as the words roll off my tongue, I can only hope that Liz forgives me. “Kevin beat her, and she kept it silent for you, for the both of you. How dare she, take a moment to breath and live her life. Its any wonder why she didn’t run away sooner, lord knows she deserved to because with parents who regarded a man who hit their daughter in a better light than she, she should have never come back.” With that I turn on my heels and run after Liz.
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I make it half way to the car before she throws herself in my arms and begins to cry, deep heavy sobs, which I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.
“It’s okay,” I soothe her gently knowing how much it must her to be refused by her parents once again.
“I shouldn’t cry for them,” she says even as more tears fall from her eyes. I hold her tightly and offer her comforting words. Telling her how much I love her, and how well she did in there.
Finally her crying subsides and she pulls away. I quickly brush away her tears and kiss her soundly on the lips.
“No matter what happens, you know I’m here for you,” I tell her and watch as a small smile touches her lips.
“Liz!” We both freeze and turn around, only to see both her parents standing on their doorstep.
“Do you want to leave?” I asked her softly. She looks up at me, wounded but there is something in her eyes that tells me she’s not ready to go just yet.
Forcing her shoulders to still themselves, she reaches for my hand and walks up the few steps to stand before her parents.
“Liz, we didn’t know…” her mother begins to explain, tears streaming down her face. Her father, although he looks serious I myself can see the pain in his eyes.
“No, you didn’t. But you didn’t let me explain either,” her words are laced with pure sarcasm and a hint of tears.
“I didn’t deserve the way you treated me! I didn’t deserve to feel like a stranger in my own home, but I did.”
“Liz…” her father began but now that she was getting some of the resentment off her chest, she refused to stop speaking.
“I don’t want to hear, I’m sorry. It won’t fix anything and it sure as hell won’t make me feel better. I want you to know how much you hurt me, how much you turning your back on me ate at me. But most of all, I want you to know that I don’t think I can ever forget the fact that I’m your daughter, yet you loved him more than me. You refused to see the truth, even though it was looking you right in the face.” Liz finished with a sigh, her body trembling with emotion. I reached out and pulled her away from the house.
She didn’t protest, even as I helped her inside the car and buckled her seatbelt. I turn and look at her offering her a smile of encouragement and to my never-ending gratitude she returned it.
“I love you, munchkin.”
“I love you, too scaredy cat.”
I don’t know how, but she manages to laugh and I know that she feels safe with me and she knows I would never judge her no matter the circumstance.
TBC…
Oh and there are only 2 parts left.
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So hope you all enjoy!