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He’s the man I crave. Desire. Dream about. He’s never close enough, and when we’re connected, I swear it’s not enough. I have this fear growing inside of me that I won’t love this baby as much as I love Noah. It’s irrational. This baby is the best of us combined, and I know my motherly instincts will kick in and he or she will be my entire world. Does that mean Noah won’t be? I shudder at the thought.
I don’t know how long I stay this way, hours possibly, with my head on the back of his seat and Stevie Nicks content with her bone pressed against my leg. Long enough to feel a kink in my neck and maybe even doze off. When Noah signals and slows down, I sit up and look out the window.
“Where are we?”
“Outside of San Joaquin.”
“She’s content. I don’t think we need to stop.”
“We’re meeting the jet at an airfield.”
“What?” I glance at Noah through the rearview mirror, and he nods.
“You’re already tired and when we got Stevie Nicks, one of the things we talked about was being able to fly. We need to start her on that now. Not later.”
“But how did we end up here with the jet?”
“While you were sawing logs back there, I called your dad.”
“I wasn’t snoring.”
Noah’s eyebrow raises.
“Ugh. It’s only because of the way my neck was.”
“Whatever you tell yourself, sweetheart.”
Noah drives a bit more and then pulls down a long road of nothingness. He parks in a parking lot with one other car and gets out. I hook the pup up to her leash and repack her doggie bag. After opening the door, I grab her, her things, and whatever else I can carry, and get out. There’s a man with a luggage cart, helping Noah load our suitcases. He takes the things from my arms and smiles softly at me.
A couple hundred feet from where we are, the jet lands. I don’t remember who it was, but one of the guys decided to wrap the outside in the 4225 West logo. Now, no matter where the jet is, someone always knows a family member is in town.
As we walk toward the airfield, the steps descend, and my brother appears. I look at Noah, who keeps his attention on the plane. Quinn meets us halfway and Noah hands him our keys.
“Thanks, man.”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m driving your car back, so it’s there when you come home.” Quinn leans down and hugs me. “I’ll pick you up at the airport on Friday.”
“You’re the best!”
“I try,” he says. “If you’re all set, I’m off. It’s a long drive back.”
“Thanks, Quinn. I really appreciate you,” Noah says as they bro hug.
We watch Quinn walk away before heading toward the plane. Secretly, I’m relieved. Noah’s right, we wanted a dog that could fly, and this is the time to start her on doing so. When we get to the steps, she looks at them, almost as if they’re going to bite her.
“You can do it,” Noah says to her as he puts her paw on the first step. I step up, go to the third step, and wait for her.
“Come on, sweet girl.” I give her leash the slightest tug to keep her attention focused while Noah taps her butt. She finally climbs the first, and then second, with Noah cheering wildly behind her.
“Give her a treat,” he yells.
When she gets to the top, I have one in my hand and praise her. Who knew stairs were so challenging? While the plane is being loaded, I let Stevie Nicks sniff everything, including the pilot and the flight attendant. They love her and fall to their knees to dote on her. Noah sets out her water bowl and bed, even though we both know she’ll be on my lap. He keeps asking me what I’m going to do when she’s fully grown. The simple answer is nothing. I’m in love with her and want to snuggle with her all the time. What is likely to happen is she’ll fall in love with the baby and won’t want me anymore.
Noah and I buckle in and as soon as the engine roars to life, Stevie Nicks is on my lap. I hold her tightly, making sure she knows she’s safe. Once we’re airborne, the flight attendant comes over with a couple of drinks.
“She’ll get used to flying. Another crew I work with, the owner of the jet, has six poodles. They all sit in their own seats. Nothing fazes them.” She pets Stevie Nicks’s head.
