San Diego - love comes in many forms

by Aj Harmon

  “You want children.”

  Greg didn’t know if it was a statement or a question. “It’d never entered my mind until I knew I wanted to share my life with you.” It was the truth. Telling the truth was his only option here. “I like the idea of having babies with you.”

  “Is it a deal breaker?”

  “No! Absolutely not! If you say no to children I will love you not a spec less. We can be blissfully happy without children and we can be blissfully happy with them. The choice is yours. And no guilt, either. Whatever makes you happy will be perfect with me, okay?”

  Jill nodded, the look of shock slowly dissipating from her face. With a smile, she snuggled back into his arms and eventually they drifted off to sleep.

  *****

  The valet took Erica’s stub and ran back to his little podium leaving William just a couple more minutes with her before she left. He was feeling pretty proud of himself. He’d told her of his high school crush and even held her hand. Not bad for a forty-five year old man. Who am I kidding? I’m still pathetic, he scolded himself.

  “It was been simply wonderful to catch up…to see you again after all these years,” Erica smiled, her hand still encased in his. “If your offer still stands, I will take you up on it.”

  “Most definitely it stands. I would like nothing more. Truthfully. Just say when.”

  The awkward silence dragged on until her car pulled up in front of the hotel. “I’ll take care of it,” he told the valet as he held the door for Erica. With a nod, the young man stepped aside and stood at the curb. “I was positive this was going to be the most depressing trip and yet, it has turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever had. Thank you,” he smiled. And then for the last time, he was bold as he leaned in and kissed her sweetly, pausing for just a split second longer than he intended as he tasted her lips. They were warm and soft and ever so inviting. If only, he thought. If only things had been different.

  “Goodbye William,” she said and slid into the car. He closed the door and then she was gone.

  He watched the tail lights of her car disappear down the street. He’d stepped outside of his comfort zone several times during the evening, yet now that she was gone, he knew he should have been braver and he knew that it would haunt him for a very long time.

  20.

  THEIR FLIGHT TO CHICAGO, and then on to Oklahoma City, left San Diego at 10:45am. Annie was up and dressed before seven in order to be packed and ready to catch a cab to the airport no later than nine. Room service delivered oatmeal, toast and coffee at 7:30 and Evan tipped the waiter and closed the door behind him. Gracie was still sleeping and her parents were trying to keep noise at a low decibel, hoping she slept while they ate.

  Evan chatted away as he munched on his toast and jelly about the myriad of things they would need to do as soon as they returned home. Annie had been insistent that they do nothing before they left their home, under the assumption it would somehow jinx them. She’d said that buying a crib was only asking for Natalie to change her mind at the last minute and would have nothing to do with baby supply shopping. Evan had argued. He’d told her she was being silly, which only made her dig her heels in further. She was adamant that they would arrive in San Diego with nothing, thereby allowing them to leave with nothing if the adoption went south. In order to maintain her emotional wellbeing, Evan had abided by her wishes.

  Now, Evan realized that tomorrow they would be heading out on a buying trip that would empty their bank account, but he didn’t mind. Glancing over at his daughter sleeping soundly in the middle of the bed, he knew that he would remain in poverty for the rest of his days, if necessary, in order to give her everything she needed. And in truth, he kind of liked the idea of taking his wife and daughter out and giving them their first shopping spree. The thought made him happy.

  Annie ate her oatmeal with her brows furrowed, creating a deep rut in her forehead. Evan knew that was her thinking face. He imagined she was going over itineraries in her mind and reminding herself to text her parents to remind them to come to the airport and pick them up when they landed, although Evan smiled at that thought. There would be no need to remind them. They were anxious to see their new granddaughter. In fact, he was sure they’d be there early. And he’d already received emails from his family asking when they could all arrive and get their first glimpse of Gracie, the first grandchild for his parents.

  “It’s all going to go smoothly. Stop fretting.”

  Annie looked up and attempted a smile. “You know me. I won’t stop worrying ‘til we’re back home on the ranch.”

  Gracie stirred.

  “Time to get moving,” Annie said as she started to stand.

  “No, you finish breakfast. I’ll change her and get a bottle.”

  Annie smiled. “People said because we were adopting I’d miss out on breastfeeding her…that it would be a shame...that I’d be deprived of the bonding mothers and babies get when they nurse. I’m kind of liking it,” she teased.

  “Yeah, you keep thinking that,” Evan grinned. “The next one will be all yours.”

  *****

  Jill had managed to extricate herself from Greg’s arms and legs without waking him and snuck into the bathroom. Their flight for home left at 10:45am, and while Greg would be a first class passenger, Jill was working the leg. She’d already showered and was blow drying her hair, contemplating all that had transpired since she arrived in San Diego.

  Greg’s arrival had been more than a wonderful surprise. In fact, she’d felt slightly guilty about not thinking of the idea first. But then, he was the romantic one. What a catch she’d made. Stretching her arm in front of her, Jill twisted her hand to see the dazzling brilliance of the solitaire diamond sparkling on her finger. It was truly magnificent.

  Her mind drifted to the conversation they’d had before making love once more and falling asleep, extraordinarily satisfied…physically and emotionally. She needed to think about wedding plans. Greg had made it abundantly clear that as far as he was concerned, the sooner the better. Jill didn’t think it would take long to plan, as a small private event was all she wanted. Just close friends and family. How hard could that be?

  She could certainly talk to her sister and get an idea of what they were looking at, although her sister’s wedding was going to be huge, with nearly five hundred guests, not at all what Jill had in mind.

  And then the next thought that barreled its way into her head was one she’d been trying to avoid…perhaps even forget. Babies.

  After Jill had divorced her first husband, she really threw herself into her career. She worked hard and earned promotions and seniority that allowed her to have some control over where she travelled and who she worked with. When she met Greg, even though she fell hopelessly in love with him, the idea of having children had never entered her realm of reality. It was a future she just hadn’t envisioned for herself and never let herself even consider the idea of being a mom.

  Yet all night she’d had dreams of laughter…of babies and children…of Greg playing horsey with a blissfully happy toddler on his back, of her being happily pregnant and his hand protectively over her bare, rounded stomach. She’d heard crying and laughing and screams of delight as visions of Christmas mornings had invaded her dreams. She’d never allowed herself the freedom to think of alternate futures, of her life without her work being her number one priority.

  Greg had told her in no uncertain terms that is was her choice…that he would be happy whatever she chose. In some ways she loved him even more for it, and in others she resented the burden being placed solely in her hands. If they were to have a life together, as one unit, shouldn’t the choice be made together? It was definitely something they would need to discuss more.

  With her hair dried and styled and pulled back into a clip at the back of her neck, Jill pulled out her make-up bag and slathered tinted moisturizer all over her face and neck. The door opened and her naked fiancé stood in the doorway.

  “You
should have woken me,” he grumbled as he stepped closer and pulled her into his arms.

  Jill placed little kisses along his shoulder, savoring his warm skin. “I wanted to let you sleep. You worked hard last night,” she grinned.

  “I do not consider that work,” he chuckled. “Pleasuring you is my favorite pastime. I’m considering changing careers actually and making it my full-time job.”

  “I have to admit I like the sound of that.”

  “Let’s start now, shall we? Do I need to bribe you into hiring me,” he whispered as he trailed feather light kisses over her shoulders down to the full mounds of flesh peeking out from the white fluffy towel wrapped tightly around her body.

  “I wish,” she sighed with genuine regret. “But my real job calls.”

  “Too bad,” he breathed into her skin, sending shivers down her spine and causing little butterflies in the pit of her stomach. “I interview really well.”

  Jill laughed and hugged him tightly, a reassurance of her decision to say yes the night before flooded through her causing a warm and tingling physical response. “I love you.”

  “You’d better,” he grinned.

  “I’ll let you have the bathroom, sir,” she smiled and walked to the closet to get dressed.

  *****

  The downside to being an Oncologist was that there were always patients to care for and William took his job seriously. Even when he was out of the office and not on call he monitored his patient’s requests and made sure he remained up to date on incoming test results, prescription refill requests, referrals and the other countless things.

  As he sat at the desk in his hotel room this morning, he wondered if his conscientious effort was partly to shield him from the lack of personal life he had. Or was it because he bonded with his patients because he had no other relationships in his life? Both were unnerving and uncomfortable thoughts.

  He skimmed through his email, his inbox constantly overflowing with messages. He listened to his voicemail and even called into his office and checked with his nurse to make sure there was nothing urgent he needed to attend to before he left for the airport and was unreachable for several hours. All was well. It put his mind at ease…partially.

  His taxi had been scheduled with the bellman’s desk the evening before, after his date with Erica. His suitcase was packed, the last thing to do was to pack up his laptop and have breakfast. With one last glance around the room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, William closed the hotel door behind him and walked to the elevator. He was hesitant in leaving. Not the hotel but the city. There was this tiny inkling of wonder that if he stayed, was there a chance at a life of, dare he say it, love? Quickly dismissing the thought, he rode the lift down to the lobby floor and entered the restaurant for breakfast, his luggage in tow. He was seated quickly and his cup filled with steaming coffee.

  It was crazy for him to think that after one meal together there was anything more between them than there was before their date. After all, they weren’t teenagers anymore. Most everything about them had changed over the course of their estrangement. If there was a chance to get to know each other again it was now that much more challenging with them being on opposite sides of the country.

  He ordered an omelet and toast, his standard breakfast, and ate it while falling into a state of regret. I could have been bolder, he told himself. I should have said more. What more he didn’t know. But as he wiped his lips on the napkin from his lap, and finished the last few drops of his coffee, he was furious with himself for leaving things so unsettled with Erica. They’d made no definitive plans so any further communication was up in the air.

  In the taxi ride to the airport he considered calling her, but knew she’d be at work and dismissed the idea. As he sat in Sky Airlines’ luxury lounge awaiting his flight, he wondered if he should text her, but told himself to wait until he’d returned home. He wanted to look interested not desperate. So after all the thinking and over-thinking he’d done, he actually did nothing. So much for his resolution to be bold.

  21.

  GREG TIPPED THE DRIVER of the hotel shuttle bus as he unloaded their bags. Jill took hers from Greg and they walked across the street and into the airport terminal. Neither of them were excited about heading home to the unseasonably cold weather the Midwest had been experiencing. Southern California was a heavy contender if they ever chose to relocate, and now it held even more sentimental value. However, Jill was excited to get home and begin their new life together. Greg had already scheduled the moving company for the following weekend and they had discussed wedding ideas during the shuttle ride. A new life waited for them in Chicago.

  Before they parted, Greg going to the ticket counter and Jill to check in, they took a moment to share a sweet kiss, an lingering embrace and a smile.

  “See you on the plane,” she winked as she left him behind.

  Greg watched her disappear into the mass of people standing in the security line, then he walked over to the first class line and stood behind a gentleman in a business suit. It took only a few seconds before he was being helped by the attentive agent at the counter and soon had his boarding pass and was on to security. He watched the people around him as they shuffled between the barriers, hoping it wasn’t their turn to receive a pat down by the TSA. Greg had been subjected to his fair share of inappropriate touching by security and silently prayed it wasn’t his turn to be violated again. Making his way swiftly through the VIP line he was quickly at the gate, choosing not to wait in the lounge, and looked for his beautiful fiancée, hoping she was assigned to first class for the flight home.

  It appeared it was going to be a full flight. There were very few empty seats in the gate area. After scanning the rows of chairs, he found one, but it had bags on it, so he leaned against a pillar and waited.

  Jill had checked in and had run in to her co-workers in the restroom, both squealing with delight and envy at the gorgeous rock now clearly visible on Jill’s finger. They pleaded to hear the romantic story so Jill obliged with an abridged version, satisfying their need for the juicy details. The three of them walked down the concourse, arriving at Gate B5 with a few minutes to spare.

  She saw Greg instantly, knowing him anywhere, even though his back was to her. Trying to remain professional, she introduced him to April and Becky who gave her the thumbs up when Greg looked away. With a short exchange, their time was up and the three women left Greg and vanished behind the gate door.

  More travelers arrived, cramming into the gate area, and Greg patiently waited to be settled on the plane and then home in Chicago.

  *****

  Relief flooded Annie and Evan once they’d checked their bags. Now they just had the stroller, which they’d check at the gate, and the diaper bag. Evan had insisted they purchase three seats for the trip home, allowing them to buckle Gracie into her car seat and had splurged and opted for the extra legroom in one of the economy plus rows.

  Security was a bitch, as usual, although a little worse with a baby, but surprisingly, the TSA agents were helpful after cooing over her.

  “Maybe we’ll get upgraded once we’re on the plane,” Evan laughed. “This baby thing could be a goldmine!”

  Once in the gate area, they found three seats and collapsed, exhausted after the events of the morning. They weren’t nearly as early as Annie had planned, everything taking longer with an infant now. It took longer to get the baby ready than it did her and they realized it would just continue to get worse the older Gracie got.

  “Go to the ladies room. You’ve got time,” Evan insisted.

  So Annie took the opportunity and raced to the restrooms only to return to find a woman, a very attractive woman, flirting with her husband.

  “Excuse me,” Annie smiled as she slid in between the woman and Evan, claiming the empty seat beside him and leaning in to inspect Gracie in his arms.

  The woman smiled and graciously excused herself.

  “A goldmine, I tell you!” Ev
an winked. “A goldmine!”

  *****

  Greg settled into his seat and watched his fiancée while she worked. He couldn’t be more proud of her as he witnessed her in action. She was genuinely cheerful as she greeted the passengers and anxious to make her sixteen charges happy and content. She was efficient as she mixed drinks and delivered them. She offered pillows, blankets, magazines, newspapers and snacks. She conversed and laughed with the Captain and co-pilot as they prepared the airplane for the four and a half hour flight to Chicago. And every time she could she sneaked a look over to him, a look that melted his heart and hardened his groin.

  Once the economy cabin started boarding, Greg’s view of Jill was almost non-existent so he pulled his tablet from his messenger bag at his feet and checked emails. The seat next to him was soon occupied by the gentleman who’d stood in front of him at the ticket counter. He was dressed in a suit and was reading the Wall Street Journal.

  “Hi, I’m Greg,” he said and extended his hand.

  “William,” the man said as he lowered the paper and turned to greet the man to his right. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  “And you. What’s taking to you to Chicago?”

  “I’m headed on to New York. That’s home for me.”

  “And what do you do there?” Greg asked.

  “I’m an Oncologist,” he replied and the two men chatted away as the rest of the plane continued to board.

  *****

  Happy they’d splurged and purchased the extra leg room. Evan and Annie were finally settled into their row, seats 9A B and C, on the aircraft and praying that Gracie remained asleep. She was buckled in her car seat that was belted into the middle seat, a parent on either side of her. They’d taken advantage of the early family boarding and were mostly settled before the majority of the passengers swarmed the plane. Evan was by the window and Annie in the aisle, Evan insisting as she always had to go to the bathroom right after takeoff. And Annie hadn’t argued. In fact if Evan hadn’t made the suggestion, she would have. Her tummy was off again…nerves perhaps…anxiety…or worse. She feared morning sickness. Over the past couple of weeks she’d been nauseous on multiple occasions but each time had chalked it up to the upcoming adoption. Never in her wildest dreams had she suspected she was pregnant so morning sickness wasn’t even on her radar of causes. But now it was all starting to make a little sense.