“You don’t even know me.”
“But I want to.”
“Why?”
“Have you ever met somebody and known you should know them?”
I thought for a moment. That’s how I felt about my best friend, Call. I knew we were meant to be friends the first moment I met her backstage at the Nashville Has Talent show. Honestly, I had a hard time rooting for my ex-husband over her.
He unbuckled my seatbelt, before I could respond.
My eyes flew open. “What do you think you’re doing?” I was going to have a panic attack.
He was already getting up. “Come on, it will be fun.” Boyish excitement lit up his handsome features.
I shook my head no.
The plane jolted and Cole faltered, but caught himself on my chair. He hovered above me grinning sexily. Darn those cowboys. “You better switch me or we could find ourselves getting real cozy, doc.”
“You sound like you wouldn’t mind.”
“I wouldn’t, but I get the feeling you’re not that kind of woman and I’m trying to change my ways.”
Between his forwardness, the alcohol, and my fear, my brain wasn’t working properly, obviously. I found myself being pulled up and placed in the window seat. He even buckled my seatbelt. I immediately pulled down the shade so I couldn’t see outside.
“That’s not how this works, darlin’.” He lifted the cover back up.
I closed my eyes and held my breath.
He took my hand. “Breathe. You’re safe. I promise.”
I hadn’t felt safe in a long time. I let out a long slow breath.
“That’s better.”
“I wouldn’t call this better.”
“Maybe try opening your eyes.”
I did, but slowly. I turned toward his smiling face. Our heads were both leaned back. We stared at each other in the dark for several moments.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear. “There is something about you, beautiful Jillian. Something telling me I should know you.”
No one had spoken to me like that in so long. I realized in that moment how much I missed the tenderness. How much I missed being seen as woman and not an emotional punching bag or a problem. All of those thoughts, combined with the alcohol, made me do something I had never done before. It was the first time in my life I didn’t think, I just acted. I leaned forward and I saw him grin before I pressed my lips against his.
He didn’t hesitate to reciprocate.
And for some reason, I didn’t care that I was kissing a stranger on a plane in front of God and everyone. I didn’t care about the turbulence or that I had just gotten divorced. All I focused on was the long, slow way the cowboy kissed. How he gently wove his fingers through my golden blonde hair. How he tasted like honey and lemon. How for the first time in a long time, I felt desire.
He took his time with me and only deepened the kiss when I didn’t pull away. His lips entreated mine to part and they readily accepted. But again, he was gentle. Nothing like Danny, whose kisses were always intense. This man kissed like we had all the time in the world and there was no one else he wanted to be with. It’s probably why I kept on kissing him long after the seatbelt light went off. I had forgotten what it felt like to be wanted, and I savored every moment of it.
It was him that eventually pulled away. It took him a few tries. His lips would leave mine, only to brush them again. He leaned his head against mine and whistled low. “Wow, doc.”
It was then that what I had done finally sank in. “What must you think of me?”
“I think I would like to get to know you better.”
I tore myself away from him and leaned into my seat, his seat. I closed my eyes again. I couldn’t believe what I had just done and how I felt. I knew it couldn’t, and wouldn’t, go anywhere, but my beating heart was begging me to reconsider.
“Hey.” He took up my hand. “Please don’t be embarrassed.”
A small smile appeared on my lips.
“Jillian Jones, I do like that smile of yours. Tell me about your job.”
I continued to behave unlike myself. I let the cowboy keep my hand. I opened myself up to him. I’m not sure why, other than I needed the human connection and I was scared, not only about flying, but how my life was going to change. Separation and divorce are two entirely different things. While I had taken a huge step forward, I couldn’t help but think about all I had been through and how it changed me. “Most of my patients are recovering from an accident or a surgical procedure, sometimes both.”
“You like what you do?”
“I love it. There’s great satisfaction watching people progress and get better and knowing you had a hand in it. What about you? Do you like our job?”
He squeezed my hand. “It has its perks.”
“I hope you don’t think I’ll be one of them.”
He laughed quietly. “No, doc. Maybe when I was younger, but this old cowboy has learned a thing or two, most of them the hard way.”
“You’re not that old.”
“How old are you?”
“Old enough to know better.”
He grinned over at me. “So you love your job and your family. What else do you love?”
I still couldn’t believe this man was so interested in me. “I love any time I can get outdoors, hiking or being out on the water. And being my mother’s daughter, I love to sew. That probably makes me sound old.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say?”
“Outdated.”
It was my turn to laugh. “I suppose so, but I never have to worry about ill-fitting clothes. I can alter anything off the rack.”
“You look good to me.”
“Thank you.”
We talked our way through the night. I never did look out the window, but for some reason, I didn’t need to. He kept me distracted the whole flight with all his questions and answers. He was more open than I would expect. He didn’t try to hide the fact that he had made mistakes and he needed to own up to them. He wasn’t ashamed for going to rehab or continuing to see a counselor. I admired him for it. I wished Danny would have done the same, but he wasn’t willing to change, not for me and not for himself.
An hour before our flight landed, he turned toward me and ran his finger down my cheek. I will admit I shivered at the touch. He leaned in a bit more and spoke softly. “I meant what I said. I want to get to know you better, but you need time to heal and I need to get my life back on track. I promise you, when that happens I’ll come looking for you.”
His words brought me back to reality. I shook my head. “Men.”
“What about us?”
“You so easily make midnight promises.” Danny had made his fair share. He was always going to get clean and treat me like I deserved, but each one of those promises faded away in the morning light.
“Now that sounds like a line from a song.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. As he lingered, I wanted to believe him.
When we landed early that morning, he was holding to his promise, but I walked away promising myself not to fall for another charming cowboy.
But ever since then, I couldn’t get that midnight kiss, or his promise, out of my heart. I wondered if when he woke up in the dead of night, I played in his memories.
For me, I had him on replay, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t turn him off.
About the Author
Jennifer Peel is the mother of three amazing kiddos. Wife to her one and only for the past twenty-two years. Lover of late night talks, beach vacations, the mountains, pink bubble gum ice cream, tours of model homes, and Southern living. She can frequently be found with her laptop on, fingers typing away, indulging in chocolate milk, and writing out the stories that are constantly swirling through her head.
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Books by Jennifer Peel:
Other Side of the Wall
The Girl in Seat 24B
Professional Boundaries
House Divided
Trouble in Loveland
The Women of Merryton Series:
Jessie Belle – Book One
Taylor Lynne – Book Two
Rachel Laine – Book Three
The Dating by Design Series:
His Personal Relationship Manager – Book One
The Piano and Promises Series:
Christopher and Jaime – Book One
To learn more about Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.jenniferpeel.com
Beck and Call (Pianos and Promises #2) Page 12