by Holly Rayner
“He learned from a friend,” she said, purposefully vague.
That seemed to satisfy him. He plopped on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.
“I wonder what it’s like,” he whispered.
You and me both, kid, Ashley thought.
Before she had a chance to respond, the doorbell rang, and David was off the couch like a shot. By the time Ashley took a step in the direction of the front door, David had already opened it.
“Hi!” he chirped. “Are you here to take us to the airport?”
“I am,” a male voice said from the other side of the door.
David threw the door open, revealing an older gentleman with a gray mustache and a thick head of hair to match. The man nodded at Ashley.
“Good evening, miss. I’m here to escort you to the airport. Allow me,” he said, taking a firm grip on each of their suitcases and heading toward the driveway.
“Mom,” David said, his eyes wide as saucers. “Look at the car Matteo sent!”
Ashley stepped out onto her front porch and nearly gasped. Matteo had sent a stretch limo to receive them, complete with a driver. She had never in her life experienced such luxury. Nor had David, who was sprinting toward the back door as she turned and made sure to lock the house behind her.
“Come on in,” the driver said, pulling the car door open in time for David to dive right in.
Ashley cast the driver an apologetic grin, but the man simply nodded with a smile of his own.
“Thank you,” she said as he held the door open for her as well. She slid in and he closed the door behind her, her attention turned fully to a massive cabin with a long leather seat that extended all the way to the driver’s side. A small bar was filled with sodas, chocolate milk, candy and a variety of pastries.
If Matteo wanted to win David’s heart, this certainly didn’t hurt.
“Mom, can you believe it? I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my entire life!” David said, plopping next to her. He eyed the candy with interest, then glanced back at her.
“Can I have some, please?” he begged.
Ashley considered the selection.
“You may have two gummies and the chocolate milk. I don’t want you to get sick just before your first plane ride,” she said.
“Yay! I love you!” David said. He leapt over to the candy bar and grabbed two packets of gummies and a chocolate milk, just as Ashley instructed.
Too nervous to eat or drink anything, Ashley sat back and gazed out the window of her hometown as they drove along the shore in the direction of the local airport.
Was she doing the right thing?
She hoped so, for David’s sake. Being a mother meant making difficult decisions all the time, and she was always scared she was doing it wrong. David plopped down next to her and snuggled against her side, easing her nerves.
“This is so much fun. I can’t wait to get there,” David said.
“Me too, honey,” Ashley replied.
The car pulled up to a wide gate and stopped as the driver had a conversation with a security guard. The man nodded and pressed a button, allowing them access to a private area of the airport. Ashley watched with bated breath as they pulled up to a massive plane.
There was no airline company listed on the side. Surely, they would be flying through some kind of airline?
Matteo was standing by the staircase that led up to the cabin. He waved to them as the car approached and got to the door before their driver had a chance. He opened it and held out a hand for Ashley to take, which she did. It seemed every time she touched him, her body wanted to pull in closer. She fought back the usual urge and stood as David scooted out the door and wrapped Matteo in an enormous hug. Ashley watched Matteo carefully, but he was absolutely in his element. He wrapped an arm about David and knelt down to talk with him on his level.
“Whoa, it’s nice to see you too, buddy!” Matteo said.
“Thank you for taking us on this trip, Matteo! I’m so, so, so, so, so excited!”
Matteo chuckled and patted David on the shoulder.
“I am, too. Thank you for being my very special guests on this trip. I can’t wait to show you where I’m from!”
“You mean where I’m from,” David said.
Matteo cast a glance at Ashley, and she nodded. They had texted about what they thought the best message was for David in the present moment, and it appeared that what they’d decided on worked. David showed no signs of anything but excitement to see his birth country. The big reveal about Matteo could wait, surely, for a little while.
“Yes, that is true,” Matteo said, cautious in his response.
“Did you know my parents, Matteo?” David asked.
Matteo once again looked to Ashley, careful not to answer without her being on the same page. She appreciated that more than he could possibly know.
“I’m sure we can learn all about that later,” Ashley said. “Until then, what airline is this?”
Matteo gestured toward the place in a grandiose style.
“This is Endrizzi Airways,” he said.
“But that’s just your last name.” David giggled.
Matteo’s lip twitched as he gazed down upon his son, the affection obvious in his eyes.
“Yes. This is my personal plane.”
David’s eyes sparkled as he stared at the enormous vessel.
“That whole plane belongs to you?” he asked.
Matteo nodded.
“It does. Would you like to see inside? I think you might find it to your liking.”
“Okay!” David said.
He reached out and took Matteo’s hand, and for a moment, Matteo’s expression was filled with an emotion Ashley couldn’t quite read. She watched as Matteo led the way, her son’s hand comfortable in his much larger one as they mounted the steps and disappeared inside.
“Your bags are all stored, miss,” the driver said. “Have a great trip.”
Ashley thanked him, then headed for the stairs, dazed. It was like being in some kind of dream. While so many people wished that they might wake up to find out they’re really a prince or princess, that all their monetary lack was gone in an instant, for her son that was a reality.
A reality that at the moment he was blissfully unaware of.
She reached the top of the stairs and stepped inside, holding back a gasp. It was sheer opulence. Instead of feeling like she’d stepped onto a plane, it felt more like a first-class hotel room suite, complete with several rooms for a variety of purposes.
“Mom! It has a dining room and three bedrooms! Three!” David said, running down the aisle to greet her. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life!”
Matteo appeared from the back and gestured for her to head in his direction.
“Come. I can show you your room, and then we can have some dinner above the clouds before bedtime. By the time we wake up, we’ll be landing in Golina.”
“Sounds perfect,” Ashley said with a smile.
She followed him as he showed her and David around the plane, which indeed housed its own dining area and several bedrooms. The room he showed Ashley housed a queen and a twin bed, the latter of which David jumped on and stared out the window.
“This is mine, I claim it!” he said.
“Deal,” Ashley said with a laugh.
“You can have any bed you wish, David,” Matteo said. “Please excuse me while I let the pilot know that we’re ready to take off, and I will let the service team know we’ll be ready for dinner soon as well.”
“Thanks, Matteo,” Ashley said.
For his part, David was far too excited to acknowledge Matteo’s statement. He was staring out the window.
“Mom, can you imagine watching the stars from here, high in the sky? We’ll be able to see every single one!”
Ashley sat on the bed and stroked her son’s back as she stared out at the tarmac. Her heart ached as she imagined losing any time with him. They’d been togethe
r every day since he’d entered her life. Were she to enter into an agreement with Matteo as they’d discussed, there was a chance she could go months without seeing him. In spite of the pain, she knew that having Matteo in his life would be best for him—having a father was important for any little boy, and to have one that really wanted to be a part of his life…
Well. She had to put her own feelings aside on that one. She knew in her bones that Matteo would make an excellent father. Every time the two of them were together, her heart seemed to melt. There was a connection there that even she couldn’t deny. She would just have to figure out how to make this all work without hurting her son in any way.
Was that even possible?
The plane jolted back, and David gripped Ashley’s arm as Matteo entered the room.
“We’ll want to go to the sitting room and buckle up for takeoff, then dinner can be served,” Matteo said.
David held tight to Ashley’s hand as they joined him in another room that was much more plane-like in nature. While the seats were large and made of cream-colored leather, they were still obviously airline seats, and Ashley helped David buckle in as they prepared to soar into the sky. Matteo sat in a seat facing them and beamed at his son.
“Are you excited?” he asked.
David nodded, though he didn’t let go of Ashley’s hand.
“Are you ever scared when you fly, Matteo?” David asked in a small voice.
Matteo leaned forward and nodded.
“Sometimes,” he said, “but then I think about how cool it looks when you fly above the clouds, and I focus on looking up rather than looking down.”
David nodded, and Matteo pointed out the window as the plane tilted and launched them into the air. David released his hold on Ashley’s hand as he gazed out the window with Matteo. Together they pointed out the shapes in the clouds, and before they knew it, they were high in the air, floating along at a nice cruising altitude.
At the sound of a ding, Matteo told them they were good to take off their seat belts. He led the way to the small, elegant dining room, where two servers were already waiting for them.
“I hope you like pizza,” Matteo said, and David hooted.
“I love it!”
“Yes, he does,” Ashley said with a laugh.
Two handmade pizzas were placed on the table, one with cheese, one with pepperoni, though they certainly were a cut above the local chain restaurant she usually ordered from.
“Bon appetit,” Matteo said. At David’s curious glance, he clarified. “That means ‘enjoy.’”
Ashley watched once more as David and Matteo enjoyed one another’s company, laughing and telling jokes throughout the entire meal. This was something Matteo had spent two years trying to find. She tried to imagine the feeling and was at a loss. Instead, she simply enjoyed the time they spent together as the sun sank beyond the horizon, replaced by a million pinpricks of light all around them.
When David yawned, she stepped in.
“All right, boys. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we wake up to explore Golina.”
“Yay!” David cheered again.
Matteo walked them to their room, and David brushed past Ashley to wrap Matteo in a very tight hug.
“Good night, Matteo. We’ll see you in Golina!”
Matteo held onto his son and nodded as he stepped back.
“Yes, you will. Good night David. Good night, Ashley,” he said.
The way he said her name, almost reverently, had her whole body tingling. But that was probably just from the altitude, right?
“Good night,” she said, doing her best not to get lost in his eyes.
She closed the door behind them, and the pair made quick work of changing into comfortable sleeping attire. David slid under the blankets of his bed and stared in amazement out the window.
“This is the best day ever,” David whispered.
Ashley watched the starlight glisten in his eyes as she settled into her own surprisingly comfortable bed.
“I have to agree,” she said.
David yawned, and his eyes drooped as he kept his gaze on the window.
“I love you, Mom,” he said.
“I love you to the moon and back,” Ashley said.
She watched as he drifted off to sleep, then rolled over and tried not to think of Matteo lying in a bed nearby.
Tomorrow, the next adventure started.
Chapter 15
Ashley
Matteo’s stubble tickled Ashley’s cheek as he leaned in and whispered against her ear.
“Good morning.”
The plane bumped, jolting her awake.
Ashley’s eyes fluttered open as she blinked against the light of the morning sun pouring through the little plane window. She was alone, and it was disorienting. She could have sworn Matteo was right beside her, his warmth cradling her close.
She sat up and stretched, surprisingly well-rested for having slept on an airplane. In the past she would have had a crick in her neck and a hard time standing for a few hours, having had to sleep sitting up or leaning against a filthy airplane wall. This was an entirely different experience.
David stirred in his sleep, and she watched as one green eye opened, and he remembered exactly where he was.
“Are we there yet?” he asked, sitting up and stretching as well.
“Not quite. I think there might be an hour or so left, if I’m calculating correctly,” she said.
“I’m hungry. Can I have gummies for breakfast?” he asked, hopeful.
Ashley smirked as she leaned over and kissed the top of his head.
“Nice try, pal. Just because we get to ride in a fancy plane doesn’t mean you get to gorge yourself on candy.”
“But this is a vacation. Isn’t that what people do on vacation?”
Before she had a chance to answer, there was a gentle knock at the door. Ashley glanced down at her pajamas, but she didn’t have a chance to ask for a moment to change.
“Come in!” David called.
Matteo poked his face inside and took in the sight of the two of them in bed. Ashley felt her cheeks grow warm, and she resisted the urge to pull the covers over her chest like some old-timey Victorian lady. Her pajamas were certainly respectable—a T-shirt and plaid pants—but somehow she felt exposed as Matteo’s eyes drank in the sight of her.
“Good morning,” he said, his sexy accent even more melodic in the morning.
“Good morning,” Ashley said.
“Can we have candy for breakfast?” David asked.
“David!” Ashley protested.
Matteo chuckled as he joined David on his bed.
“Hmm, I don’t believe that the airplane crew has candy on the breakfast menu.”
David’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.
“But,” Matteo went on, “we do have special pancakes called crepes, which we eat with bananas and a chocolate hazelnut butter. Would you be amenable to that?”
David perked up the moment he heard “chocolate.” He threw his comforter off and wrapped his arms around Matteo’s neck.
“You’re the best! Thank you, Matteo,” David said, his voice muffled against Matteo’s shoulder.
Ashley met Matteo’s gaze as he held the boy close. After a pause, he closed his eyes, embracing the child with fatherly love.
David pulled away and jumped onto the floor, wobbling a little. Matteo reached out a hand to help steady him, and then together they led the way out the door and back toward the dining area. Ashley followed too, and she was amazed to see that a breakfast spread had already been prepared. There were silver serving dishes with heaters beneath them, clearly warming the crepes Matteo had mentioned earlier.
Matteo pulled out a seat for Ashley.
“May I?” he said, gesturing toward her chair.
“Oh. Yeah, sure,” she said. She sat down as David plopped in a seat next to her and glanced up at Matteo.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
/> “Do what?” Matteo said.
“Pull out my mom’s chair,” David said.
“Ah,” Matteo replied. “Well, it’s considerate of a gentleman to help a lady to her seat. It shows great respect.”
“Ohh,” David said. He looked over at Ashley. “Mom, next time you need to sit, let me know so I can get your chair.”
Ashley held back her smile, since David’s expression was very serious.
“Yes, of course,” she said.
Together they enjoyed a delicious breakfast of crepes, orange juice, fresh fruit, and hot tea. David enjoyed telling Matteo all of his usual jokes, and, having never heard them, Matteo laughed at every one. As their meal came to an end, a voice came over the speaker system.
“Touch down in Golina, ten minutes.”
“I thought I felt my ears pop,” Ashley said, opening her mouth to relieve the sensation.
“David, come,” Matteo said. He slid into a seat near a window, and David sat right next to him, leaning over to gaze out.
“This is Golina,” Matteo said.
“Wow,” David said in amazement.
Ashley stood over them and looked upon the stunning island below. Sandy white beaches were surrounded by aquamarine waters. Colorful houses dotted the cliffsides, and not far from the ocean, she saw a stunning cream-colored palace.
“Wow” was right.
They all watched in silence as the plane touched down and coasted to a stop at another private airport.
“David, let’s pack up our things and get dressed,” Ashley said.
“Good idea. We should be able to exit the plane in a moment,” Matteo said.
They made quick work of changing before heading back out toward the front of the plane.
“I wish we could stay in here the whole time,” David said.
Matteo glanced down at him, and his hand twitched, as though he was holding back the urge to place it on David’s head.
“Don’t worry, David. I think where we’re staying will be more than appealing.”
“Can we take this plane when we fly back home?” David asked.
Matteo and Ashley exchanged a glance. Funny how they were already learning how to communicate silently with one another.