Shaking my head to rid myself of the memory, I take a deep breath and know that I'm ready to move on with my life, and the beautiful pilot who sparked my attention may just be the one to help me do that.
The day before my first show is one of both excitement and nerves. If I knew my old man wouldn’t kill me, I would be out with the guys drinking a little to calm my nerves.
But nope, I’m sitting across from my parents at a local restaurant close to my apartment. Some kids hate having their parents around. I've never been one of those. Maybe it’s because Dad was a pilot, and I look up to him, or maybe it’s because they show me how a relationship should be when you find the one person who makes you whole.
“Sweetheart, I'm so happy for you,” Mom says as she wraps her arms around me before we sit down.
“Jess, let the boy breathe,” my dad says with a laugh.
“Shut up, Jasper. He’s my baby, and I haven’t seen him in a few months. I can fawn all over him if I want.” She swats at my dad as he kisses her cheek.
“Missing y’all too. Now can we sit down? I’m starving.”
“So tell me how you’ve been, darling. And don’t bullshit me. Your dad already filled me in on this woman,” my mom says, sipping from her wineglass.
“Bro code, Dad. I told you not to say anything,” I say, placing my hands over my face.
Dad lets out a hoarse laugh. “That doesn’t really work when you're married. She knows everything, and if I don’t tell her, she’ll just keep sex from me, and I am not about to have that taken away.”
A gag sound comes from my throat. “Seriously, y’all, can we just have one meal where your sex life doesn’t come into the picture?”
“Yep, tell me about the girl, and I won’t tell you what your dad did last night.”
“Dammit, y’all.”
They both let out a huge laugh, knowing I'm going to cave and tell them all about Amelia. But when I look up, the woman who plays on constant repeat in my mind walks through the door wearing skintight black pants and knee-high boots, and I lose all train of thought.
Our eyes lock, and I hear Dad say something like, “Damn, Jess, he’s got it bad,” as I stand up and walk toward her.
I have never felt drawn to one person like I am to her; she’s like a siren calling me home, and I can’t help myself.
I find her standing by the bar, that heart-shaped ass looking perfect in those tight pants, talking with the bartender.
“Stalking me again, I see, Phoenix.”
She spins around, and my world shifts. It’s been a few days since we had our talk in the cargo area.
With a smirk, she looks at me.
“I’ll have you know that I actually have a ritual that, before any performance, I always let myself have a greasy cheeseburger and fries. Seems to help calm my nerves. Well, that and a bottle of wine,” she says, turning back to look at her menu.
I move to stand closer now. “Would you like to know my pre-performance ritual?” Caging her in just enough, I'm sure she can feel just what she does to me.
A throat clears behind me, and I know before even turning around that my parents are standing and watching my interaction with Amelia.
“Son, you want to let this lovely young lady order her meal?” my mom says, and her sweet Southern drawl comes out just a little more, making it known that I need to back up just a little, especially if we are to keep this relationship quiet.
“Hi, Amelia,” my dad says, coming around to give her a hug. Sometimes, I forget the age gap between us and that as Dad’s time with the Angels was ending, Amelia was becoming the first female to be a part of the team.
“Great to see you again, Jasper. How’s civilian life treating you?” she asks.
“It’s been great. Working in Charlotte has been a change of pace I didn’t even know I needed.”
“I read you picked up some of the race teams and are helping them with therapy and sports medicine. That's great.” She makes small talk as my mom side-eyes me some more.
“Jasper, darling, why don’t we leave the kids to it and head on back to the room? Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day, and I'm sure Ash needs to be getting home.” Mom winks, knowing damn well that sleep is the last thing on my mind and that the woman in front of me is really what I need to relax.
“Okay, we’ll see you after the show tomorrow, Ash. Amelia, it was great seeing you again,” my dad says as he places a hand on my mom’s lower back, and they head toward the exit.
