I won’t jump on him the minute he gets here. I’ll take my time.
Bailey George paced back and forth in the tiny living room of the miniscule apartment she and Zack Wallace had been sharing for the past year. She had pinched herself every day since they’d moved in together. Her family hadn’t been too excited about their baby girl, a sophomore, “living in sin” with a big bad senior, and a fifth year senior at that. But then they met Zack, and he won them over so smoothly, they had no objections left. She hoped when she broke her news to them they would realize she was as at fault as Zack.
She was nervous about his reaction, but they loved each other. Underneath her nerves, she was secure in the knowledge that, together, they’d handle the situation. So maybe her plans might have to change a little, but that would be okay. Just as long as they were together.
She stood in the middle of the combination living/dining room, checking everything for tonight one last time. The table was set with real plates instead of paper. She had splurged and bought two small candlesticks and some scented candles. And the dinner she’d cooked had turned out well, much to her surprise.
Should I wait until he has a drink? Changes into his sweats?
God. What if he says he’s not hungry? Thanks for all this work, babe, but I’ve really gotta hit the books tonight.
Everything else aside, this was probably a good time to talk about what came next. They’d danced around it but hadn’t really nailed anything down. Bailey still had two more years of undergrad followed by law school. Zack had already planned to go into the Air Force right after graduation. He had the qualifications—a GPA of 3.7, a degree in engineering, and a civilian pilot’s license.
The man was hooked on planes and flying. Couldn’t seem to get enough of it. Talked about it all the time. He even earned money by flying tourists around the area on weekends, working for a small charter service at a nearby field. Every time he came home from that field, his eyes sparkled like Fourth of July fireworks, and he was totally jazzed. Sometimes she thought he could give up food easier than he could give up flying.
They had sort of discussed Bailey finishing the next two years here while spending time with him whenever they could work it out. They’d get married when she graduated. Then he hoped for some kind of permanent posting, at least long enough for her to get her law degree from whatever university they happened to be near. After that, they’d see what was in store for them.
Of course, the best laid plans and all that, she thought to herself. Here they were one month before his graduation, and along came a big monkey wrench.
Pregnant!
She’d hardly been able to believe it. Being pregnant and unmarried at twenty had never been in her plans. They’d been so careful, but she’d had the flu, and the doctor she’d seen said that often threw off the birth control pills. Now he told her? Why hadn’t he said something when she went to see him for flu medicine?
She agonized over how Zack would take it. She hoped he’d be excited. Would he want to get married right away? Would she be able to go back to school in the fall, at least for a semester, until she had the baby? Then they could see about sitters.
They’d said they wanted children. Okay, so maybe not this way, and maybe not so soon, but still.
It is what it is.
She desperately wanted a glass of wine to steady her nerves, but tonight—and for the foreseeable future— she wasn’t drinking. She’d thought it all out as intelligently as possible. At she hoped she had. Her plan was doable if Zack would just take a good look at it and agree.
Zack!
She still got weak in the knees whenever she thought of him, even after almost two years. God. He’d blown into her life, quite literally, on a windy, rainy day. She’d been struggling to get up the stairs to the library, where it was dry, but the heavy wind kept buffeting her. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms scooped her up and carried her inside. She’d been so stunned she hadn’t had time to be afraid.
“That rainstorm’s a killer today, isn’t it?”
The voice was deep and warm and sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with being cold. When he set her on her feet, she could only stare at him. She looked up—and up and up—to the tallest guy she’d ever seen, she was sure. His thick black hair curled from the rain, and drops clung to equally thick lashes framing electric-blue eyes. His face was rugged, with high cheekbones and a square jaw. A little bit of late-day dark scruff shading his jawline gave him a hint of danger.
For a minute, she’d thought she was hallucinating, that her addled freshman mind was having a waking dream. Then he’d reached into the backpack he carried and pulled out a windbreaker, wrapping it around her freezing body.
“Looks like you need someone to take care of you.”
That deep voice had resonated inside her, and she was lost to him. After that evening, they were inseparable, the past two years flying by as if the days had wings on their feet.
Zack’s graduation was just around the corner. She’d planned a surprise for him, but not quite like the one she now had for him. She could only hope he turned out to be as excited as she was. Well, maybe excited wasn’t quite the right word.
But he loved her. He’d told her more times than she could count. And she loved him, too. Hell, when her parents were this age, they got married. Bailey placed a hand over her stomach, as if the pressure could calm the butterflies having a field day in there.
She had just taken a sip from a glass of water when she heard Zack running up the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat, and her pulse accelerated. Of course, it always did that when she was anticipating him. A minute later, the door opened. His dark hair was windblown, giving him an even sexier look. She didn’t think she’d ever tire of looking at him. She hoped he’d feel the same way when she gave him her news.
He tossed his knapsack on the couch, picked her up, and swung her around.
“Just wait until you hear what I have to tell you.”
He put her down, cupped her face, and kissed her hard. When he drew back, she noticed the excitement gleaming in his eyes and the big grin on his face.
“Wow. It must be good. Is it something more about the Air Force? You look like a kid at Christmas.”
“Better than Christmas.” He glanced over at the little dining area and froze. “Uh, did I miss a special date or something? Looks like you went all out for dinner.”
“A little. I have something to tell you. I just hope—”
“Then we both have something to celebrate. Bailey, you won’t believe what happened.”
He picked her up and sat down on the couch with her on his lap, turning her slightly so he could see her face.
She laughed. “You’d tell me before you pop.”
“Well, you know how crazy I am about flying.” He grinned. “Addicted, right?”
She forced a smile. That was the damn truth. “Of course. And you’re good at it, even if I did get airsick at first.”
One of the first things Zack had done when they started seeing each other was take her up in a small plane he’d rented from a nearby airfield. She knew his father and his uncle owned a private charter service and had taught him to fly when he was thirteen. He received his pilot’s license at sixteen and never lost his hunger for flying. His father had passed away four years ago, and his uncle had sold the business and moved away. She wasn’t sure where. Maybe he was going to give Zack some free flying time as a graduation gift.
“Remember me telling you last year how my uncle sold the business after my dad passed away?”
What on earth? Of course, she knew. But Zack was fairly vibrating with excitement.
“Is he flying to your graduation and giving us a ride in his plane?”
“Better than that. He just bought a charter business in Alaska. Alaska, Bailey! Holy shit!”
The butterflies were turning into a knot strangling her insides.
“But this is even better, don’t you see? I can start flying full time right away.” He cupped her face and planted a hard kiss on her lips. “It’s my dream.”
“So this is what has you so excited?” She was doing her best to remain calm.
Please just be for a visit.
“Do you want to go and visit him?”
“Better than that. He wants me to come work with him.” Zack threw his head back and laughed with unrestrained joy. “Can you believe it?”
Every muscle in Bailey’s body tensed, and she did her best not to throw up. She swallowed and wet her lips.
“Move to Alaska? Zak, what about the Air Force? All your plans. Our plans?”
“But don’t you see? This way I can start flying right away. Full time!” He grinned, his eyes sparkling. “And all that uncharted open space in Alaska. God, Bailey. Just think of it.”
She was, only not the way he was.
Alaska. Oh god. How can I tell him my news now? What am I going to do?
“Wow. That’s really great, Zack.” Did he notice the muted enthusiasm in her voice?
“I can’t believe it. He says he flies customers into the remote north of the state, or takes them on sightseeing trips. Sometimes, he’s even called on to serve as a medevac service if someone out there is sick. He says every day is an adventure, and I know he’s right.”
“That’s so great, Zack.”
He must have caught the slight lack of enthusiasm in her voice because he pulled her into a hug.
“This doesn’t really change things much, babe. I promise you. I figured we could talk tonight about how we want to handle this.”
She was nervous about asking the next question. “What about our plans?”
“Not a problem.” He cupped her face in his palms and smiled at her. “Our plans are still good. We just make a few adjustments.”
“Adjustments?” She tried to read his eyes. “Like what?
“For one thing, do you want to stay in school here or transfer to the University of Alaska? They have three campuses, so I know something would work.” What she saw in his eyes was unbridled excitement and anticipation. “Bailey, sweetheart, a chance like this doesn’t come along every day.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “Like I said, we can check at the University of Alaska for a program for you. See what works.”
No, Zack. I can’t go to Alaska with you because I’m having a baby. Your baby. That means a lot of changes in your life, just when you least need them. I won’t be the one to make you give up your dream, flyboy. I could never live with myself.
“When did you talk to your uncle about this? It must have just happened.”
“He called me while I was at the library. I went to Baba’s Coffee because it was so close, and we Skyped from there and discussed everything.” He almost vibrated with excitement. “He’s got three planes and is short one pilot. They fly all over Alaska. Everywhere. He wants me to come up right after graduation.”
“That soon?”
“Uh-huh. And I want you to come with me.”
Not happening, Zack.
“I think you should go first,” she told him. “Check it out. Make sure it’s really what he says.”
“I know my uncle. He’s right on about this.” He gave her another quick kiss. “I can work for him for a couple of years, and, with what he’s paying me, we can sock away a bundle. You can go on to law school. When you graduate, we can decide what we want to do next, but we’ll have the bucks to do it.”
He jumped up with her still in his arms and whirled her around again.
“And guess what?” His lips curved in a wide grin. “There’s a garage apartment at his house that he says we can have rent free. Isn’t that great?”
Bailey hoped she wouldn’t throw up, and not from being spun like a top. How could she tell him there was no way she was going with him without telling him about the baby? He didn’t need that right now. He was so excited, and it would just drag him down. She’d hoped this would be something they both looked forward to, unexpected as it was. But flying was in Zack’s blood. She’d known it all along.
“Yes, great,” she managed.
“So what do you say?” He stood her on the floor in front of him. “Are you game for this? Think what an adventure it will be.”
Bailey forced a smile. “Yes, it will. Oh, Zack, I am really happy for you.”
The sad part? She really was.
“For me? For us, you mean.”
“Yes.” She dug up some enthusiasm. “For us.”
“Come on. Let’s celebrate.” Then he frowned. “Wait. You set the table so nice and everything. You said you had something to tell me, too.”
She shook her head. “It can wait. It’s not nearly as exciting as your news.”
“That doesn’t matter. Come on, babe. Let’s have it.”
“Later. Let’s eat and celebrate your exciting wonderful news.”
“Okay. If you’re sure. Let me just take a quick shower.”
I won’t cry. I won’t cry. I won’t cry.
Bailey repeated the words over and over like a mantra as she readied the food for the table. Somehow, she would get through tonight, the next couple of weeks until graduation, and then sending Zack off to realize his dream. And then, with painful brutality, she’d have to cut him out of her life. She would not make him give up his dream.
It wasn’t just the idea of having her life upended and moving so far while she was pregnant. The last thing Zack needed as he began this adventure was a wife and a baby to distract him. Oh, he night think it would work. But when he was off flying remote Alaska for days at a time, he needed to think about the plane and not a wife and newborn. He needed to be free to do this. If she told him her news, he’d give up this dream, thinking he was doing the responsible thing. But, if that happened, they’d both always have regrets.
Now she just needed to figure out how to handle the rest of her life.