Twenty-Seven
The plane began its descent, slowly moving through the clouds until the big jet lumbered onto the runway and taxied to the hangar. Seatbelts were unbuckled, and tired men and women exited the plane.
I waited for Jamie at the bottom of the ramp. When I saw him walking down the ramp, I went forward, hand extended. “Thank you, Jamie, you really came through for me.”
He shook my hand, smiling. “So, this is the lovely lady in question?” he asked.
Jiji came forward and hugged Jamie. “Breech told me how much you did for us and I can’t thank you enough.”
“It was my pleasure, ma’am. I owe this guy my life. Saved my skin a few times, so it’s the least I can do.”
“See you round, Jamie!”
“See you, man. Nice to meet you Jiji, take care of him.”
“I certainly will, Jamie, as soon as we get home,” Jiji said with a wink and a grin.
He walked away, laughing. “You’ve got your hands full, Breech, good for you, man, good for you!”
We piled into the truck and it took off. Twenty-five minutes later, we were home.
Before I could grab the handle, the door was flung open and Tish threw herself at Jiji. “Jesus Christ, I leave you alone for a couple weeks and you go and get yourself kidnapped,” Tish said.
“Tish, oh my God, what are you doing here?”
“We decided to come home a couple days early, because I felt like I was getting sick. When we got to the club, Gears told us where you were and what happened. Are you okay? Breech, he said someone shot you, are you okay?”
Fighter’s voice came from behind Tish. “If you needed something to do, Breech, you could have painted the deck.”
“Fuck you, man, I pay people to do that shit,” Breech responded. They slapped hands and did the man-hug thing.
“Good to see you didn’t die, bro,” Fighter said.
Sonny commented from the driver’s seat, “I hate to break this up, but we’d like to get home too, so get your asses out of the way so we can blow this pop stand.”
“We love you too, Sonny,” Fighter deadpanned.
Sonny flipped him the bird, slammed the truck in reverse, and pulled out of the driveway.
We walked into the house. Jiji and Tish eagerly chatted away about their recent adventures. Fighter just shook his head, slung an arm over my shoulder, and we followed the girls into the kitchen.
“I hate to break this party up,” I said, “but I’m about to crash. Good to see you man,” I said to Fighter. I wrapped my arms around Tish, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and released her.
Jiji slipped an arm around my waist. “I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she said to Fighter and Tish.
Fighter gave us a two-finger salute as we left the kitchen. We could hear them laughing as we walked down the hall. I stopped outside the room I’d been sleeping in, but Jiji pulled me down to her room instead. I shrugged my shoulders and followed her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I started to unlace my boots.
Jiji went into the adjoining bathroom and started the shower. She came back into the bedroom where I’d stripped down to my boxer briefs and took my hand, then led me to the bathroom and motioned for me to get in the shower. “You’ll feel better going to bed clean,” she said. “I know you’re dead on your feet, so make it quick.” My underwear slid to the floor and I stepped into the hot shower.
Ten minutes later, I turned the water off and appeared in the bathroom door with a towel slung around my waist, combing my fingers through my damp hair. Jiji was in bed already, wearing her favorite pair of sleep shorts and tank top. Dropping the towel, I climbed naked into bed, pulling her into my arms and spooning her with her back to my front. I kissed her on the top of her head, and she responded by kissing the side of my arm surrounding her. “Go to sleep, Breech; we’ll have time to talk when you wake up.”
The next morning, I rolled over and the other side of the bed was empty. Smelling coffee, I dragged on a pair of shorts, quickly splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth, then went out to the kitchen. Jiji must have heard me coming down the hall because she was pouring a cup of fresh coffee from the pot when I walked into the kitchen.
I walked over and she handed me the cup. I bent down and kissed her lips, lingering for a second. She smiled against my mouth.
“Good morning, handsome, how are you feeling?”
I smiled back. “Better, babe.” Cradling her between my legs, I took a sip of my coffee. She leaned into my body, pressing a kiss to my chest. Looking up into my face, she said, “I used to listen to my brother talk about his missions, in broad terms, when he was still a Marine. I never really understood the bond he had with his platoon until I saw you all in action yesterday. You guys work like a well-oiled machine, each one an extension of the other. The connection you share is like what I feel for Tish and now Sandra and Lani. Thank you for allowing them to go into danger to come after me, Breech. I won’t ever forget it.”
I picked her up around the waist and sat her down on the countertop, pushing her thighs apart to make a space for me between them. “They are important to me, but none are more important than you, Jiji.”
She lowered her head as if gathering her thoughts then said, “I’ve never known anyone like you before, and what we’ve shared so far has been magical. But if you’re looking for the insta-love like Fighter and Tish have, then I’m not your girl. If this last few days have taught me anything, it’s that we need to hang on to the good things in our life and let all the small things go. I have dreams, Breech. Nothing is going to happen overnight; it will be years before I’m ready to commit to a happily ever after. I need to put all my concentration into achieving my goals; do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Jiji, I knew going into this relationship that you were young but are driven to achieve your goals. I’m totally on board with your plans and I’m just asking you for the chance to let me help you reach those dreams. I don’t need to be your primary focus. I just want to be in your life, helping you, protecting you, loving you.”
“Do you really mean that, Breech? Can you take a backseat to my ambition?”
“I wouldn’t be taking a backseat, Jiji. I’ll be right there beside you, cheering on your successes and holding you if things don’t go as planned.”
Jiji started to cry. “Please don’t say that if you don’t mean it, Breech. I want to be greedy and have it all, you and my dreams, but I need you to understand. I fell hard for you, and my feelings only intensified when you came back for me. But you can’t be my everything. My mother did that and look what it got her. I need to be involved with things that don’t always involve you, but that I want to include you in. Can you deal with that?”
Lifting her chin, I wiped away her tears. “Yes, babe, I can deal with that. I’m happy that you want to be independent yet are willing to share that independence with me. I’m in this for the long haul, and when the day comes you’re ready to make that forever kinda commitment, I’ll be the one down on one knee.”
She smiled against my lips, kissing me with passion, devotion, and love. Quoting a line from her favorite movie, she said, “Take me to bed or lose me forever.”
I laughed, picking her up off the counter, and felt Tink wind her body around my ankles before swishing her tail at us and walking away. Jiji laughed then wrapped her legs around my waist so I could do just that.