Chapter Eleven
Jenna
I watch the passing road as Jax drives to the airport. It’s been so long since I’ve been out of Bourne. I smile when I see the AT&T building in the skyline.
“Look, Mama! It looks like Batman!” Cory shouts and points at the Nashville landmark.
“You’re going to see all kinds of awesome buildings in New York, too,” Jax tells him. “I can’t wait for you to come live with me.”
My hearts warms as I look over at Jax. I had convinced myself that Jax wasn’t the fatherly type. That Cory would be better off without a father. Deep down, I’d known that I was lying to myself to self-soothe the absence of Jax. Even still, I never imagined he would be so welcoming to a little boy calling him “Daddy” and wanting so much from him so soon.
I could always see Jax in Cory as he grew more into his little personality. So it shouldn’t be a big shock that Cory took to Jax so quickly. Seeing them together, though, it’s even more obvious that Cory is a mini-version of Jax. Sweet, smart, and protective.
As much as I watch out for Cory, he always looks out for me. He hates to see me cry or get angry. Now I’ll have two bodyguards—not the ones my father hired to keep me as a shut-in—but the loves of my life who will do anything to make me happy.
When we get to BNA Airport, we don’t follow the signs for a specific airline. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to any kind of airport, so I don’t think anything of it.
We pull up to a gate, and Jax takes out his wallet. He holds up his ID to the man sitting in the booth.
“Flying private on the Morrison line,” Jax informs him.
Morrison line? I wonder.
“You’re at runway B. Thank you, sir,” the man says.
Cory gasps at his first sight of the planes. He and I have always talked about taking trips together, but that never went over well with my parents.
“This is like heaven!” Cory gushes.
Jax laughs and looks at me.
“We’re flying private?”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
I shrug, “It’s not something that most people do.”
“I’m not most people. Haven’t you figured that out yet?” he asks with a wink.
Jax pulls into lot B. We’re on the tarmac with several jets. A man opens the car door for me, and I step out. Jax lets Cory out and takes his hand before he can run toward the aircrafts.
“Slow down, buddy,” he chuckles.
“This is so cool!”
I’ve never seen Cory so excited.
“I think you just made up for seven years,” I tease.
The tarmac is windy and blows my hair all over my face. Jax sighs.
“I don’t think I can ever make up for that. I missed so much.”
I walk around the car and over to him. I have no words to comfort him, so I kiss him softly instead.
“We’re all together now, and that’s all that matters.”
Jax holds my hand, and we begin walking toward the jet. As we approach, something catches my eye. The letters JEN are written on the tail of the aircraft. My mouth drops, and I squeeze Jax’s hand.
“Jen?”
He laughs, and I even think I see a hint of a blush.
“What else am I going to name my private jet?”
“So, you own this thing?”
He chuckles again. “I told you I can take care of both of you.”
I laugh. “You’ve been busy over the past seven years, huh?”
He shrugs. “I wasn’t raising the most perfect son like you were, but I set myself up for this exact moment.”
He stops walking to pick Cory up with one strong arm. Cory wraps his small hands around his father’s neck. Jax puts his free arm around me, pulling me close.
“I did all of this so that I could give you the life I promised you seven years ago. You’re my family.”
Jax looks at Cory and kisses his forehead.
“I love you, Daddy,” Cory says. The words surprise and move me.
I have only ever heard my son tell me the “L” word. Tears fill mine and Jax’s eyes.
“I love you, too, Cory.”
“Mr. Morrison, we’re ready for you now,” a flight attendant announces.
Cory can’t contain his excitement. He squirms in Jax’s arms, and his father gets the hint. He sets Cory down and takes his hand as the three of us head up the ramp and onto the massive jet named after me. The inside looks like a fancy apartment!
“Wow!” Cory shouts, running over to an area with videogames.
“I had that added last minute,” Jax informs me.
“Somehow, I think that was already here.”
Jax laughs, “Maybe it was.”
“Can I see the cockpit?” Cory asks.
Jax looks at me, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
“Do you want to see the cockpit?”
“I think I already did,” I tease.
We have a hearty laugh as Cory pulls Jax behind him. It’s so nice to experience real laughter again. I have been going through the motions for so long now that I thought I’d forgotten how to laugh. Or how it feels to smile so much it hurts my face. The past twenty-four hours has been a dream I hope to live in forever.
I glance around the huge jet. The leather seats are lush and cushiony. There is a small kitchen and dining area along with a section of bunk beds. Beyond that is a master bedroom with a king size bed and a full bathroom. I imagine trips around the world with Jax and Cory. A smile spreads across my face as I long for Jax to come back so that I can show him my appreciation.
Something catches my eye from the pocket on the back of one of the seats. I swear Jax is looking at me from the cover of a magazine, with those fuck-me blue eyes. I grab the copy of Forbes Magazine, and sure enough, it is Jax on the cover!
Sitting down in one of the most comfortable airplane seats ever, I begin reading the article on Jax. I can’t even fathom how rich he must be to be on the cover of Forbes, or to afford this jet for that matter!
A sense of pride fills me that he has accomplished so much in only seven years. A sadness fills me, too, that he’d thought he had to do this for me. Jax walks out of the cockpit and sits across from me.
“Oh God, who left that here?” He blushes as he throws the magazine aside. “Having that on my jet seems egotistical.”
I place my hands on his thighs and lean forward.
“You look hot in that picture.”
He smiles and leans in, kissing me.
“Did you really do all of this for me, Jax?”
“Of course I did.”
I sigh and sit back, looking at him thoughtfully.
“You know I didn’t want money, right? This is all nice, but I would have been happy with just you.”
“So you’re mad I became a billionaire?” He snorts, as if that sounds ludicrous.
“I’m not mad. I just want to make sure that you know if you had come to me in jeans and a dirty t-shirt with only two-cents in your pocket, I would have gone with you.”
The idea of Jax in tight jeans, like he had worn in high school, and a dirty t-shirt turns me on. I mentally bookmark that fantasy for another time.
“Jenna, I know,” he says. “You are not your father’s daughter. But I wanted to be able to take care of you, to make sure we never needed your parents, to make sure that I had enough money and power to fight him if it came to that. I’m sure your father knows the name Jax Morrison all too well now. It keeps repeating on him like a bad memory that won’t go away. He doesn’t stand a chance if he ever tries to take you or Cory away from me again.”
Jax’s eyes turn an intense shade of dark blue as he speaks. His voice is stern and serious as the muscles in his neck pop out. His protectiveness and stance scream masculinity, and it makes me want to make use of the bed in the back. With Cory onboard and the staff still coming in and out of the jet, I don’t think that’s happening, though.
“Thank you, Jax,” I say, choking on all of my emotions. “For loving me and Cory so easily.”
“Don’t thank me, Jen. Before you, I had no one. No one that mattered or truly cared about me. You showed me what love really is, and now, you’ve given me a family. I’m eternally grateful,” Jax smiles, his eyes softening.
We both lean in and share a sweet kiss just as Cory comes running down the aisle, full speed.
“Mama, this is the best day of my life!”
Jax and I pull out of our kiss. Immediately, we both grab Cory and kiss a cheek as if it was something we both do every day. Cory wraps his arms around both of us lovingly. I have never felt so complete in my entire life as I do right now with both of my boys in my arms.