Chapter 37

Liza

 

 

“Are you excited?” I asked Ainsley, holding on to her hand as we walked through the airport.

“I am!” Vanessa giggled.

We were flying out to Arizona to watch the game. Milo had insisted we be there and bought tickets for all three of us. Vanessa grew up in Arizona and couldn’t wait to show us around her hometown.

“Is Daddy already there?” Ainsley asked.

“Yep, remember he left yesterday?”

The flight was thankfully uneventful. I knew there was a storm coming into Florida, but I hoped it waited until we got back tonight. Milo had offered to get a hotel, but I preferred a quick trip over and back.

Once we landed, we looked for the driver that had been sent to pick us up and take us to the stadium.

“That’s our name!” Ainsley said, pointing to a man holding up a sign with the name Summers on it.

I cringed at the realization that she had my last name and not her father’s. I would have to talk to Milo about that and ask if he would like it changed. I was more than willing to do that. It seemed like the right thing to do.

“We have a couple hours before the game; do you want me to ask the driver to take us anywhere before we go?” I asked Vanessa.

She smiled and nodded. “That would be amazing. I’ll show you where I grew up.”

I hugged her, fighting back the tears. Vanessa’s cancer had returned, and she was in for another hard fight. When I had told Milo, he insisted she get the chance to come home. We all knew it was in case this would be her last time, but I refused to accept that. She would win, and she would come back here as many times as she wanted.

After an hour of sightseeing, it was time to get to the stadium. Vanessa was very excited to see her old home team play her new home team. I was excited to see my man do his thing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great game. They lost, but I couldn’t be all that upset. Their season was basically over, and a win wouldn’t have made a difference.

This time, instead of having a public reunion on the field, Ainsley, Vanessa and I waited near the tunnel heading to the locker room.

“Good game,” I said, giving Milo a quick kiss.

He shrugged. “Not great, but not terrible.”

I laughed. “You sure are taking it well.”

“If the circumstances were different, trust me, I would not be this easy going about it. Right now, I want to change and get on that plane to go home. Let’s get a Christmas tree tomorrow,” he blurted out.

“Okay.”

Ainsley jumped up and down, clapping her hands in excitement.

“Alright, we better get going so we don’t miss our flight. We’ll see you later tonight.”

I kissed him again.

“How come Daddy can’t come with us?” Ainsley pouted.

“Because he has a special plane he takes with the team. Daddy and Papa will be together,” I explained.

She wasn’t happy with my explanation, but we made our way back out to our waiting car and made a mad dash to the airport.

While we waited for our plane to board, I caught a glimpse of the weather report.

“Yuck,” I mumbled to Vanessa.

“I hope our flight isn’t delayed or diverted,” she replied, as we watched the coverage of the storm heading towards Miami. The entire south was being plagued by rain, snow and even some tornadoes. It was not a pretty picture.

Our flight number was called out, and we began the boarding process. I was doing my best to calm my nerves, knowing I couldn’t let Ainsley know I was nervous. I didn’t usually mind flying, but I did not like flying in bad weather.

“What was that, Mommy?” Ainsley asked as the plane rocked with violent turbulence.

Gulping down my stomach that had lurched into my throat after the last forceful jolt, I spoke.

“Just a little wind,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, but absolutely freaking out inside.

Vanessa had a death grip on the armrest beside me.

“I don’t like this, Mom. I want to go home,” Ainsley whined.

I nodded my head. “Me too, baby, me too.”

The entire plane was quiet. The fasten seatbelt sign had come on twenty minutes ago. The flight attendants had abandoned their snack service and were buckled in as well. My head and neck hurt from the strain of trying to keep from bouncing around, and I had a feeling there were a lot of prayers being sent up.

Vanessa checked her watch. I looked at her. “How long?”

She shook her head. “We still have another hour at least.”

I groaned and fought back tears. I so wanted out of this flying box of steel. By the time we were taxiing in on the runway in Miami, my nerves were absolutely frayed. Ainsley had cried for the last thirty minutes. Vanessa was white as a ghost, and I suspected I probably looked the same.

Ainsley was nearly hysterical, demanding to get off and I had to carry her off the plane, for fear she’d make a run for it. My own legs were violently shaking as I made my way out of the terminal and towards baggage claim.

“I don’t think I’ll be flying to any more games with you,” Vanessa mumbled. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Baggage claim.”

“Sweetie, we didn’t bring bags,” she said, in a gentle tone.

“Oh geez. I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t think I will be flying anywhere for a long while either. I’m a bit rattled,” I replied.

“I’m never ever going on a plane again,” Ainsley stated.

“We will again one day, I’m sure,” I soothed her, “but not anytime soon, okay?”

We exited the airport, and I was surprised at how cold it was. I stopped to zip up Ainsley’s light jacket before we headed into the parking lot.

“Maybe it’ll snow,” Vanessa mused.

“That would be crazy!”

“Daddy!” Ainsley called out and tried to wrestle free of my hand. I had learned my lesson and held on tight.

I looked up, and there he was, standing in front of my car. He started to walk towards us. Letting go of Ainsley’s hand, I let her run to meet him, fighting the urge to run to him as well. My eyes filled with tears when I saw him. There had been many times over the past couple of hours when I imagined I would never see him again. I worried about how he would deal with the loss. My heart ached for him. My mind had gone overboard with various scenarios, including his plane going down. It had been an extremely, difficult flight and I never wanted to experience those emotions again for as long as I lived.

He threw his arms around me, hugging me close. “You okay?” he asked, softly.

I nodded my head into his neck as I held onto him with a fierce grip. He was holding Ainsley in one arm and me in the other. I never wanted to let go of him or let my feet get off the ground. I had nearly kissed the ground when we first got off the plane but figured that would be a little over the top.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I wanted to make sure you three were okay,” he replied.

I took a step back and wiped my face. Still not believing he was standing in front of me.

“How’d you know?” Vanessa asked.

“One of the guys got a text from his wife who was on the same flight. It said she loved him and, well, let’s just say she was a little dramatic. We were all very worried,” he explained.

“I thought you couldn’t text when you were in the air?” Vanessa asked, clearly confused.

“It isn’t that you can’t, you’re just not supposed to. The woman wasn’t worried about the rules,” Milo explained.

“How was your flight?” I asked.

He grinned. “Well, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, but it wasn’t nearly as exciting as your flight. It was a different type of plane, a lot faster for one thing. We probably took a different route and may have been at a different altitude.”

“Daddy, I’m never going to go in a plane again,” Ainsley said, with that familiar stubbornness in her voice.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie. That was probably really scary. You don’t have to go on a plane if you don’t want to. I promise,” he said, squeezing her against him.

I could see the relief in his eyes. I knew he had to have been scared out of his mind as well. He loved his little girl a great deal, and the thought of losing her probably sent him into another panic attack. I would ask him later that night. I didn’t want to bring up the subject in front of Vanessa.

“Who’s ready to go home?” I asked.

“Me!” Ainsley cheered.

“Me too,” Vanessa said, exhaustion in her voice.

I looked at Milo. “Can you drive? I’m not sure my legs are working correctly yet.”

“Of course.”

It was nice to sit back and relax while Milo navigated the busy streets. He assured me Dad had cleared it for him to stay behind at the airport and wait for us instead of going on with the team. Several of the guys had. Everyone was worried about not only our flight, but some of the other ones carrying loved ones. It was definitely an exciting end to a dull day. We dropped off Vanessa first. Milo helped her inside while I waited in the car with Ainsley. It warmed my heart to see how he had accepted her as part of my family.

He was a very kind and generous man, a quality I had only recently discovered, but one I really liked. It explained why he had been so popular in school. People liked him because he was a good guy. His reputation around campus was nothing like who he really was. That wasn’t entirely true. He was a player, but he wasn’t the royal jerk I had thought he was.

He pulled into the driveway of our home, and I sighed in relief. “I cannot tell you how glad I am to see this place,” I said with a smile.

“Me too. Let’s go in and get ready for bed. I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m exhausted.

I looked in the backseat to check on Ainsley and saw she was out like a light. It had been a very eventful day.

“I’ll get her,” Milo said, jumping out of the car and going to her side. He gently lifted her and carried her into the house and straight to bed.

“Don’t worry about pajamas. She’ll be fine like that. She just needs to sleep,” I said, heading into our room to change.

The day had worn me out, too. The turbulence had done a real number on my stomach as well. I wanted to crawl into bed and not move. I was dizzy, shaky and nauseous. I climbed into bed and waited for Milo.

“You okay?” he asked, stripping down to his boxers and climbing in next to me.

“I feel like a milkshake,” I whined.

He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’ve got you now. Relax and go to sleep.”

“If you promise to make the room stop spinning.”

“Did the flight attendant’s ply you with alcohol to keep the passengers from freaking out?” he joked.

“Ugh, I wish. That would have made things much easier. I’m sure it’s the after-effects of being jostled all around for hours.”

“Go to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning,” he promised.

I moaned, protesting my revolting stomach, but kept my eyes closed. If I could get to sleep, the whole flight could be forgotten.