Chapter 8

Devin

After loading some luggage into my car, I went over to Lilli’s house and knocked on her door. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but when Lilli opened the door, my mouth literally dropped open.

“That bad?” she asked as she twirled around in her floral floor length dress.

“Um, not bad. You look beautiful.”

Her hair was curled into lovely loose curls, and her makeup was done much softer than I was used to seeing her. She didn’t have her bright lipstick on, and instead, just a glossy sheen covered her lips. Suddenly she’d transformed herself from a club hopping wild child into a high-class soccer mom.

“My mom bought me this dress for Easter a few years ago; I’ve never worn it,” she said with a giggle.

“You look perfect,” I managed to say as I finally closed my mouth. “Are you ready to go?”

“As ready as I can get.”

“Do you have a bag?”

“Oh, crap. I didn’t pack anything else,” she said as she looked terrified at me. “I’m sorry. I was so busy trying to look more like a wife.”

“I appreciate the effort. Don’t worry; we can pick you up another outfit in Jacksonville.”

“I’ll pay you back,” she insisted.

“Of course you will.”

I’d already learned that arguing with Lilli took a lot of time and didn’t lead me anywhere. It was nice that she made such a clear point of not wanting to take things from me, which was unusual for the women I typically brought on trips. Paying for trips, clothes and everything else wasn’t a big deal to me, but I did appreciate a woman who wanted to be independent.

It was a gorgeous day out and nearly eighty degrees as I drove us to the airport for our flight to Florida. Lilli fidgeted in her seat the whole drive and couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Occasionally I caught her gaze, but mostly she kept looking out the window and avoiding interacting with me. There was a distinct awkwardness between us that I knew had to be fixed by the time we landed in Jacksonville; I just didn’t know how I was going to fix it.

We seemed more like co-workers who hardly knew each other than a couple that was in love. This whole plan was ridiculous, and I was mentally kicking myself for saying something as stupid as I had to Ashley’s parents. I wasn’t the marrying type, and there was a reason her family thought of me as irresponsible, and one of the biggest reasons was that I hadn’t married Ashley while we were together. My news must have been shocking to her mother, especially considering Ashley and I hadn’t gotten married even after we had a child together.

“Are you nervous?” I asked as we pulled into the private jet area of the airport.

“I think I might puke.”

“Ha, I’m sorry. Don’t be nervous. We are just going to be happy and have a nice conversation with my ex’s family. Nothing too exciting.”

“Should I kiss you?” Lilli asked.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

I was teasing but certainly not opposed to the idea of kissing Lilli. She was a beautiful girl and even more beautiful with her little transformation she had made for this trip. I really appreciated the effort she had put in.

The plane turned on, and the loud noise made it impossible for me to hear what Lilli was saying when she answered my question. Her eyes turned to the ground, and she pulled away from me a little, though, so I thought she had said she did not want to kiss me. We both leaned against the car as we waited for the staff to say it was clear to head over to the jet. Once the jet engines had been tested and everything cleared, it should only be a few more minutes before we could take off.

I reached out and held onto her hand as it vibrated with nerves. Lilli was clearly uneasy over what was going on with this trip. A little panic washed over me as I hoped I could calm her down over the couple of hours we would be in the air.

“You can board the plane now,” a man yelled at us as he waved some orange batons in the air.

Lilli held on tight to my hand as we walked behind a young man carrying our luggage. He stored it in the overhead compartments and then went to talk to the pilot for a moment before getting off the plane. We sat next to each other in two oversized leather chairs and each put our seatbelts on as we sat there quietly waiting for the plane to begin moving toward the runway.

“Did you say yes, you wanted to kiss me?” I asked as I leaned in and playfully puckered up my lips.

“No, I said no, we don’t have to do that.”

“I seem to remember not so long ago you wanted me to kiss you in your bed,” I joked.

She playfully pushed me away and laughed which was a relief to me. She looked so beautiful in her sweet floral dress and brown sandals. As she laughed, I noticed she still had her tongue ring in, though, and it caught me a little off guard. In fact, it made me hard thinking about what that tongue ring was for and how her tongue would feel on the shaft of my body.

“You need to forget about that night,” she said through her laughter.

“I will never forget.”

“I’m not a very good actress. I’m afraid these people are going to see right through anything I do. Maybe you should tell me a little about yourself so I don’t get caught off guard.”

“That’s a perfect idea. And you could tell me a little about yourself too?” I said as I leaned in closer to her. “I’d love to know more about that tongue ring.”

She lightheartedly pressed her tongue out of her mouth at me and wiggled it around.

“I bet you would like to know more about this,” she joked. “Do you want me to take it out for our trip?”

“Hmmm, I don’t know. On one side, it makes you a little mysterious and obviously a very sexual creature. On the other side, it doesn’t fit well with this beautiful outfit and your updated hair and makeup.”

“I’ll take it out,” she said as she stuck her tongue out and used her fingers to unscrew the ball at the end of the piercing. “It doesn’t work with my character.”

“When did you get it?”

“About a year ago. It was a surprise for my boyfriend.”

“One hell of a surprise. I hope he appreciated it,” I said.

The plane door was closed and soon after our jet was being pushed back so it could turn and make its way to the runway. Lilli smiled playfully at me as she stuck out her tongue and then pulled it back in. Her eyes lit up with the playful movement, and for a brief moment, she didn’t seem nervous to be there with me.

“He appreciated it.” She giggled. “Have you ever dated a girl with a tongue piercing?”

“Nope, but it’s one of those things I think every guy fantasizes about.”

“You fantasize about my tongue?” she joked.

“Yes.”

My definitive answer caught her off guard, and her playful flirting quieted as she turned and looked out the window. Her dark red hair shimmered in the sunlight as it radiated through the window. I couldn’t stop looking at her.

Slowly our plane made its way to the runway and accelerated quickly as we took to the sky. I was so used to flying in the jet that I could hardly remember what flying commercial was like for domestic flights.

Lilli’s hands gripped the seat, and her head pressed into the back as she closed her eyes while we climbed to the elevation that we needed to be at. She bit her lip and tensed up at the smallest of movements, so I reached out and wrapped my hand over the top of hers.

“Have you flown on a private jet before? This is all normal. We will be at our elevation soon, and then it will feel normal.”

“I’ve never flown before.”

“Oh, wow, okay, then this is probably really exciting.”

“Terrifying. It’s terrifying.”

“I’m sorry; I should have warned you that the take off is a little rough in this plane. It’s totally safe, though. It just feels like we are going straight up into the clouds.”

Her breathing was labored as she took in a deep breath and seemed to hold it for a long time before she finally let the air out. The color had drained out of her face, and she looked like she might actually pass out.

“Breathe,” I said slowly. “Take a deep breath in and then let it out.”

I mimicked some slow, long breaths so she would follow me. Her eyes finally opened, and she focused on me as we continued to take deep breaths and let them out. Over and over again we took in breaths as I did my best to help her calm down.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not normally scared of new things.”

“It’s okay. This is something a little crazy and out of the ordinary. Take your time. Try to relax.”

“Do you think your daughter will hate me?” Lilli blurted out as her eyes darted from mine to the clouds outside her window and then back again.

“No, I think you will get along just fine.”

“I’m not really a step-mom type. She might not like me. Kids don’t really like me. I’ve never even babysat before.”

I had to laugh at how nervous she was about meeting my sweet little girl. Izzy was going to get along just fine with Lilli. In fact, I thought the two of them might get along better than Izzy and I got along.

At Christmas, Izzy was more interested in opening her presents than she was with talking to me. She stayed near her mother almost the whole time I was there, and I felt like a stranger. It was gut wrenching to see how much she had pulled away from me over the years, but I wasn’t blaming her for it. Obviously, if I had continued to come and visit her more often, she would have known who I was better.

“She’s going to love you.”

“I hope so. I know this is important to you. I don’t want to let you down.”

“Lilli, I’m so thankful that you said yes. It was a stupid mistake for me to lie like I did, and you had no obligation to come. But I really appreciate it. Whatever happens this weekend, please know that I’m very grateful for the effort you are making.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want a drink to calm you down before we get there? Your hands are still shaking?”

“I better not drink. How about a 7-Up?”

“Sure, I’ll go get you one,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt and started to get up.

“No, you can’t get up. It’s dangerous,” she exclaimed in genuine fear that I would be hurt by getting up and walking around.

She grabbed a hold of me so hard that I fell back into the chair. Her arm flung across my chest as if that would prevent some sort of injury from occurring.

“Lilli,” I said as I tried to hold back my laughter. “It’s a plane, not a car.”

“Just stay here, please.”

“Fine, but I thought you wanted a drink?” I said as I held onto her hand.

“Um, no. I’m fine. Why isn’t there one of those people that gets drinks for you and takes care of you while you’re on the plane?”

“A stewardess?”

“Yeah, a stewardess.”

“It’s a short flight. I didn’t think we needed one. But there’s plenty of food and drinks in the galley if you’ll let me go grab us some.”

“Um, I don’t know,” she said as I felt her arm release a little of the tension. “You’ll be right back?”

“You’ll be able to see me the whole time,” I said as I pulled her hand up to my lips and kissed it. “I promise.”

“Okay, then.”

“By the way,” I said as I continued to talk to her while I went to grab our drinks, “what is your tattoo of?”

“It’s a rose with stars around it,” she said quickly.

I’d expected her to make a little more of an explanation about the tattoo, but she seemed really distracted by the whole flying thing at the moment. Her hands went back to holding on tightly to the chair she was in, and her eyes didn’t look away from me at all as I gathered us some snacks and drinks for the flight.

“Does it have special meaning?”

“Yeah, my father always told me to reach for the stars, and my mother told me to treat life like a rose because it can bloom or die depending on our decisions.”

“Wow, that’s really awesome.”

“Where are your tattoos?” she asked without flirting at all, just genuinely wanting to know where they were.

“I actually don’t have any. I know, it’s lame.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope, I’ve never loved anything enough to have it put on my body.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m the same way.”

Her delicate skin looked even paler than it normally was as our plane leveled out at a comfortable cruising altitude. Lilli’s innocence showed through even more than when I’d helped her into her room. Her white dress with the flowers looked so naive and sweet on her.

“You know, I’m not sure Ashley’s family is going to buy this whole marriage thing with you,” I joked.

But Lilli’s face dropped into a sad expression at my words. Her eyes went from shining to dull, her lips from a smile to a frown, and she turned away from me.

“Why? Because I’m not pretty enough?”

“Holy, hell no! Because you’re way too beautiful and sweet. They might have expected more of the party girl type for me.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with genuine regret. “I thought this was a better look for a wife.”

“No, no, I’m sorry. I just seem to keep putting my foot in my mouth. I mean you’re better than a guy like me would get. They might think you’re too good for me.”

“Oh,” she said as a smile filled her face. “But that’s not true. I’m sure you could get any girl you want.”

“That’s sweet of you to say. Would you like to talk a little about the people we are going to meet? Do you want more information about my ex or my daughter? I’m willing to fill you in on anything and everything.”

“I don’t think I’ll need it. Basically, I’ll just follow your lead and try to act like I think a wife would act.”

“How about you just act like you? I think that will be just fine.”

“So I should get my tiny skirt on and guzzle some vodka before we get there?” she teased.

“Man, I can’t tell you the number of naughty thoughts I had about you as you’d come home in those tiny dresses. Then that night when you were bent over the car … wow …” I said as I trailed off.

Lilli smiled and turned toward me in her chair. Her hands weren’t shaking for the moment, so I decided to continue.

“I almost went downstairs to introduce myself to you that night.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah, but I didn’t want you to think I was weird.”

“Could you see everything when I bent over?” she said as her confidence built up and a seductive look crossed her face.

I took a deep breath as I felt my body react to the lust I had for Lilli. She was clearly starting to feel more comfortable on the plane and even in conversation with me. This was good for our weekend; a good level of comfort between the two of us could overcome any suspicions that Ashley’s family might have.

“I couldn’t see everything. It was too dark, but my imagination filled in the places that I couldn’t see.”

“Hmm, how about the night you helped me up to my bed? I noticed I was nearly naked when I woke up. Was that your doing?”

“Oh no, that was all you. You tried to convince me to come to bed, and as you slid that dress off, I nearly agreed, despite my moral obligation to deny the offer.”

She bit her lip and then took a sip of her drink as she looked me over, her eyes moving from my lips, to my hands and then down to my groin. Her gaze warmed my body, and I let her look for a minute while I took the time to look her over.

I noticed the dress she had on had small straps, and it didn’t seem like she had on a bra. My eyes looked closely and saw her nipples pressing up against the delicate fabric as my body pulsed with more desire.

“I feel better,” Lilli said softly as she uncrossed her legs and then crossed them again as she rotated toward me even more in her chair.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said as I let my fingers trace their way down her arm toward her fingertips.

“Where are we staying this weekend?”

“A hotel downtown by the water. It’s got some great views.”

“One bed or two?” she asked as our eyes locked.

“Um, well …” I stumbled as I tried to figure out what to say. “Actually, I don’t know. I just reserved the room. I forgot to check to see. Which would you prefer?”

“One bed.” Her answer was so definitive that it threw me off for a moment, and I got excited about what she was implying. “You can sleep on the floor.” She giggled.

“Oh, you’re horrible.”

“I’m teasing. I’m sure we can make it work no matter what sleeping arrangement there is. I trust you.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t. I’m not always mister polite. I don’t know if I could keep my hands to myself if we were in the same bed.”

“Really?” she asked as her face flushed red and her gaze moved away from me.

Lilli was this perfect mixture of confidence and coyness. One minute she was flirting and making me hard with the way she looked at me, and the next she looked like a schoolgirl who was embarrassed by the simple mention of my desire.

Suddenly, I started to worry that she was more innocent than she had me originally believing. She played this tough, sexy goddess when she was drinking and even tried to do it occasionally when sober. But was she perhaps really a sweet young woman without a history of naughty behavior at all? I couldn’t help wondering if that was the case.

“How long did you and your boyfriend date?” I asked somewhat randomly.

“About six months. Why?”

“No reason. I was just thinking you could use that as a guide for how to act around Ashley’s parents.”

“Well, my boyfriend and I were more like roommates, but I’ll do my best.”

Damn, that didn’t clear anything up for me at all. Was Lilli really the party girl I’d watched from my window? Or was she something totally different? I was starting to see that different side of her – the sweet, soft side that seemed more naive than trouble.

“We will be landing soon; please put your seatbelts on,” the pilot said over the speaker.

Lilli quickly grabbed her seatbelt and made sure it was pulled tightly. She watched me closely while I put mine back on as well. Our time of casual conversation was officially over as I saw her hands grip the chair tightly in anticipation of our upcoming landing.

“Once we land, there will be a car waiting for us. I’ll drive us to the hotel so we can get checked in, and then I’ll call Ashley’s family to set up a time to stop by.”

“Okay,” Lilli said as she looked out the window and didn’t turn back toward me.

“Just go with the flow. I’ll try and make sure I answer most of the questions, but if they ask you something that you don’t think you have the answer to, just look at me, and I’ll jump in. Okay?”

“Yep,” she said still looking outside. “Where did we meet?”

“Um, I don’t know. Let’s keep things as real as possible, maybe just say we live in the same neighborhood.”

“Okay. How did you ask me out?”

I had to laugh at how she was suddenly thinking of all sorts of questions she wanted answers to. The whole flight out there she hadn’t seemed worried about the visit with Ashley’s family, but now that we were getting closer, she was getting nervous.

“I bumped into you while running.”

Lilli smiled and finally looked away from the sky as she turned toward me.

“So the truth?”

“Yep, sort of. I mean I didn’t ask you out that day because I was too caught off guard.”

“You weren’t going to ask me out?” She laughed.

“Oh, yes, I was. But something came up.”

Lilli burst into laughter, and I replayed the comment in my head and saw how silly it sounded.

“Something came up?” She continued to laugh.

“No, not like that.” I laughed with her. “I just saw how young you were and didn’t think you wanted an old guy hitting on you.”

“I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Really?”

“Um, I agreed to be your wife didn’t I?”

“Ha, very true. See, isn’t this a better date? Private jet to meet my ex-girlfriend and daughter. I mean, how many people can say they’ve gotten to do this on their first date,” I sarcastically joked.

“I know. I mean the only thing would be better if I had my wisdom teeth pulled on the same trip.”

“I think we could arrange that.”

The plane continued moving toward the ground, and I tried to keep Lilli talking since it was preventing her from panicking like she had on takeoff. Our conversation was playful and silly, but exactly what we needed before heading over to Ashley’s family.

As the wheels of the plane touched the pavement of the runway, the plane lurched forward, and Lilli grabbed my hand. Her eyes widened as we quickly slowed down. Then there was a huge sigh of relief when the plane started taxiing toward the unloading area.

“That’s it?” she asked and leaned toward the window so she could see what was going on outside.

“Yep, wasn’t too difficult was it?”

“I mean, I almost threw up ten times, but yeah that was fun.”

“Thanks again for coming with me. I really appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I’m really nervous to see my daughter.”

“Don’t be nervous. She loves you. No matter what else is going on in her life, she is going to be excited to see you. I guarantee it.”

“I hope so,” I said as the plane parked, and we waited for the stairs to pull up so we could de-board the plane.

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

“She’s such a great kid; I’m nervous because I don’t know what Ashley has told her about me.”

“It doesn’t matter. Kids are smart. She’ll know you care about her when she sees it in your eyes.”