Chapter 33

Monday

I read through the contract once more. My lawyer had already gone over it. Now all it needed was Penny's signature. I took a sip of my drink. Hopefully she'd be so excited that she'd forgive me for having been reading her book ever since she started writing it three years ago.

I had tried not to. I had tried to respect her decision for me to wait. But I couldn't stop once I had started. Her account was linked to mine. I was able to see every word she typed as she typed it. Sometimes I'd sit in my office and stare at the screen, watching her create a scene. Watching her pull our memories out of her head and paint a picture on the page. To see her version of us unfold. To see her feelings grow.

No, I couldn't stop. I couldn't look away. It was brilliant. A perfect mix of fiction and reality. A one-sided tale of grief and love and hope. She deserved the publishing deal I had just landed her. And I couldn't wait to surprise her. I couldn't wait to kiss her perfect stomach and hug the beautiful daughter she had given us. I missed her so much that it physically hurt. I took another sip of my drink.

It had only taken two meetings. The second publishing house I met with showed immediate interest. The negotiation process was easy. As far as I could tell, I had landed Penny a deal that was better than many authors who had been writing for years. Hopefully that would also be enough to get Penny to forgive me for butting into the publishing process. And for lying about the reason for my trip in the first place.

"We'll be landing in a few minutes, if you could buckle your seatbelt," the flight attendant said.

I looked up and nodded. For a second, I had wondered if she was talking to me. But I was the only one on the plane. "Of course." I reached over and fastened the buckle in place as she removed my drink. I stared out the window as the city came into view. Home. But it wasn't the place that was home. It was her. Wherever she was, that was home to me.

I lifted up the contract and put it into my satchel. Before she had given birth to Scarlett, I had read that you should give your wife a gift before the baby arrived. I had transformed the library into her office and filled it with books that she loved. She had been so excited. This publishing contract was my gift this time. She had been writing ever since she found out she was pregnant the first time. This was the perfect gift. She deserved this. It didn't matter how she got it.

But the closer we got to the airport, the more unsettled I felt. What if she didn't want this? What if I had overstepped again? I hated that look she gave me. The one where her eyebrows pinched together in disappointment. She had to forgive me for reading her book without her permission. For inserting myself in the publication process. For lying to her about the trip. That was a lot of forgiveness. Maybe I should buy her something too. I shook my head. She never appreciated gifts like that as much. It was one of the many reasons why I fell for her in the first place.

And there were a lot of reasons. The way her hair shimmered in the sun. The way her smile could light up a room. The way her laughter vibrated through me. The way she melted at my touch. The way her breasts fit perfectly in my hands. The way she moaned my name in need. God, I was lucky. Every day I counted my blessings. The life she had given me. The fresh start I didn't deserve. I owed everything to my beautiful wife. Every single thing.

Recently, I wasn't sure if she was happy. I saw the frowns when she thought I wasn't looking. The tears that pooled in the corner of her eyes when she got a rejection letter. No one should have been allowed to make her feel like she wasn't good enough. She was perfect. Everything about her was pure perfection. She wanted more out of life. And I didn't blame her. I loved being her husband. I loved being a father. But I loved teaching too. She was allowed to have it all. I could give it all to her.

The plane started to descend. I missed my daughter terribly, but I needed some alone time with Penny. To tell her the good news. To make love to her. Maybe Ellen could take Scarlett to the park and Penny and I could meet up with them later. I pulled out my phone when the wheels touched the ground. As soon as it turned on, it started buzzing. The unread messages icon popped up and started flashing, signaling more and more coming in. Followed by the voicemail icon. Flashing. Flashing. Buzzing.

I was unbuckling my seat belt before we even started moving toward the terminal.

"Mr. Hunter, if you could please remain seated..."

I ignored the flight attendant and clicked on the first voicemail.

"Mr. Hunter, it's Briggs. There's been an incident. Penny is on her way to the hospital. William will drive to the airport as soon as he's dropped her off. You need to come straight to the hospital."

An incident? What kind of incident? "Stop the plane!" I yelled. I tried to call him back, but my phone wasn't working properly yet. Instead, I clicked on another voicemail.

"James, it's Ellen. Scarlett is with me at the house. I didn't know if you'd want me to take her to the hospital. Please call me when you land. If we don't hear from you soon, we're going to head over. She won't stop crying. I don't know what to do."

I started pulling on the handles of the door.

"We can't stop the plane," the flight attendant said.

I clicked on another message as I continued to fumble with the lock.

"James, it's your father. You need to come to the hospital. They just took Penny into surgery. You need to hurry."

No. No, no, no. I slammed my fist against the door.

"I will not ask you again," the flight attendant said. "You need to take your seat."

"My wife is in the hospital. I need to go." It felt like someone was strangling me.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "You can't exit on the landing strip. The sooner you take a seat, the sooner we can pull up to a terminal.

"Fuck!" I slammed my fist against the door again.

"Mr. Hunter!"

I brushed past her to my seat as I clicked on another message.

"Answer your fucking messages!" Rob yelled. "She needs you. Where the fuck were you, man? Why were you in London? She needed you here."

I buried my face in my hands. Please be okay, baby. Please be okay.

The plane slowly started to roll toward the terminal.

I clicked on another message.

"James, is she okay?" Mrs. Taylor's concerned voice filled my ear. "We're driving up now. I received a voicemail at work." It sounded liked she had started to cry. "Tell me my baby is okay. Please call me back."

It felt like I was choking. "Stop the plane! Stop the fucking plane."

"We're pulling up now," the flight attendant said calmly.

I stood up, grabbed my satchel, and ran back over to the door as I clicked on another message.

"James." It was Rob again. "No one is here to sign off on anything. I don't have any authority to make decisions. They're delivering the baby. That's too soon, right? Seven months is too soon. I tried to tell them that..." Rob cleared his throat. "She's still unconscious. I don't know if she's going to make it. What if she doesn't make it?" The message ended.

Two months was too soon. I was supposed to be there for the birth. I needed to be there. We were going to grow old and gray together. All of this was too soon. I wiped the tears off my cheeks. I couldn't lose her. I couldn't.

The door slowly opened and I started running.

"You forgot the rest of your luggage!" the flight attendant called after me.

I didn't need my luggage. All I needed was her. All I had ever needed was her.