Flight to Paradise (Flight Trilogy, Book 1) (29 page)

After the test, she anxiously waited the required minutes, staring at the little stick. Right before her eyes, the color band appeared, bright. Her heart fluttered with excitement. There was no doubt now, she was pregnant.

She pulled her shirt up and looked at her flat stomach. Soon, she would be waddling like many of the pregnant women she had envied. A warmth rushed to her face. Thoughts of being a mother filled her with joy.

Her attention was quickly diverted when she heard the sound of the back door opening.

That
must
be
Rex
!

CHAPTER 51

With Mrs. Hart six feet under, Emily decided it was time to turn the heat up on Ronald Hart. Three weeks had been long enough. It was time to end the gossip and introduce the next Mrs. Ronald Hart to the Buckhead social network; mostly made up of gossipy-old women who could care less whether the Hart woman was dead or alive. Up until now, Emily had been nothing more than a sacrificial lamb to the gossip gods. As
they
put it: “Ronald Hart’s young little blond
friend
.”

Things
were
about
to
change
—
big
time
.

When she approached Ronald to discuss the idea of moving in, he surprisingly beat her to the punch. Not only did he suggest she leave her apartment, he rolled out the red carpet by offering to help her resolve her divorce with Ryan. “I have a great lawyer,” he’d said. “He can take care of everything very quickly.” From the beginning, all Ronald ever wanted to do was take care of her. She thought, finally, someone appreciated her.

Although anxious to become Mrs. Ronald Hart, one thing about Ronald puzzled her. Since they had been dating, he had not made the first sexual advance toward her. He hugged her and kissed her occasionally, mostly on the forehead or cheek, but was always the perfect gentleman, almost fatherly. He seemed to be completely satisfied simply by her company and the attention she gave him. In a way, she liked it. The thought of sleeping with the old geezer sent chills up her spine. She wondered if he would change once she moved in.

CHAPTER 52

Ryan didn’t waste any time assessing the financial damage left in the wake of Emily’s departure. After all the monthly bills and statements hit, with the help of a budget counselor, he was able to put together a survival plan. The bare-bones plan allowed him enough to eat, pay the mortgage, cover the basic utilities, and the minimums due on all the debts. Short of a boost in his income or some form of miracle, he was looking at a debt prison for at least the next five years.

What he needed was a good lawyer, but that took money—money he didn’t have. Besides, no lawyer in his right mind, after doing a credit check, would be willing to take him on as a client.

Even though the advances Emily had taken on the bank cards were on joint accounts, the divorce should bring everything to the table, unless the little con had already squandered the money.

His financial nightmare was further compounded by the need to care for his confused mother. He’d temporarily hired a neighbor’s high school daughter to watch her while he was on trips. But once the summer ended and school started, he would have to come up with another plan.

He found his escape—his happy place—in thinking about Keri. He replayed that day in New York until his mental tape seemed to blur between reality and what he’d imagined happened. With each day, the hope of ever seeing her again grew more remote. For the time being, the idea of finding her would have to be postponed. He had no money and little time. After all, she had her life with Bill.

CHAPTER 53

“I’m home,” Rex called out, as he closed the door. He looked up to see Keri coming down the stairs.

“I missed you. Where have you been? I thought your flight landed at noon.”

“I had to give the guy I was working with a ride home. Dude didn’t tell me he lives on the other side of the airport until we were in the parking lot.”

“What happened to his car?”

“It was in the shop. Something about his wife dropped him off and she had forgotten she needed to pick him up…blah, blah, blah…you know the story; good old Rex comes to the rescue.”

He hugged her and gave her a peck on the lips. “So, how did your first trip go?”

“Good.” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“What’s up?”

She took his hand, led him into the den and sat on the sofa. For a brief moment, she gazed into his eyes. “I’ve got some good news.”

He smiled. “Well…give it up.”

She placed his hand on her stomach.

“What?” He looked down at her stomach and then back up to her face. She was blushing and smiling. His eyes widened. “No!”

She’s
not
…

She smiled and nodded. “Yes. I’m pregnant.”

“No! You can’t be!” He jerked his hand away. “It’s impossible!” He jumped up from the sofa.

“What’s wrong? I know it’s not exactly like we planned, but I thought you’d be excited.”

“Excited! Oh yeah, I’m friggin thrilled to death!”

“I don’t understand.”

“What’s to understand? You’re pregnant.” All he could think about was Dr. Stickler and the obnoxious red head. This was not suppose to happen. Just to make sure, he’d used a condom every time he had sex.

This
can’t
be
happening
!

“You said you wanted to start our family.” Tears spilled from her eyes.

“It’s too soon. We’re not ready.”

“Rex, why are you so mad?” He started to leave. “Where are you going?”

“I need to be alone!” He left the house, slamming the door behind him.

He remembered the redhead saying, “Now you will still need to use protection when you have sex until we get a clear sample.”

He racked his brain trying to remember every time they had sex. He was positive he had always used a condom. Then he remembered the one time on the honeymoon in the tub; he was drunk.

Just
my
luck
.

CHAPTER 54

One
year
later
—
April
1987

As the jet streaked through the cloudless sky somewhere over California on descent for landing at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, Ryan stared down at the ground through the small window beside his cramped passenger seat.

The past year had been one ginormous emotional roller coaster ride; his biggest high being the day he spent with Keri Hart in New York. By any measure, he knew the world—and God—would judge him severely for what they had done that day. But in hindsight, he had no guilt, only remorse for not having told her how much he loved her before it was too late.

Then the bottom fell out. If he had only known about Emily—the real Emily. It was exactly what his mother had warned him about during their many Sunday morning talks. She’d said, “I pray that, over the years, you will learn how to listen to your heart; to know it and trust it before some cute little girl comes along and sweeps you off your feet. The kind of girl that’s only thinking about one thing—herself!”

How
could
I
have
been
so
stupid
?
I
should
have
seen
it
from
the
beginning
.

But at the time, he interpreted her advice as nothing more than an overly protective mother’s worried concern for her son. Never before had her words meant so much.

Although Emily’s reckless abandonment had left him on the throes of financial ruin, her departure had freed him to pursue the only woman he had ever truly loved; someone he now believed to be his soul mate. But learning of the news of Keri’s marriage sent him into a freefall for the depths of despair.

After he’d returned to Texas with his mother, the first few months passed slowly, with the days of each week spread thinly between work and caring for his disoriented mother.

At the time, he knew that until the divorce was finalized with Emily, he would remain buried beneath suffocating debt payments. A leap of progress was made when he located a hungry divorce lawyer willing to receive payment for his services after the settlement was complete.

Once contacted, Emily’s lawyer stepped forward surprisingly eager to finalize the divorce. After the required sixty-day waiting period, the two lawyers negotiated an acceptable agreement within a few months.

Emily agreed to take full responsibility for all of the debts she had run-up, to split any equity gains they received from the sale of their house, and accepted a small cash settlement for the remaining property they jointly owned.

Ryan found Emily’s change in character odd, but he was not about to question it. He suspected her willingness to let go so easily was because she had attached herself to a fresh host victim, much like a tick on a dog’s back.

It took a few more months to sell the house, after which, he and his mom moved into a rental house. When it was all over, the debts were cleared, the lawyer was paid, and Ryan had a new lease on life.

Amid the tumultuous year, he longed to talk with Keri. A recent attempt to contact her parents in Atlanta, hoping to find her number, met with surprising news. The maid answered and informed him of the tragic death of Mrs. Hart, shortly after Keri’s wedding, and that Mr. Hart was in intensive care following a recent heart attack.

When he queried the maid for more information about Keri, she replied, “Mr. Ryan, all I know is that she is married now and living in California. That’s all I know.”

The airline had no record of anyone by the name “Keri Hart” being employed. He assumed she must have either quit or changed her last name to her married name.

He strained to recall if Keri had mentioned Bill’s last name in the letter she’d sent him. He remembered her saying he was a pilot, but couldn’t remember if she’d mentioned the airline. Finding a pilot by the name of “Bill”, even if he knew the airline, would have been impossible.

Maybe
I
still
have
the
letter
.

He paused a brief moment, then dismissed the thought after having no clue where to look.

With his airline rapidly expanding, he felt it was the perfect time to transfer to the West Coast. His seniority at the L.A. crew base would offer him a better schedule, translating into more control over his life; something he desperately needed with his mother’s worsening condition.

He knew it wouldn’t be long until she would need professional care and after contacting the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, he learned of a wonderful facility in Orange County.

The only person he knew in California was his old Navy buddy, Rex Dean. He hadn’t seen him or talked with him since they finished their initial training at the airline. He knew Rex was based in L.A., and after a quick call to the LAX flight office he was able to locate his number. Once the admin assistant learned of Ryan’s possible transfer to the base, and that he and Rex were old friends, she referenced Rex’s bid line and passed along his days off.

When he called Rex to tell him he was considering moving to California and interested in coming out for a visit, at first, Rex sounded strangely reluctant to help. However, after they’d exchanged a few stories from the past, he not only offered to help, but also invited him sailing, over for dinner, and before the conversation had ended, he insisted he spend the night at his place.

* * *

Rex popped the tailgate up on his Jeep Cherokee parked in the driveway of his Laguna Beach condo. He tossed a small ice chest in the back, then glanced down at his watch: ten past eleven.

Ryan’s
flight
should
be
on
the
ground
by
now
.

He knew the day would eventually come, but when he’d picked up the phone last Monday and heard Ryan Mitchell’s voice, it caught him completely off guard—especially when Ryan mentioned his plans to transfer to L.A., and that he wanted to come out for a visit.

But during the conversation, he thought, why not? He could take him sailing, which would be the perfect opportunity to ease the news on him. After a few beers at dinner, they would all be laughing about it.

While loading the car, he replayed in his mind how Keri’s reaction had made it so easy.

* * *

“Who was that, Honey?”

Rex turned to see her walking into the room. “Nobody.”

“I heard you talking to someone.”

“Oh that. Just an old Navy buddy.”

“Did I hear you mention something about going sailing?”

Rex moved around Keri and toward the kitchen. “Yeah, I told him we should go sailing this weekend.”

“That sounds nice. If he’s married, we can make it a foursome.”

“No!”

Keri recoiled at his sharp reaction.

“What I mean is, no, he’s not married.”

“Are you okay? You’re acting kinda weird.”

“I’m fine. It’s just…hearing the poor dude’s story put me on edge. His ex ripped him a new one after a wicked divorce.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe we should have him over for dinner. I’m sure he could use a good home-cooked meal.” Keri turned when she heard the baby cry.

“Yeah, I’m sure he would like that,” Rex said.

“Well, be sure to invite him over.” The cry grew louder pulling her away.

* * *

Although Keri’s pregnancy had almost driven Rex crazy, nothing could have prepared him for the sleepless nights and siren-like screams once the little terror was freed from the womb. But now that the baby was three months old, life showed signs of returning to normal. He slept through most nights and Keri was working again.

Since Rex never intended on being in the baby business, when it came to baby duty, he had his limits. He refused to be left alone with the kid, and he wasn’t about to touch one of those stinky diapers. “That’s why God made women,” he would say. At first, he reluctantly agreed to hire a nanny, but later admitted it had been money well spent. It freed him from worrying about Keri’s work schedule and allowed him to come and go as he pleased.