the school, maybe we could have our first official date, and I could take you out to dinner?”
“I’d like that,” she told him. “We are talking about the noon meal, aren’t we? I’d starve if we had to wait until evening.”
“The noon meal is always dinner in my world. Supper is the evening meal. Think you can learn to live with that permanently?” he asked.
“Without a doubt,” she answered.
Their car arrived, Jayden told the driver where to take them, and they settled into the wide back seat. Elijah put his arm around her and pulled her close to his side. “It’s been years since anyone has driven me anywhere.”
“Sit back and enjoy it,” she said. “It’ll take about forty-five minutes in this weekend traffic to get to my school.”
Her phone rang, and her first thought was that one of her girls already needed her, but when she checked the ID, it was her principal.
“Hello.” She put the phone on speaker.
“Hi, Jayden. This is Melanie, and I hope I haven’t overstepped my boundaries, but I went ahead and packed up your room. The new guidance counselor arrived this morning, all gung ho to decorate it her way, so I just got three cardboard boxes and started shoving your things into them,” she said.
“Thank you!” Jayden said. “Now all I’ll have to do is pick them up. Are you going to be there the next half hour?”
“Nope,” Melanie answered. “I’m on my way out. Got a last-minute meeting with a prospective science teacher, but the front door is open. The janitors are in here giving the place a good cleaning. Your boxes will be sitting beside your door.”
“I’m glad you found someone so quickly,” Jayden said, “and thank you again for packing up for me.” She ended the call, shoved the phone into her purse, and turned to Elijah. “Think we might get our driver to go through a fast-food window for dinner? We can pick up my stuff, grab some takeout, go back to the plane, and have our first date in the hangar or on the plane. That way, we won’t have to call another car.”
“Another reason why I’ve fallen in love with you,” he said.
“Because I’m a cheap date?” She laughed.
“No, because you are a planner, and you think of others all the time.” He brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed each one. “And, honey, you didn’t have to put the phone call on speaker.”
“Yes, I did, or else I would have had to tell you what she said. Why waste what time we’ve got alone in this back seat repeating conversations? Except this one important conversation—I haven’t told you about Skyler’s last call. The short version is this.” She told him all about Ray Don, the courthouse marriage, the pregnancy, and that they wanted to visit over Christmas. “You got a problem with that?”
“No, ma’am. Whatever makes you happy makes me happy. Now let’s talk about us. I told you that you could have my cabin, but I would really like for you to move into the big house with me when we get back. If you’re not comfortable doing that, I understand, but . . .”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I thought you’d never ask. Let’s get out of this big city and go home.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned. “You’ve made me a very happy man, Jayden Bennett, by calling Piney Wood home. For the first time since getting out of the service, I’m at peace with the world and within my heart. It’s a wonderful feeling and I have you to thank for it.”
“Home isn’t really a place.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “It’s a feeling, and as long as I’m with you, I’m home.”
“We should write that down and frame it for our children to see,” he told her.
“Oh, we’re going to have children?” She raised her head and stared into his face.
“I thought four would be a good number,” he answered.
“I always wanted six,” she said. “Are we going to have these kids before or after we stand before the preacher and say our vows?”
“Are you proposing to me?” He grinned.
“Maybe.” She leaned forward a few inches and kissed him on the cheek. “If I am, what would your answer be?”
“It would be ‘Yes, ma’am, thank you. I love you. Just tell me where to be,’” he answered.
“Well, since I was raised not to be so brassy as to propose to a guy, you’ll have to