Nate (A Texas Jacks Novel) (44 page)

I
T’S A BEAUTIFUL, WARM SUMMER
evening, and I’m heading home from the track. I still drive my beloved truck that my mom left to me. It’s the one thing I own that I won’t let go of, and eventually our son, Jack, will take his first driving lesson in it.

You can just guess what we named him after.

I still go out to the track from time to time, but no longer feel the need to constantly. That pull to go there and block it all out is gone, thanks to my loving wife, Charlie. I no longer feel the sadness of losing someone all the time. What I feel now is an abundance of love from Charlie, our son, and our friends and family.

Now, when I go out to the track, it’s to enjoy myself and to have a little time away from the hassles of work. Every now and then I can convince Holt and Tucker to meet me out there, and we have a blast laughing like old times and feeling the thrill of the race.

I know sometimes going out to the track worries Charlie, especially after our scare seven years earlier. But she knows there are times when I feel the pull, and need to go. I love that about her. She may worry, but she doesn’t hold me back, trusting all will be okay, and that I will come back home safe and sound. Sometimes, I can even manage to get her and Jack to come out with me as well. Those are the days I get our friends out there, and they spend their time soaking in the rays of the sun, watching the children play, and enjoying each other’s company.

I’m halfway home when I start reflecting back on my life and realize what a gift Charlie has been. She keeps me happy and sane. She fills my heart every day with her beauty and love, and then there’s our son, Jack. He’s such a little character, always going full steam ahead and loves to laugh. I look forward to returning home each night so I can see our family and listen to the joy of our son echoing off the walls of the house. He really is such a happy little guy, and he’s by no means lacking in the love department.

Charlie is now a stay-at-home mom with our three-year old son. She’s also very pregnant with our daughter, Savannah. She’s got one more month to go, and she looks more beautiful than the day I first saw her on the dance floor at
Texas Jacks
.

Charlie and I are as happy as we can be. Our relationship is strong, loving, and solid. We have our bad days, like any couple, and we have lots of good days. We live every day one at a time, and take what life throws at us—or blesses us with.

As for the guys and I, we decided a couple of years back to try our hand at our own construction company. We got the business up and running, and things are going pretty smoothly. I love that I can be my own boss now, and that I’m home in time for dinner with my family.

I pull in to our long drive thinking how nice it will be to see Charlie and her beautiful smile. I really love her and our growing family. I’m thankful every day for taking a chance with my heart and handing it to her on a silver platter. I will never regret the events that led me to this point in my life.

I park the truck in the driveway and see that Charlie is sitting on the porch in one of the rockers. She’s watching Jack play in the yard, chasing our black lab, Lucky.

I climb out of the cab of the truck and close the door. When I look over at Charlie, I see that she’s turned her eyes and her bright smile on me. That warms my heart, and the love that I feel from the look on her face sometimes chokes me up. I want nothing more than to go over to her, gather her in my arms, and hold her tight.

I walk by Jack and Lucky first, so I stop and snatch Jack up and swing him around, which sends our little munchkin into a fit of laughter. Lucky runs around my legs while we spin in the yard for a few moments. I set Jack back down on his feet, but he’s a bit dizzy and falls on his butt. This sends him into more laughter as Lucky starts licking his face. I reach down and run my hand along Lucky’s black coat of fur before I take the porch steps two at a time to get to my wife.

She’s still smiling at me when I reach her, and holds her arms out to me as I lean down and gently pull her up from the rocking chair. Charlie wraps her arms around me, as much as they will go with her belly in the way, and I pepper her face with sweet kisses before I gently fit my lips to hers. I pull away and look back at her with a gentle smile, and all the love I can possibly show her in my eyes. We hold on to each other and turn our heads to watch Jack and Lucky running around the yard, happy as can be.

At this very moment, I know I’m exactly where I should be. I’m the happiest, luckiest man on the face of the earth, and I know my mother is smiling down on me.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE OF THE TEXAS JACKS GANG IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

Holly Lane

EXCERPT

3.5 years ago

This is it.
The big moment
. All of the excitement and anticipation that has been building for months for this one day has finally arrived.

Ava Walsh, Jenifer Gustafson, and I were finally leaving high school in the dust of our rearview mirrors and traveling towards our futures, with the exception of a pit stop for a bit of fun in the sun first.

We’ve been the best of friends from kindergarten clear through high school, and now we have finally graduated together. Funny, crazy, and klutzy would sum us up in a nutshell.

Graduation took place last week, and this week is our final nod to high school and the last time we will all be together for a long time. Ava and Jenifer have ambitions to get out of this jolly town of ours and hit some bigger cities. They want to travel and live it up before heading to college, getting as far away from the busy-bodies of Holly Grove as possible. Then there’s me, good old Hollie Reed, staying behind to attend a local community college and work at my parent’s pharmacy. Overall, I was okay with where my life was headed. I loved Holly Grove, and saw no point in changing who I was or moving far away to live out a dream
. I was happy, end of story.

But today… now today was something to be excited for. Today we were boarding a plane for the very first time in our 18 years of life. It feels as though there is a battle raging deep in the pit of my stomach, and my heart wants to jump right out of my chest. My brain wants to push its way into the fray, screaming at me,
why did you pick a flight that’s over seven hours long to be your first flying experience?
I know it wasn’t my brightest idea ever. But it is what it is, and it’s too late to chicken out now.

The girls and I move up in the boarding line. It formed along the large glass window that allowed you to look out and see the giant airplane that will hold hundreds of people, flying over water for hours, and the vast majority of the flight.
Who wouldn’t be scared?

This is where the
crazy
comes into the group, because that’s what we are. Or at least I am.
Why didn’t I start off small, selecting somewhere closer to home and over dry land?
We inch our way along the window for a few minutes more until it’s finally our turn to hand over our boarding passes to the lady at the gate. She takes Ava’s ticket, then Jenifer’s, and finally mine, where she scans the bar-codes, electronically doing a roll call for all of the passengers.
So why does handing over my boarding pass feel like I’m handing over my life?

Passing the gate agent, we head down the ramp towards the plane in a slow-moving line, listening to excited voices and crying babies.
I really hope I’m able to sleep through most of this flight.
Not just because of the babies, but for my own sanity and nerves as well. Yes, my nerves were on pins and needles, and I hadn’t even set foot onto the plane yet.
Will they go into hyper drive when I finally sit down?
I may need a horse tranquilizer by the time this trip is all said and done with.

It’s a miracle when we get through the line to finally step over the threshold of the airplane’s entrance. Ava, Jenifer, and I follow the other passengers like a bunch of lost sheep being herded into the cabin, and slowly make our way down the aisle to our seats. It’s a relief to see that we have a small row to ourselves on the right side of the plane, as opposed to a large one in the middle. There are way too many seats next to each other over there, with little to no real legroom. There’s no way I could last for seven-plus hours sitting next to some stranger, the side of my body pressed up against him.
Then again, who wants to sit next to a nervous, freaked out 18-year-old on her first plane trip?
I think that list would be two names long, consisting of my best friends.

We find our seats, and thankfully Ava and Jenifer let me slide into the row first, firmly planting my rear in the seat next to the window. On the bright side, I can lean my head up against the side of the plane and rest. Granted, the window shade needs to be drawn.
No way will I be looking out that window anytime soon.
The last thing I want to think about is plummeting to my death and…
Oh, great now that’s what I’ll be obsessing over next.
Letting out a sigh, I grab my seat belt and buckle up. I lean my head back against the seat’s headrest, close my eyes, and grab the armrest, not even realizing at first that I’m white-knuckling it until Ava taps my left hand.

“You know we won’t actually take off for awhile, right? We were some of the first to board, and there’s a ton of people left who still need to enter the plane and find their seats,” Ava helpfully points-out, like I didn’t know this information already. I look over at her and give her a tight-lipped smile before turning my face to look out the window. Okay, I take it back; I can at least look out the window
now
, as we haven’t actually left the ground yet.

“I know. I’m just preparing myself now,” I tell both her and the window. “If I’m lucky, I’ll be relaxed enough to pass out before we take off,” I can only hope, while silently sending up a prayer to the heavens that this will come true.

“The more you tense up, the harder it will be to relax. You know that, so why don’t you take one of the Valium’s that Dr. Peters gave you?” Jenifer reminds me, seeing as how I had forgotten I even had any with me. “You’ll definitely be sleeping, long before we even leave the ground.”

I don’t necessarily know whether Jenifer’s statement is true or not, so I give a non-committal shrug, telling both of them, “We’ll see,” before returning to facing forward. I know they won’t push me and will back off, giving me the space I need while they chat about the things they want to do and what to see during our week-long vacation.

Other students that we know board the flight, saying hi to us as they pass. Eventually the airline attendants give their spiel over the loud speaker, then execute a quick safety check of the cabin doors, luggage compartments, and lastly, check our lap belts before heading to their own seats to secure themselves for take-off.

The pilot comes on over the intercom and gives us an estimated time for our arrival to the destination, then gives additional instructions to the flight attendants. Next thing I know, our plane is moving, and I’m holding on steadfastly to the seat’s arm rests. I’ve never been one for roller coasters or big, scary, heart-stopping, stomach-dropping rides, so being on a plane worries me. I pray I won’t get sick, and that I’ll have a lovely nap that will last for the rest of the flight.

It’s our turn to leave the runway now, and it’s finally hitting me completely, like a ton of bricks.
There’s no turning back now
. I’m stuck right here, in my seat on this plane, with hundreds of people for the next seven or so hours. This isn’t a dream anymore; it’s definitely real. I can’t believe I’m about to fly over an ocean, leaving Holly Grove behind me for a week. This will be the longest and furthest trip away from home for me, and hopefully also a memorable one that will last a lifetime.

Here we go
. Our plane is starting to pick up speed as it heads down the tarmac, preparing for take-off. Everything feels surreal at this very moment, and I know that my adventure is just beginning.