58:En Route

The soft rumble of airplane engines was soothing, and Charlie’s body was reaping the benefit on top of the orgasm-induced muscle relaxation.  This moment would be perfect if her mind would just follow suit, but there were too many anxious thoughts stirring inside for that to happen.

Between worry over her sons and disorientation over what was happening between her and the man lying behind her, Charlie was mentally flustered and unsure of which direction to turn. 

The boys were going to have to go in the compartment next to Joey for now, if she was to retain any type of grip on her sanity.  There was nothing she could do while a gazillion feet in the air and half that many miles away - other than have faith that everything would be okay until she got there.

This deal with Jon was something that was figuratively in her face and literally at her back, and it had so many legs and arms that it defied compartmentalization. 

The accuracy with which he’d pegged her was bothersome.  Considering the short duration of their relationship, he shouldn’t know so much, specifically her delight at his strength and indomitability.  Honestly, the fact that he did scared the hell out of her. 

More terrifying than that was the attraction she had to him.  What had begun as simple, physical chemistry had naturally developed into a crush as they spent more time together.  Now, though, the more he split her open and didn’t cringe at what he found inside, her feelings had transcended beyond that.  She was falling for the man who had shown her astonishing tenderness in unconventional ways, despite the drama she’d brought to his life. 

The sixty-four thousand dollar question was what to do about it?  He still hadn’t said he was interested in a labeled relationship and, if he did, they still had to sift through the mess that was her marriage.  It was possible that he wouldn’t want to stay after that.

As her thoughts grew more disturbed, pliable muscles were growing tense and Charlie longed to hide from it all for a while.  If she continued to lie here quietly on her side, facing away from him, there was a good chance that he would think her asleep.  She felt she was doing a pretty good job of faking it when he rolled close to drape an arm over her waist.

“You’re not asleep.  I can hear you thinking.”

Another example of him knowing things that he honestly shouldn’t. 

“I didn’t realize it was so loud.”

He kissed the ball of her shoulder with a soft laugh.  “Not loud, but you weren’t relaxed anymore.  You thinking about the boys?”

“Not really.  I have to put that out of my mind until I’m in a position to do something about it.”

“Smart,” he approved, retracting his arm to take that hand and skim it from Charlie’s ribs down to her thigh.  “What’s making you tense, then?”

If he was being an ass, she could shoot him down all day long without revealing a single thought.  During sex or when he was being himself, she didn’t have a frigging chance.  “I don’t know what to say to you.”

Sighing, he tucked his chin into the crook of her shoulder and quietly reminded, “We’ve been through this already.  Nobody gets held accountable for sex talk.”

She remembered.  He wouldn’t hold her sex-induced honesty against her, but what about his honesty?  The remarks that were made hadn’t been about him, but she found herself aspiring to talk about them – and why he scared her.

Twisting her neck to an uncomfortable angle, she strained to find his eyes over her shoulder.  “What if I want to be held accountable?”

“Then you’re going to have to pick another time to do it,” he told her gently.  “Right now, no matter how much you think you’ve put the boys out of your mind, you’re emotional.  That’s going to affect everything else, so talking about sex-induced revelations isn’t a good idea.  I also don’t recommend watching Steel Magnolias or Beaches in the near future.”

The laughter that bubbled up was a surprise considering that he was making light of what she considered a serious topic, but the laughter felt unexpectedly good.  Charlie squirmed around, flipping over in his embrace to lie on her other hip, and when she was faced with pools of blue that were unusually clear and bottomless, she lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. 

“You’re a good guy, Jon.  The only thing I don’t understand is why you’re being so good to me, with everything that’s happened.  Tell me what I can do for you.”

Fingers that were starting to feel familiar in her hair sifted through the disheveled mess as he worked a leg in between hers and hooked their ankles around one another. 

“I haven’t done anything that extraordinary.  Besides, you already opened your bed to me that night I was being a pussy and feeling lonely.  I don’t seek out the company of many people.”

“That wasn’t exactly a hardship, either.”  His presence that night had benefited her as much as it had him, and she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, appreciating that it was her company he sought.  “All this reminds me that there’s something I need to ask you, by the way, and you’re  welcome to say no.”

It would’ve been perfectly natural for him to put distance between them and exhibit suspicion over what she could possibly want now, but Jon didn’t stop playing with her hair.  Nor did he tense, and he didn’t sound the least bit apprehensive when urging her to continue.  “Go ahead.”

“I wouldn't ask if it was for me.  My oldest brother, Dominick, rarely makes a request of me.  Since he actually wanted my help with something, I feel obligated to pose the question.”

“Counselor,” he interrupted with a chuckle.  “Just fucking ask.”

“Okay.  I assume you remember my sister-in-law Vivi?” she sighed, and when he nodded, Charlie forged ahead.  “Her fiftieth birthday is next weekend.  Dom wanted to do something special and asked me if you would come and play a song.”

He didn’t recoil in horror or laugh in her face, but Jon also didn’t jump on the opportunity with both feet.  “Well… before I answer that, lemme ask you a question.  How do you feel about me being in the middle of your family, knowing that most of them have no idea that we sleep together?”

His intuition was verging on eerie, because that’s the exact thought she’d had when Dom asked her to do this. 

“I’m not all that excited about it, but I can keep from screwing you against the wall if that’s the question.”

Smirking, his fingers slipped free of her hair to slide down and cup Charlie’s backside.  “If you fuck me beforehand, I probably can, too.  What I can’t – won’t – do is call you Charlie like they all do.  That a problem?”

“No.”  Thoughtful fingertips brushed the hair back off his forehead.  “They all know Luke introduced us, and he used my given name when he did it.  That’s explanation enough, if anyone asks.”

“Alright.  Text me the date and time.  I’ll check my schedule and let you know.”

“Seriously?” Charlie slid astonished eyes up to him.  “You’d do that?”

“It’s not a big deal.  Besides, it means you’d owe me a favor.  Right?”

She was starting to lose track of how many favors she owed him.  How in the world would she ever be able to frigging repay them all? 

“At least one,” Charlie agreed. 

“Good,” he approved with a grin, lightly smacking her butt before rolling to the other side of the bed and speaking over his shoulder.  “Remember that.  It’ll come back to haunt you some day.  Now get dressed and eat something.  I know you won’t take the time when you get there.”

“Hey.”  His perfect backside disappeared under the cover of denim and he began buttoning his jeans while offering up a questioning glance.  “I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

While snagging his shirt, he shot her a frown that brimmed with annoyance.  “No shit, but you’re not thinking of yourself.  Stop being so fucking difficult for once.”

His crabby reply should have spurred her into telling him to go screw himself.  It would happen to anyone else who took that high-handed tone with her, and a week ago she would’ve ripped into him like a bag of Hershey Kisses during PMS.  Now, looking inside herself to find only a wry smile and nod of silent agreement for him, Charlie acknowledged that she was the one screwed. 

By the time they landed, Charlie had eaten, knew that Jon was going to LA in the morning for meetings about a potential clothing line, and had an overnight bag with new clothes and basic toiletries in the car that was waiting to take her to the hospital.

“You have a room waiting at the The Clement Hotel, which is supposed to be close to the hospital,” Jon informed her as he held the car door.  “That way, you’ll have someplace to bring him if he gets released tonight.  If he doesn’t and you decide not to stay at the hospital, I’ve got a room there, too.  I’ll text you what you need to know.  You text me as soon as you find out something.  Got it?”

She wanted to kiss him, but out in the open this way, she didn’t dare.  All Charlie felt comfortable in doing was reaching out to give his hand a hard squeeze.  “Thank you.”

“Take care of your kid, Counselor,” he instructed with a wink before closing her into the back of the dark sedan alone with her thoughts – and the cell phone that blew up when she powered it on. 

There were text messages and voicemails from half of her family, but since she had nothing to tell them yet, Noah took precedence.  His was the first number she dialed.

“Mom.  Where are you?”

“I’m about thirty minutes away.  What’s going on?  How’s your brother?”

Her oldest son sounded far wearier than a young man his age should, and his sigh grieved Charlie’s soul.  “He’s okay, I guess.  He just came out of surgery a little while ago, but they haven’t let us see him yet.”

“Who’s there with you?”

“Dad.”

She’d been prepared to hear that a friend was there keeping Noah company, but Owen’s presence had never crossed her mind.  Charlie mentally worked her way through every swear word she knew before creating a few new ones for good measure.  The plan had been to call him once she had a better feel for what was going on.  She hadn’t considered that Noah would call him, too, and she sure as hell hadn’t believed that he would fly down so quickly. 

That was her own fault, though.  While Charlie might spend most days fantasizing about ripping off his head and spitting down his neck, he’d always been good to their boys.  In all fairness, he hadn’t been bad to her, aside from that whole blackmail thing.

“Let me talk to him.”

“Charlie?  Are you on your way?”

It was the first time she’d heard his voice in months.  Most wives would probably take this moment to realize how much they missed their spouse, but all it did was piss her off.  “Yes.  I’ll be there soon.  When did you arrive?”

“About an hour ago.”

“Have you found out anything they wouldn’t tell Noah?”

“I don’t believe so,” he mumbled uncertainly.  “I’ve overheard that he’s stable and they’re having some trouble waking him up.  Beyond that, I really haven’t a clue.”

“Why can’t they wake him up?” The demand was sharp partially due to the way his wishy-washy ways scraped her nerves raw, but more so as a result of the anxiety that had returned full force along with reality.  “Is that normal?  Was the appendix ruptured?  Is there infection?”

“I didn’t ask.”

Of course he didn’t.  That lazy ass didn’t do anything that required him to exert an effort.  He knew that if he waited long enough, Charlie would do it for him. 

Unlike Jon.  If Jon was there, she was convinced he’d know exactly what was happening within five minutes of walking into the hospital.  He would be in the nursing staff’s face until they told him every last damn detail about his child. 

This wasn’t Jon’s child, though, and Charlie was the one who would have to take charge today just as she did every other day.  Normally, that didn’t bother her.  It was only after spending six hours with a man who knew how to get anything done that she was ruthlessly perturbed with the husband who possessed the balls of a dead jellyfish – except when it came to threatening her life.

Then the son of a bitch could give King Kong a run for his money.