I watch her move around the kitchen, fetching herself a glass of wine. "What's go-go juice?"
Her eyes smile at me over the top of her glass as she drinks her wine. "Mountain Dew, Five Hour Energy and Monster. Just an inside joke with the pageant girls. Never mind."
I tell her I'll just have a water, and she fills a glass and hands it to me.
Something comes over her, and it feels like her mood has suddenly changed. She looks shy, which seems unlike her. But, having only known her for one day, I realize there are tons of things I don't know.
"Baby," I say, tilting up her chin. "What's cooking upstairs?"
"I don't know where to start."
"Start with what?"
Rocket sighs. "Asking for what I want. I always go after what I want, but not in relationships. What you see all around you is all I have. It's not much. But if what we're doing here is truly a relationship and not just a fling until you get called up again, it might break me. I can't believe I said it, but it's true. I have nothing to bring to this relationship but for me." She smooths her fingers over my shirt. "So I'll understand if, after seeing all this, you're not much impressed with me, an accomplished guy like you. I might be extra up on that stage, but this is the real me. Just me and my tiny trailer and a job waiting tables at a crappy bar."
Chapter Fourteen
Rocket
"Baby, do you want to see what I see when I look at you?" Jet looks at me like I'm crazy, which is a step up from looking down at my humble roots.
"Maybe."
"You have a give-no-fucks attitude that would put the egos of every pilot in my squadron shame. You have more inner strength than every crewman I've ever worked with. But also, you're the sweetest, kindest soul I've ever met."
"You're too much," I say, looking down.
"No, I'm not. I grew up poor as dirt, barely graduated high school. My nana indulged me, never disciplined me. Worked her fingers to the bone just to make sure I was clothed and fed and sheltered. I showed my gratitude for her raising me by fucking around as a teenager and had put no thought into my future. Then she died, and I had no clue what to do other than what my grandpa had done, so I enlisted.
"So don't ever make me have to remind you of who you are again. I won't have any girl of mine running herself down. If you aren't feeling like yourself, we work it out together," he says. "In case I wasn't clear, I'm not letting you go. Those things I said earlier weren't just about getting into your panties. I'm the long-haul guy, and you're mine. I love you."
The intense stare in his eyes is almost too much to bear.
"I barely know you and I already know you're a good man, and I love you, too, Jet."
He smiles as he cups my face, warming me all over. "Good. It helps if both of us feel the same way," he says.
All of a sudden I feel a little lightheaded. Jet catches me as I stumble back to the kitchen to put my glass in the sink.
"Baby, have you eaten anything today?"
I shake my head. "No. I usually don't eat on pageant days."
"Sit down."
I wave off his concern but make my way over to the couch.
Jet looks around the place and says, "Good, now stay parked on the couch and I'll join you in a second."
"So bossy."
He says, "Get used to it."
Wrapping myself up in my granny's afghan, I switch on the TV and cue up some truly terrible reality TV. I'm so engrossed in it that I have no idea how much time passes before Jet is snuggled in next to me on the couch, a plate of chips and salsa, and guacamole in his hand. "Sorry, babe, this is the best I could do. If you want I could head back to the fairgrounds for something special. What do you want?"
I receive the plate he's prepared for me, having forgotten how hungry I am. "I want you to stay put and not go anywhere."
My belly full of guacamole, I eventually fall asleep against Jet's chest, long before my favorite part of the show, when all the real estate agents begin to drunkenly argue in front of clients.
When I wake up hours later, it's dark. And somehow I'm lying in my bed, even though my last memory was that we were sitting on the couch. How in the world did he convert it into the bed while I was asleep? Never mind. Too tired to care. And too comfy and content. I don't think I ever knew what the word "content" meant before. Nothing else in this whole world is as nice as reaching out in the middle of the night and finding your person in the bed with you.
Jet draws me close to his now-bare chest and kisses my forehead. "Thank you for staying," I say.
"I'd be crazy to leave. Now go back to dreamland for a while and save your energy."
"You want me to stay awake with you so we can talk?"
"No. Sleep," he says. "I'll let you know when I want you awake. You'll wake up with my tongue between your legs."
It's not easy falling asleep after being told what he's going to do to me later, but somehow, I manage.
Chapter Fifteen
Jet
As the early morning sun begins to peek through the mini-blinds, my curiosity grows for what
