Page 79 of Teach Me Your Ways

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied, clicking my seatbelt into place. Cece’s thigh pressed against mine as she adjusted her own belt. I looked out the window to focus on something other than the woman I couldn’t have.

The plane taxied toward the runway, bouncing slightly. Sophie was practically vibrating with excitement in the co-pilot seat, her little hands pressed against the window as she watched the ground crew wave us past.

Sophie twisted around to face me, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “We go up all the time. Granny loves flying.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Wow, that’s a pretty cool granny.”

The older woman shot me a look over her shoulder. “The kid can call me Granny. You call me Maggie, got it?”

“Roger that,” I said, nodding.

The plane accelerated down the runway. We lifted off the ground and I felt the familiar rush. But this time was different. Instead of being focused on getting to some remote site, I found myself actually enjoying the experience. The South Carolina coastline spread out below us. It was all golden beaches and blue water stretching to the horizon.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Cece murmured beside me, her voice soft with wonder even though she’d clearly seen this view many times before.

“Incredible,” I admitted, watching the waves crash against the shore in perfect white lines. “I usually fly commercial or charter, straight to wherever I’m going. Never really took the time to appreciate the scenery.”

“That’s the difference between traveling and exploring,” Maggie said, banking the plane slightly so we could get a better view of the coastline. “Cece gets that from me. We don’t just go places—we experience them.”

Sophie pressed her nose against the side window. “Look, you can see the pier!”

I leaned forward to look where she was pointing, and sure enough, the Myrtle Beach pier stretched out into the Atlantic like a wooden finger. From up here, the people on it looked like ants, and the Ferris wheel was just a colorful smudge.

“That’s where we went last week,” Sophie continued, her words tumbling over each other in excitement. “We ate funnel cake, and I got to pick out some really big seashells.”

I was used to getting my thrills in faraway jungles but this was a different high. I looked over at Cece. She was smiling as her daughter rambled on about a box and seashells. I was too busy watching her. Yes, I was disappointed when I realized we weren’t going to be alone and getting dirty, but it wasn’t so bad. Hell, it was actually fun.

Cece caught me staring wide eyed and smiled. Her hand rested on the seat between us. I inched mine toward it, expecting her to pull away. But she didn’t. I rested my hand on hers. We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to.

Something strange flooded through me. It was a warmth that had nothing to do with lust or adrenaline. It was a feeling of belonging. Sitting there in that small plane, surrounded by Cece’s family, I realized how completely fucking wrong I’d been about everything.

For years, I’d convinced myself that attachments were anchors. That caring about people, especially kids, would clip my wings and chain me to a life of suburban mediocrity. I’d built my entire adult existence around the idea that freedom meant being alone, that adventure required solitude. I had avoided relationships because women eventually always wanted to settle down. They wanted me home for dinner and available to pick up the phone whenever they called.

But watching Sophie’s face light up as she pointed out landmarks below and having Cece’s hand in mine wasn’t weighing me down. It was lifting me up.

“There’s the university,” Cece said softly, pointing to the familiar cluster of buildings, so small beneath us. “Looks different from up here, doesn’t it?”

I squeezed her hand gently. “Everything looks different from up here. It certainly puts things into perspective.”

We turned inland, over marshy grass and cattle pastures. Granny told Sophie how the trees changed in the winter.

“Beautiful,” I said softly.

Cece nodded. “Yeah.”

I hesitated. “Thank you for letting me share this with you all.”

“You’re welcome.”