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He laughs. “Was that supposed to hurt?”
“Carter, come on, I hate surprises, tell me!” I plead.
He rolls his eyes and sighs in exaggerated resignation. “Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s a helicopter tour of the city. We’re going to see Lady Liberty tonight.”
My jaw drops and I sit up straight in my seat. “Oh, my God. Are you serious?” I peer out of the window, bouncing in my seat when I spot the helicopters across the tarmac.
“Very,” he says just before someone opens the door to our car and the frigid, windy November night air rushes into the warm interior of the car.
A man with bright blue hard shelled earphones on sticks his head in the car, his nose is red and his eyes are watering, but his smile is huge and welcoming.
“Mr. Bosch, welcome to Linden Airport. I’m Chip, your pilot for this evening. Your bird’s all nice and ready and it’s a clear, beautiful night.”
“Bird?” I ask.
Chip grins at me, his eyes full of pride. “Term of endearment for the helicopter.”
Excitement pulls my smile so wide, my cheeks hurt. “I’ve never been on one before.”
“Then, you’re in for a treat. She’s a beaut and we’ve got a clear skies. You’re going to love, it.” He winks and then steps out of the way so we can climb down.
We stop at the terminal and sign the waiver he gives me without reading it.
“I can’t believe you arranged this.” I beam a smile at Carter. He’s been back in my life for less than forty eight hours and everything is already more beautiful and exciting. God, I’ve missed him.
“Believe it. It’s happening.” He holds his hand out to me and I don’t hesitate to take it and let him lead me out onto the tarmac.
“This is incredible,” I shout to be heard over the loud whir of the helicopter blades as Carter and I are ushered up the tarmac toward the one that’s waiting for us.
Carter shouts something back but the wind snatches whatever sound he made and whips it away. I shake my head and point at my ear to indicate that I can’t hear him either.
The wind whips my hair wildly around my face, and I pull my hand free of his so that I can tie it back with the black elastic band I wear on my wrist.
I struggle to hold the long strands the wind has taken control of. Carter comes to stand behind me and plucks the elastic from between my fingers.
I start to ask what he’s doing, but am rendered mute when his lips brush my ear and he says in a reassuring voice, “I’ve got it.”
A shiver runs down my back from the warm tickle of his breath on the sliver of skin not covered by the collar of my jacket.
But when his finger slide into my hair, a riot of gooseflesh sends my whole body quivering like Jell-O that’s been flicked by an errant finger.
I stand perfectly still while he gathers the unruly strands into one of his big hands, not pulling too tight as he loops the elastic around it.
He drops his hands onto my shoulders and gives them a squeeze before his hand slides down and comes to rest in the small of my back.
“Perfect,” he says into my ear, before he guides me toward the helicopter.
We step out into the freezing, windy night, but I barely feel it.
Want is burning me from the inside out. My scalp is still tingling. I’m not foolish enough to let myself dwell on what I’ve missed. This is what I’ll have to learn to live with if I want to have him in my life at all.
And I do.
Very much, so.
We climb aboard and are both handed headphones to slip on. “You won’t be able to hear each other once we’re up in the air, but you’ll both be able to hear me. I’ll talk you through the sites and you can take pictures.” He points to the seat belts that are more like harnesses. “Cross your hearts, we’re lifting off in just a few minutes.”
When we’re buckled up, it’s just a few minutes before the helicopter is up and moving over the dark water. I glance over at Carter and he’s watching me, a huge grin on his face. I mouth “Thank you, so much.”
