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Chapter Fifteen
Wesley
A week had gone by since Tejas left, but Wesley remained in high spirits. Not only had he bonded with him in the short two days, more than he ever had before, but Tejas contacted him daily just to chat. This was huge, monumental in their relationship. And Satya seemed pleased about it. He credited this shift to Ava. He’d listened to her advice, taking his boy to the beach and allowing his son to teach him the rules of chess. Motherhood seemed to rattle Ava now and again, but strong and fueled by her love for Jack, she kept him on task, all while building a great relationship with him.
Wesley climbed into the helicopter, turning to look in the back where Jack sat, wide-eyed and smiling. “Are you excited about today?”
Jack nodded, adjusting his headset. “Thanks for talking Mom into letting me come with you guys.”
Ava paused from her preflight checks. “It’s been a long time coming. I told you I’d take you for a ride in our famous dragon-copter.” She sent a flirty glance in Wesley’s direction before turning back to her task and starting the engine.
Wesley buckled in, thoughtful as he recognized Ava did her best to keep Jack protected. He’d seen the significant change in Ava since he’d first run into her at the airport three months ago. She seemed happier. And though he’d enjoyed intimate moments with her over the past weeks, they’d been fleeting up until this week after Tejas left. She’d become frisky and more playful, making him want her even more.
When they set down on the skyscraper, Wesley said, “After my meeting, I’ll meet up with you guys.” He wished he could miss the meeting altogether and just stay with them. “We’ll get some lunch and then head to the auto show.”
He’d gotten permission to park the helicopter on the office building for the day as no other helicopters were scheduled.
“This is cool,” said Jack as they disembarked and headed for the elevator.
Wesley waved goodbye to his sexy pilot, who stayed with Jack in the elevator when he stepped off on the executive floor. While Ava and Jack headed to Brooklyn to see some friends, he prepared for a big event this weekend where invited investors and hand-picked social media outlets would attend an exclusive celebration at Bluff House.
Regina met him in the boardroom. “It never gets old watching you arrive in that thing, flying like a real dragon across the New York skyline.”
“It’s amazing. The fans love it, too. Let’s hope we can convince the investors to sign off on it as I feel it’s becoming one of our huge assets.” Also, Wesley needed to offer Ava something more in the way of a full-time position.
“The marketing team and I have been working on some proposals we think make good sense and a huge impact.”
“Let’s get started. I don’t want to be late to the auto show later.”
Regina adjusted her cat-style framed glasses and opened the folder in her hands. “I’ve got your three tickets here. Two adults and one child.”
“Great. Thanks for picking those up for me.” He tucked them into his slim backpack, swapping them for his laptop.
“Is Jack excited? Is he into cars?”
“He was excited to ride in the helicopter and hang out in the city. We’ve talked about cars, and he seemed interested. Either way, it’ll be a fun day just to do something different, you know? Besides, I’ve got some friends showing their cars so we might get some VIP treatment I think he’ll get a kick out of.”
Wesley remained focused on the business of planning upcoming events that showcased the helicopter while promoting the newest additions to the game. He and Regina dug into their work. By noon, he strolled to the predesignated restaurant to meet up with Ava and Jack. Over gourmet burgers, he heard all about their morning visiting Jack’s friends at the park.
Later, with Ava and Jack at his side, navigating the huge indoor auto show, he had this strange sense of what it would be like having a family, and it both excited and scared him. Now that he imagined his future with them in it, the thought of losing them burned in his belly. Those investors had to see the value in the dragon-copter.
“This is really cool,” Ava said more than once. “Todd would love this.” She took photos and videos.
“And Brock,” he added. She shared a sharp glance with him, reminding him of the night they borrowed one of Brock’s fancy cars.
Wesley showed them a couple of exclusive cars protected behind ropes, but they got an all-access pass up close thanks to his connections. By the time they exited the massive warehouse, they were pumped and ready to do more in Manhattan.
“I miss being in the city.” Jack referred to growing up in Brooklyn. “I don’t want to live in the country like Oldport. The pool and summer camp are really great, but what do kids even do in the winter?”
Standing in line to get gelato, Wesley eyed Ava, wondering at her troubled expression.
“There are plenty of country activities, just like in the city. You just drive to them. You’ll be in school most of the time, anyway—and keeping up with homework and school projects.”
Wesley handed Jack a cup of gelato. Jack dug in, seeming lost in thought. When he handed Ava her cup, his heart sunk at her expression. The deep connection they shared in that one meaningful glance told him she’d heard from some company. That she’d finally gotten her offer.
Ava
Ava tucked Jack in, her heart full of love and gratitude for their amazing day. Seeing him happy over these last weeks had helped her grow more comfortable and confident in her role as a mother. But now, she had to tell him about the move to a small Midwest town. They’d start over again. Though she could see him adapting easily like he’d done here for the summer, she, on the other hand, had reservations.
