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“Band-Aid method,” Valkyrie chuckled. “Thank you, Glory.”
“I was getting to it,” Thumper muttered as Harley laughed, putting her arm around his waist.
“Soooo?” Armadillo drawled. “Is this a ‘yes’and Harley can order your business cards? We’ve already got them mocked-up, and a few leads on another plane.”
“Yes,” Jax said hoarsely, nodding. “I would love to be a part of the team.”
“I knew you would.”
Jax whirled around and saw Mary standing there, dabbing at her eyes emotionally and smiling at him – before leaning to the side to look at the rest of the team.
“Next time, if you want to be the one to tell Jax? Then don’t tell me. Do you know how hard it was not to blurt this out a month ago? I never want to keep secrets from him, but this was such good news…”
“You knew a month ago?”
“They mentioned it when they were helping me move in,” Mary smiled, moving to hug him. “We have some incredible friends.”
“Yeah, we do,” Jax said warmly, hugging her and smiling at the team. “The very best.”
“Did Spaceballs say ‘yes’,yet?” Firefly hollered from the entryway. “I’m hungry - and so is my garden queen and my pretty princess. Thumper, I’m tossing the brats on the grill…”
“Gotta go,” Thumper muttered, leaning down to kiss Harley’s forehead. “Nobody touches my grill but me…”
“I swear I’m going to change my call sign,” Jax muttered aloud, grinning as everyone came over to shake his hand and pat him on the back.
Life is so good!he thought joyfully.
He had a fairytale love story, a new beginning, a beloved child that would be here in a few months, a ‘castle’ of his own, and now a job he always was afraid to dream of or ask for.
Yes, his parents were right and never steered him wrong, never forgetting that conversation long ago.
Jax had lost several baseball games in a row. He had been so upset, nearly in tears, and struggling with the motivation to keep playing, when his dad pulled him aside.
“Be confident, Jax. Look for the good in everything you see, and discover that silver lining in everything you do. It takes a special person with a big heart to look at the world with a fondness for what is there… instead of dreaming of what could be, and wallowing in disappointment,” his father had told him softly, smiling at the beautiful spring day.
“The temperature is wonderful, there isn’t a cloud in the sky, and you hit two home runs with three RBI’s. I’m so proud of you and how well you played.”
“… But we lost.”
“Did you have a good time? Were you proud of hitting those two baseballs out of the park?”
“Yes.”
“Focus there and enjoy the moment, son. When you focus on the blessings, the tough spots are so much easier to handle.”
He and his father sat there talking for about an hour after the game, talking about perspective, how negativity affected people, and what being positive could mean to others… and Jax never looked back.
He loved his life – and wasn’t afraid to tell anyone how wonderful it was to experience when you met the right person who lifted you up or treasured you just for who you are.
… Like Mary, who was smiling up at him like he was the most incredible person she’d ever met.
Jax loved the way she looked at him, how she made him feel, and how accepting she was of everything, celebrating life just like him. He hugged her tightly, trying to be careful of their baby, but needing to hold her, as he buried his face against her neck, breathing in her sweet scent.
The next few days would go by so fast,he thought painfully, but that next flight would be the last one from Afghanistan. He was going to make sure they focused on the positive, making her feel loved, and spending time with his precious wife. He would be home before either of them realized – for good.
They would truly begin their lives together as a family.
“I will forever be grateful for the chance to love your gentle heart,” he breathed, trying not to get emotional as he realized that his life had fallen into place, one step at a time. His future was indeed off in the ‘wild blue Yonder,’ just like he once suspected as a teenager.
