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Edith Piaf,Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.I regret nothing. She had to laugh at Lachlan’s sly humor. Maybe he didn’t regret winning the bet he’d made with her about his ability to smoothly land his own airplane, but she was pretty sure she regretted making that deal. She hoped she wouldn’t regret this flight.
Just like he had the last time she’d been in his plane, he talked her through taxi’ing, and each of the adjustments he was making.
“We’re going to take off now, but it’s a clear day. No wind. Nothing but smooth air ahead of us.”
Just like the first time, he took her hand and put it on his thigh, grounding her with his body until they’d leveled off their ascent. Finally she opened her eyes. Below them was Bindarra Creek, its neat grid of downtown streets right next to the river easily recognizable.
“You ready?” Lachlan was practically bouncing out of his seat with anticipation.
“I don’t know why you’re so excited about me flying.” She would’ve thought he’d at least give her a minute to acclimate first.
“Extra adrenaline.” Then he smiled. “But don’t worry, your wingman’s got you.” He was far too pleased with the joke T-shirt he was wearing. It was read in honor of Valentines Day, and it had Cupid on it, above which it readThe Original Wingman.“So, are you?”
“Am I what?” She was stalling and he knew it.
“Ready. To take the controls?”
She heaved out a sigh. It was better to get it over with sooner, rather than spending more time agonizing. “Ready.”
He counted down, and on one, she gripped the controller in front of her, her knuckles going white the instant Heath sat back and crossed his arms.
“Put your hands back!” She knew, logically, that he could fly the airplane with his feet. He’d told her this. But having his hands so far away from the controller made her more anxious.
“Not a chance. You’re doing great.”
An alarm buzzed on the dashboard. “What’s that mean?”
“Nose up a little bit more.”
She tried to do what he said. “There. I made an adjustments. Now take the controls back before I crash.
“I seem to recall I spend significantly more time on the back of a horse…”
“You’re terrible, Big Nick.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the expanse of sky before her, but she could tell he was smiling.
“There is something we need to discuss.” His voice had gone serious.
“Not while I’m flying we don’t. This is enough serious business for right now, thank you very much. Our lives are in my hands. I have to focus!” Maybe it was overly dramatic but it was how she felt.
“Speaking of our lives in your hands…” Lachlan reached over and dropped his hand onto her thigh. Only it wasn’t his hand at all. It was small and velvety, and when she dropped her eyes for a millisecond, she saw it was a very small box, propped open to reveal a ring inside.
“Oh my god, why would you do that right now?” Her hands were shaking on the controller and her heart was flapping around inside her ribs like a caged bird.
“Ask you to marry me?” He was staring at her, when he should be monitoring all the gauges and dials she didn’t know how to read.
“Ask me a life-altering question when I’m already afraid I might screw up and kill us both?”
“Well, are you thinking about crashing anymore?” She couldn’t look at him but she could tell he was smiling just from the way his voice sounded.
“Yes!”
“Does that mean yes ,you’ll marry me? Or yes, you’re worried about crashing?”
“You are terrible. The absolute worst.” She peeled her eyes away from the windscreen just long enough to catch him staring at her. “Yes, both. Now take over so I can put that ring on!”
He did as she commanded.
And when he put her hand on his thigh in preparation for landing, her diamond ring from her diamond under pressure glinted in the sun.
“I told you I wouldn’t forget, Ladybug.” Of course he winked. “And it was my favorite flight yet.”
That ‘yet’ and his eternal optimism was just one more thing she loved about him. And would keep loving, for the rest of her life.
