“All right, Trey. I just wanted to check in before this plane gets in the air.”
Even though his son was away at college, Gavin Hayes called him to say goodbye before he and Gerri left on their trip. Yes, it was probably overkill, but his son was important to him.
“Have a good trip, Dad.”
“Thanks. Now you go ace that bio quiz of yours.”
“Okay. Oh, and hey, Dad!”
“Yeah?”
“You know… if you wanted to do something really wild and crazy while you’re down in Atlanta, you could always pop the question to Gerri. You have my total blessing to come back engaged. You know that, right?”
“What?” Did the entire plane just hear his shock?
“You heard me correctly. Just don’t get married without me.”
“Boy, get off this phone and go to class!”
He could hear Trey laughing his head off as he disconnected the call. And he couldn’t help laughing himself as he shut his phone off and put it away in the breast pocket of his sport coat.
“What’s so funny?”
Gerri was looking at him with those crazy deep brown eyes of hers, and Gavin smiled.
“Nothing. Just that goofy kid of mine.”
“Is Trey okay?”
“Yeah. He’s headed off to take a biology quiz this morning. He said for us to have a good trip.”
“I wish he’d been able to join us for this trip. Kiki and Shawn think he’s the coolest. They love it when he’s around,” she said, talking about her young niece and nephew.
“I’m kind of happy that he wasn’t.”
“Gavin. Why do you say that?”
“Well, you and I have never really gone away together before. And I know we’re not exactly on our own on this trip, with your parents and your brother and sister-in-law on the same flight, but… I don’t know. I’d just like it to be only us, that’s all.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
“It’d be even sweeter if we were taking a week in Jamaica. Alone.”
Gerri ran a hand over his knee, and it stirred something inside him. He leaned in and kissed her.
“Hey, you two. There’ll be no mile high club initiations on this flight.”
Gavin looked to his right, across the aisle at the man laughing at his own joke.
Clay Miller. Gerri’s older brother.
“You’re not funny, Clay,” Gerri shot across the aisle. “And stay out of our conversation, please.”
“I’m not in your conversation. Didn’t hear a word you said. But I saw that hand action and smooching going on.”
“Well stop watching us and go kiss your own wife.” Gerri rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat.
Gavin took her hand and settled in. It was going to be a long flight if these two bickered the whole way.
When the plane was in the air, he pulled out his cellphone to check for messages before he remembered that it was in airplane mode and he couldn’t check for messages anyway. He sighed and put it away again.
“He’s going to do just fine, baby.”
“Hmm?” He turned to Gerri.
“Ike. He’s going to do fine being in charge. I know how much you trust his judgment and his instincts. You say it all the time.”
“Yes. I do trust his judgment and instincts.”
“Then why are you stressing about this?”
“I’m not stressing.”
Gerri gave him a look that said she knew better, and Gavin knew it was true. They’d only been together less than a year, but she could already read him so well.
“Okay, maybe I’m stressing a little.”
“Or a lot. And I don’t understand it. I mean, is there anyone else you would trust more leaving in charge of your homicide unit?”
Gavin sighed. He knew she was right. “No, there isn’t. But Ike has never been in charge before, baby. Not to this extent. Not to mention the fact that his partner is in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the gut, and Ike is still working that case. Alone. On top of trying to run things in homicide. It’s a lot all at one time, that’s all. But I know you’re right. I’m sure he can handle it just fine.”
“Then why are you so nervous?”
He looked her in the eyes. “Well, if I’m being completely honest, I’m not only worrying about how Ike is faring.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “I’m also somewhat nervous about this trip.”
“Gavin, you’re joking. Why?”
Gerri angled her body toward his, and Gavin took her hand again.
“I don’t know. I feel like I finally just settled into being accepted by your parents and your brother and his family. Got your niece and nephew calling me Uncle Gavin.” He made a face at that, and Gerri giggled. “But now I have to go audition for the rest of your extended family.”
“Audition?”
“Yes.”
“And what part are you auditioning for in this paranoid delusion of yours?”
Gavin grinned at her. “For the role of your man, of course. Your fella, your boo thang. Your life partner.”
Gerri was laughing out loud now. When she finally composed herself she pinned him with a sassy look. “Okay, first. Please don’t call yourself my boo thang ever again.”
Gavin laughed out loud.
“And as far as I’m concerned, baby, you already won the role of my man a long time ago. And really… isn’t mine the only opinion that counts here?”
“I suppose it is.”
“Mmm hmm.”
He leaned in and kissed her, long and sweet and deep. Gerri caressed his face.
“But just out of curiosity?” Her forehead touched his, and her voice was a sexy, amused whisper.
“Yes?”
“Was there perhaps a hidden proposal in there somewhere?”
Gavin drew his head back. The question kicked up his heart rate a few notches.
“A hidden proposal?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it seems to me that if a man were thinking about proposing, he wouldn’t hide the question in the middle of a paranoid delusion, now would he?”
Gerri studied him. “No. I don’t suppose he would.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, and Gavin tried his damnedest not to smile. Not only did he fail, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Trey encouraging him to do the very thing she’d just mentioned.
Propose.
“That’s an awfully mischievous smile, Lieutenant. A girl could get the wrong idea about it.”
“The only idea you need to get, Detective, is that I’m crazy in love with you.”
“I love you too. Now shut up and kiss me.”