They exchanged rings… and suddenly he was kissing her tenderly, whispering ‘I love you’against her lips so softly that it made her knees weak.
Yes, she adored the way he showed his heart to her in so many ways, knowing this was the best decision she’d ever made in her life, without any doubts.
“Plenty of time for that…” Mary heard someone say – and suddenly Jax was being tugged away, his eyes widening in surprise and laughter.
Mary was then encapsulated in several hugs as they rushed her towards the door, talking above each other, a flurry of chaos and broken sentences.
“Dixie has the cake ready…”
“Harley is leaving Flyboys now…”
“Houdini made his appointment finally.”
“Is he coming?”
“Maybe… he’s moody and grumpy.”
“Abbykins can fix that…”
“I can’t believe you’re pregnant again!”
“Me neither…”
“Karen’s gonna meet us at Dixie’s. She just texted.”
“Where’s Jax?” Mary interrupted the chorus of women surrounding her, trying to peer over their heads and looking for her new groom.
“He’s being kidnapped, and we’ll see them at the café.”
“Guy stuff,” Glory volunteered. “They all get the pep-talk at some point or another, because men can be dorks.”
“Pep talk?”
“Mary is gonna ride with me to Dixie’s,” Glory announced. “Why doesn’t everyone else pile into Delilah’s van, and we’ll grab our cars in a little bit? You,” Glory tugged on her hand, “… with me.”
Mary followed nervously, searching the parking lot for Jax – only to see three vehicles pull out of there in a rapid-fire movement, and heard a horn honk. Whoever was driving was a terror on the roadways, and she hoped Jax wasn’t in that car.
“Get in, Mrs. Cunningham…”
It took Mary a second to realize that was her.
Sliding into the car, she buckled up and hesitated as Glory smiled at her.
“He’s a good guy,” Glory began, beaming at her. “But when he leaves tomorrow you’ve got to be strong. Save any tears for after he’s gone, and we’ll be here to help you along, support you, and get ya’ drunk if you need it… but don’t let him see how devastated you are – because it messes with their heads.”
Mary suddenly understood the ‘pep-talk’ and realized she was getting one too.
“These Flyboys are the best guys ever,” Glory said wistfully, staring off into space, and Mary was glad the car was in park. “They are headstrong, determined, fiercely loyal, and love with every ounce of their soul… but they also fight the same way. If they are distracted or worried, it takes their head out of the ‘game’ and puts them in danger.”
Glory paused, looking at her.
“Keep your phone calls, letters, and time with him as positive as could be… but if you need to have a breakdown? Say the word and you’ll have people surrounding you that understand. Karen hates it when Jace leaves. Marisol was lost when Valkyrie had to go. Melody was scared that we would think badly that she married her husband’s best friend after he died. Everyone has a soft spot, a wound, that festers within them… but you keep it hidden, so your husband doesn’t do the worrying for you. They believe they need to ‘fix’ everything for us – whereas we just need to know they’ve got our backs if we screw things up badly. Am I right?” Glory smiled knowingly.
Mary nodded.
“Good,” Glory smiled. “Ghost has one day left here before he flies out. Make the best of it. Smile, laugh, have a great time with your husband. Make those memories and set a date to see each other again. It helps to know you can countdown to the next visit and you aren’t just out there hanging in the wind…”
“Good idea,” Mary whispered, realizing everything this woman was saying made sense, and her precious time with Jax was ticking away.