“Why did you choose Ghost?”
“You’re going to think I’m stupid…” he said shyly, looking away.
“No, I promise… unless it’s Caspar the Friendly Ghost. Then I’m going to laugh,” she smiled tenderly, brushing back his hair.
“Remember the movie with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore?”
“You’re kidding?” she breathed in shock, staring at him.
“See? I told you it was dumb!” he retorted, smiling in embarrassment. “Now that you know what an emotional, lovestruck fool you married…”
“Shhh… don’t say that,” she encouraged, tugging at his hair to get him to look at her again from where he’d buried his face against her shoulder, hiding.
“Tell me why. You surely didn’t like the couple losing…oh, oh Jax! Oh, you big softie!” she said tearfully in sudden understanding, as he looked at her with so much love in his eyes.
“You sweet,sweetman! You wanted a love like that…for yourself?”
Her sweet husband wanted a love, a soulmate, a bond that would last forever into eternity – no matter what happened. Her tender-hearted man needed to know that the other person was there, waiting, loving him despite it all, and never alone. He said he wanted forever during their wedding, and she knew now that it wasn’t something he said lightly.
He truly meant forever.
He meant it when he said soulmate.
Jax’s romantic heart was waiting for ‘the one’ to complete him… and he’d married her, of all the people in the world.
He’d chosenher.
“I have that love for myself…” Jax whispered, not looking away from her. “The first time you smiled at me, I was a goner.”
She felt tears sting her eyes as she stared at him, laying her hand against his cheek and feeling the growth of beard from not shaving in a few days as he gazed at her.
“I love you so much, Mary Elizabeth Cunningham,” he said hoarsely, “now until the end of time, my precious soulmate.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, kissing him tenderly, pulling him back towards her and sighing happily as he made love to her again.
* * *
Time passed much too quicklyand before she knew it, they were standing together at Flyboys, clinging to each other for the last time. Romeo was going to drive him out to DFW airport, and Firefly was taking Houdini to an appointment in town.
“I need you to be brave for me,” Jax whispered against her hair, speaking softly, as if he needed to unburden his heart before leaving. “Be my brave girl and be strong for me. I don’t ever want you scared, and if your ex comes around, you tell him your husband is going to kick his scrawny…”
“I will,” she promised, interrupting him and chuckling tearfully as she buried her face against his chest, breathing in his scent. “I will tell him in those exact words with great relish, I promise you.”
“You better,” he growled protectively. “Nobody bothers my wife.”
“I’m going to miss you,” she admitted.
“Same here, my love,” he breathed, nodding. “Just pretending I’m going off to work and will be back in a couple of days.”
“I’m going to keep busy,” she promised, pulling back and smiling at him. “I’ve got so much to do. I need to get my new name on my driver’s license and checks. I plan on calling your mother and…”
“Oh yeah, shoot!” Jax said, pulling out his wallet and handing her a card. “That’s my bank card. Keep it, and I’ll get checks mailed to you as soon as I add you onto my account. If you need anything, use it.”
“Jax, no…”
“Mary, I barely use it, and if I need something I can payroll deduct it or use my Visa card. I just need to know you have something here… please?”
She hesitated.