Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“I think we both know that I can very easily put my foot in my mouth,” I teased.
She giggled and I was relieved to see her eyes dry up. “Like when you told Silas not to get so watt and bothered?”
“Juniper thought it was hilarious,” I defended.
“Or when you asked Koen to shoot the flames in his eyes at Ash so he’d combust and stop molting in our living room?”
I grinned. Ash was a phoenix, and I frequently gave him shit when he was on the verge of bursting into flames and being “reborn.”
“Those weren’t slips of the tongue, baby.”
Isla rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell them that.”
All of her anxiety had melted away, which had been my intention, and I had an idea to help with her sadness of being unable to soar above the clouds.
“I was thinking…why don’t you co-pilot with me tomorrow when we take up our first charter?”
“I can’t do that. I don’t know how.”
I’d mentioned teaching her to fly a plane a few times, but she’d been adamant that she didn’t need to learn since she had her own wings. However, I knew a part of her reluctance was because she didn’t think she’d fit in the cockpit. She couldn’t even fit through the plane door without pulling her wings in tight. And the seats were uncomfortable for her. Well, I’d come up with a solution for that, too.
“Just trust me, baby,” I pleaded.
She responded immediately. “I do.”
The next morning, we drove to the private airport Heath and I had built on a parcel of land not far from Screaming Woods.
Heath was doing an external examination of the plane and waved at us as we strolled into the hangar. “Once you do your pre-flight check, we’ll be good to go.”
Jackie walked around from the other side of the jet and grinned at us—noticeably ignoring Heath, which always drove him up the wall.
There’d been sparks between those two since the moment they met, but for some reason, they channeled it into a dislike of each other. Isla was convinced they’d figure it out eventually, and I’d had to talk her down from playing matchmaker several times.
“Ready?” she chirped excitedly.
“Of course they’re ready, Jack,” Heath grunted. “Why else would they be here?”
Jackie tossed him an irritated frown, then went back to pretending he didn’t exist. “Follow me.”
Before the little mishap with a pigtailed brat who accidentally turned her into a tin woman, Jackie had been an architect with a big firm in Seattle. Wanting to shed everything that reminded her of her former life, she’d been working as Maggie’s assistant manager at Something Wicked. But when we were looking for someone to design the airport and office building, I’d talked her into using her skills again. What was even more perfect was that Jackie had also been an aeronautical engineer. When I approached her with my idea for Isla, she’d been more than happy to help me.
Jackie turned and headed around to the other side of the aircraft. I followed, leading Isla with her hand tucked into mine. When we reached the opposite side, Jackie held up her hand in a sweeping “tada” gesture.
Isla’s eyes widened as she took in the metal steps that led to an unusually wide door for an airplane.
“Go on,” I encouraged gently. I let go of her hand and patted her ass, then gave her a little push to get her going. “I’m right behind you.”
Her wings fluttered in the breeze as she slowly moved toward the stairs. When she reached them, she hesitated and glanced back at me nervously. “We made it for you, baby. I promise, you’ll fit through it without any extra maneuvering.”
With a hopeful smile, she looked forward again and ascended the steps. At the top, she easily entered the plane through the custom entrance. Then she gasped, and a grin split my face. I had to quickly grab the rail so we didn’t tumble backward when she threw herself into my arms, especially with the large belly making the embrace slightly awkward. “You did this for me? It must have cost you a fortune.”
Along with the entrance, we’d designed a cockpit large enough for her to be comfortable, including a chair to accommodate her wings. In the main cabin—which was also quite a bit larger than the average charter plane—the seating was similar to what you’d see in a luxury private jet. But again, all designed wide enough for her with backs low enough for her wings to hang over but high enough to give her comfortable support.
“First of all, I’d do anything to make you happy, baby,” I told her before planting a fast, hard kiss on her mouth. Then I guided her over to her co-pilot seat and helped her get settled.
“Second, after I went to Jackie with my idea, we realized we’d completely missed the mark with our preparations for our clientele. How could we cater to monsters if many of them couldn’t fit inside the plane? We went ahead with our plans for two of the standard aircraft, but we decided to invest a little more and build two that will accommodate larger people, like griffins, yetis, gargoyles, etc., and anyone with bigger wing spans.”