Chapter 18

Lucas was usually a relatively calm guy. But that was before having to see the world from over a mile up. Luke wasn't a real nervous flyer. But sitting in a soaring luxury suite was a little disconcerting.

It was a Gulfstream Jet. It was extraordinary. When Jessie had said they were going to fly out of town for a weekend to visit her parents he had logically assumed it was on a commercial 747. Or a 757, something big with a whole bunch of people and flight attendants, and crying babies. If it plummeted out of the sky it was good to die with a throng of strangers. But no, he was with a jetsetter now. He was shocked to find them going to an executive airport and getting on a corporate jet with the plushest cabin he had ever seen. It was probably what Air Force One wanted to be when it grew up.

"Why didn't you fly this out to San Fran for the Inferis meeting?" He asked her, getting comfortable in the cushy leather chairs.

Jessie laughed, "How many of these jets do you think we have? The executive sales team had the plane in Asia. India has a large hi-tech work force, yet manufacturing is so cheap. And China is a market that everyone needs to start evaluating."

"Oh, but this plane has been serviced since then, right? And how many planes do you guys have?"

"Well we have one that Grafix owns and leases back to the company. But we sometimes will lease and even charter some other jets."

"Jeez. Your world is so alien to me sometimes. I don't know how we do it." Luke admitted.

"Does it bother you?" Jessie asked a little worried.

"I don't think it bothers me. Though, I think it's a good thing that our relationship is entirely physical. Seriously, I need to remind myself that you're still Jessie."

"We can fly commercial next time. I usually don't use the jet for personal reasons, but it was available."

"So now that I am use to the life of luxury, you're going to force me to head back to coach?" Luke laughed.

"I was thinking baggage," she quipped. "Are you nervous to meet my parents?" she asked.

"I don't know. I'm finally comfortable with Louise." Luke admitted.

It had been about a month since Louise asked him to consider her a friend. It had been a month where Luke was happier than a pig in poop. Jessie was wonderful, and the month only made her seem so much so. Even when she was a grouchy bear, or he was a total jackass, they seemed able to work through and resolve their issues.

"Louise is hard. My parents will be so much easier."

"Do they have room for me to stay with them too?"

"What do you mean? You'll be sharing a room with me," Jessie stated.

"I will not! What will your parents say?"

"They'd say more if you don't share my room. I told them how good you are in bed." She replied.

"WHAT! What did you tell them?" Luke bellowed in outrage.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding, relax," She giggled. "I'm 32 years old. They know that I'm basically living with you. You are either with me at my apartment, or I am with you at yours. They are my parents. They'll just be happy that I am happy."

"And are you?"

"Do you need to ask?" she replied.

"No. I am equally as insane about you."

"Don't worry Jake and Mel are going to be there too. Jake will be bringing his girlfriend. And Mel will have Paul and the boys."

"Everyone is going to be there? Great. Anyone else I have to impress. Your kindergarten teacher? Your orthodontist?"

"Wow you are really wound up?" Jessie laughed. "Wanna join the mile high club with me?"

"Join! I am not only a member; I am Vice President of the organization." Luke snorted.

"Really?"

"No. But it sounded good."

"Well I haven't either." Jessie replied.

"I can't believe that I am saying this, but I'll pass for now."

"Holy cow! You are really upset over this," She was shocked.

"Well not upset, but bothered. Even though I am not as anti-social as I use to be, I am still not Mr. Life-of-the-Party."

"It'll be fine. You'll be fine. My family has sworn off cannibalism, at least for the weekend." She joked.

He couldn't help but chuckle before adding "You're not helping. How did Paul handle being introduced to this kind of upper class life?"

"Well Paul's family is well off in their own right. They have old money. Primarily stocks in utilities, old bank money, old textile production. They are not billionaires by any means, but they are financially set." Jessica grudgingly stated.

"Just fricking fabulous. So here you are showing up with a poor schmoe from the projects and everyone else spent the winters in Aspen and the summers in Milan."

"Hey we weren't always rich. We were a middle class family. My father was a Doctor with his own small practice. My mom is an artist; she paints watercolours. Maybe we were upper middle class, but we weren't loaded."

"Even that would be unusual to me." Luke stated.

"Did you really?" Jessie asked.

"Really?"

"Grow up in the projects?"

"We spent some time in the projects. My parents were very proud to move out of the projects and into a rented house right outside the projects. Jim was a neighbor. Ray lived in the projects."

"So what were you parents like?"

"My parents? Guess they were just normal parents."

"You never talk about them. This is the first you've really mentioned them."

"It's just something I rarely think about. They were busy with their lives when I was a kid. Now I guess I am busy with mine."

"Oh." Was all she said in a small voice not wanting to disrupt him.

"Yeah, I don't think I have spoken to them in 8 years, maybe longer. They were folks that never should have gotten married. Never should have had a kid. Let's just talk about something else, something better."

"Okay. But I want you to know that there isn't a day that I am not grateful that they had a kid."

He smiled and whispered a "Thank you." His face tight and stoic.

She moved in front of him, and wrapped her arms around him, holding his head against her chest.

"You and I will talk about this one day." Jessie warned.

"Maybe. One day. " Luke responded.

"With everything I've faced, I can face your family." Luke finished.

"Don't worry. They'll love you almost as much as I do." Jessie assured him.

They sat in silence on the large sofa-like seat of the Gulfstream, watching the sky.

He turned to her, pressing his face to her hair, kissing her on her head. "I have been happier with you, than I have ever been. It's a fantasy that I'm scared will end."

She reached over and pinched his thigh.

"Yeow" Luke yelped.

"Nope, guess we're real," Jessie smirked.

"Promise?" Luke asked, his voice hushed like a little boy's.

"I promise that this isn't a fantasy."

"Okay."

"Sometimes, I feel like what we have is so special. That it is so overwhelming that I am going to drown in it. There are so many things in a normal day that remind me of you. I see something that I think you'd find funny. Or hear something that I could picture you responding to. Or think something sexy that I'd like to do with you. And then I calm down and realize that I grow to accommodate what I feel for you." Jessie confided.

"Ditto." Luke shot back.

"No don't joke. I'm serious." "I don't know what to tell you. I don't you if you are ready to hear that there are some nights that I can't see the moon or the stars. That I don't know where the sky starts and the land ends. That there is no difference in the black of my eyes closed and the world with my eyes opened. And I'm scared. I'm the child in the well, scared and alone. And then I reach my hand out, before I am lost to the darkness, and I brush against you sleeping next to me. I wrap my arm around your waist, and clench you like a lifeline, and know that as long as I hold you, the darkness will stay back. Because I am holding on to the light. Jessie, are you ready to know that? Are you really ready to know that I don't know if I am right in the head, I don't know if I'll amount to anything in this world, but I do know how much of a love and a need I have for you?"

He turned away.

She reached over to cup his face in her hands.

"Ditto." she whispered before pressing a kiss to his lips.

The plane landed and a limo picked them up. Luke bent to pick up his luggage and Jessie's. The chauffeur gave him an odd look before walking over.

"I can take that for you sir," the man stated.

"Oh sorry. Here you go," Luke responded.

He settled next to her in the back of the limo.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to that," Luke said.

"To what?"

"To having a door man open the door for me. Having Louise make so many of our meals. Having a chauffeur carry our luggage."

"If you never get use to it, it means that you will never take it for granted. That's okay by me."

"Thanks."

"Nervous?" Jessie asked.

"Don't be silly. Of course I am, a little."

"Ever done it in the back of a limo? Will it help you de-stress?"

"What is with you? No I will not have sex in the limo. I have enough to worry about without wondering if my fly is up, if my underwear is on right. Now on the way back. Now we could be talking." Luke finished with a laugh.

"Deal. Just relax babe. It will be fine. Trust me." Jessie smiled.

They pulled through the gates up to the house. It was large and bigger than any house that Luke had ever been without a tour guide.

They stood at the door as the chauffeur placed the luggage at the curbside. Luke thanked him and slipped the guy a couple twenties.

As the door open a distinguished older copy of Jake stepped out. He wrapped his arms around Jessie. And then an elegant slim woman followed with a hug and a kiss of her own.

Luke walked over and stood quietly aside smiling as Jessie was hugging her mother.

Jessie put her hand out and grabbed Luke's hand. She pulled him over to her side.

"Mom, Dad, this is Luke Bennett. Luke this is Douglas and Barbara Hill."

"Mrs. Hill," Luke said shaking her hand.

"Dr. Hill," he said shaking the older man's hand a little firmer.

"Nice to meet you. Barbara please." Jessie's mother said.

"And my name is Doug," her father added.

"Great, it's very nice to meet you." Luke said.

As they walked into the foyer, Jake walked down a large staircase followed by a stunning blonde woman.

She was swimsuit model material.

He walked over and hugged his sister and turned to Luke and smiled.

"Still around? You are a glutton for punishment. You need to be a masochist to live with my sister." Jake said laughing as she punched him.

Then Luke heard "Aunt Jessica, Aunt Jessica" as a little man tossed himself at her.

"Maxie! You are growing up way too fast. What are they feeding you?" Jessie said. "Aunt Jessica I have a new motorcycle. A Hawley Davidson." The boy said holding up a little Hot Wheels sized motorcycle. "It was a little gift from Grandpa. Mommy is not supposed to know. So it's a secret."

"Wow. That's great. I guess if Grandpa gave it to you, its okay." Jessie laughed putting Max back down.

"Max, this is a friend of mine, Luke." Jessie added.

The boy looked up at him. Luke was pretty good with children. He played with Ray's kids. They always seemed starved for attention and loved to play. So Uncle Jim and Uncle Luke would wrestle with them.