Chapter 2
S unny Dixon lifted the PA microphone to her mouth and pressed the ON button.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as we begin our descent, please ensure your seat belts are securely fastened, your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright and locked positions, and all carry-on items are stowed under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins…”
After twenty-five years and almost four-million miles, she could say the words in her sleep.
“On behalf of Skyluxe Airlines and the entire crew, we'd like to thank you for flying with us today. We hope you had a pleasant flight and look forward to seeing you again soon.”
She secured the microphone back in its place and took her seat, buckling herself in while her coworkers walked up and down the narrow aisles, checking to make sure her words had been heeded.
The new kids were still bright-eyed and thorough. Sunny, on the other hand, was forty-seven, exhausted, in pain, and ready to retire. That had been the plan until Orion ruined everything.
Star stalked toward her with hands full of trash.
“You are so lucky,” she whined. “Like I’d seriously trade places with you right now.”
Sunny smiled. “You’re still on reserve, right? What’s your call-out?
Star disposed of the trash, then took her seat next to Sunny. “Yep, three-hour call-out this month. Crew Scheduling has me on speed dial. They threw me on a deadhead to ORD yesterday, then I had to operate the turn back to DFW.”
Sunny scoffed. “I don’t know if I’d call my trip lucky. It’s not like I’ll be on vacation.”
“It’s a wedding!”
True, but marrying off her oldest son wasn’t going to be the fairytale weekend Star and the other flight attendants thought it would be.
And it wasn’t because Sunny was one of those boy moms who feels threatened when a woman comes along to steal her beloved son away from her. She wasn’t. At all . In fact, she was overjoyed that he’d found love.
The problem was with Davion himself. He’d always been sensitive and empathetic, almost to a fault. And he loved his mama, so he was having a hard time.
He loved Brooklyn with his entire soul. No problems there. It was recent events that had soured him on the institution itself.
Sunny told him not to propose, but he couldn’t tell that girl no, and now, she was going to have to wrangle her son and play surrogate mom to a sweet young woman she’d only spoken to over the phone.
It had the makings of a disaster.
After a smooth landing and taxi to the gate, Sunny breathed deep as Star opened the door of the plane and the first burst of fresh air met the recycled cabin air. She’d always loved that smell.
Once all of the passengers had disembarked, Sunny took to the microphone one last time to announce, “Cabin is clear.”
With those three words, the remaining crew sprang into action, transforming the empty vessel into a bustling nook of activity.
After everything had been straightened, inspected, restocked, and placed upright, Sunny made her way to the cockpit to do her final rundown with the crew.
Captain Ken McDonald gave her a disinterested wave as she entered the cockpit. Old and grizzled, he was nearing the end of his career and over the pleasantries. His first officer, however, was young—well, he seemed young to Sunny. He was only ten years her junior, but those ten years felt like twenty whenever he flirted with her.
His brown eyes sparkled when he turned around and saw her.
“Captain. First Officer,” she greeted. “Quick rundown before I hand over the cabin.”
First officer Jason Watts smiled, his full lips spreading halfway across his face. “Hey, Sunshine.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s Sunny .”
He knew that, and they all knew he knew that.
“Pretty smooth overall,” she began. “The lady in 36B felt a little faint mid-flight. I gave her some oxygen, and she was fine after that. No further assistance needed, but I logged it just in case.”
First Officer Watts nodded, his eyes moving up and down her frame. “You handled that so well. I appreciate how you always keep things under control.”
“It’s my job,” she muttered.
She wasn’t offended, necessarily. Jason was her type—fifteen years ago. Dark-skinned, bald, tall, and pretty, he was the kind of man who had the ladies all over him, and that’s when he wasn’t in uniform. With the whites on, it was a wrap. Panties dropping everywhere.
But not Sunny’s.
“Anyway, we had a few laptops on during taxi, a couple of stowage conversations, nothing major.”
“Cabin conditions?” Captain McDonald asked, eager to rush her along.
“Overhead bin 16C won’t latch, a tray table in 20 won’t stay up, and the aft lav faucet won’t stop dripping.”
“It’s so impressive how you remember all of that. Right off the top. Wow.”
Sunny smiled at First Officer Watts. “Been at this a long time.”
“Anything else?” McDonald said.
“Cleaning crew just boarded, cabin’s cleared, and my report is in the system.”
“Perfect.” He nodded his dismissal. “Catch you on the next flight, Sunny. Take care.”
“You, too, Captain. First Officer.”
“I really enjoyed having you aboard,” Watts added. “The flight’s always better when I know you’re back there.”
Sunny gave a playful eyeroll, then turned to walk away, stifling a laugh when she heard McDonald say, “You gotta work on your landing, son. And I don’t mean this plane.”
In another timeline, she might have given Jason a chance. All flight attendants know pilots are like travel-size toiletries—useful, convenient, easy, and most importantly, disposable. He would be a fun time, but she wasn’t looking for that. She wasn’t looking for anything, really. Not after the breakup of her marriage. It would take a special man to make her desire a relationship again after everything.
She moved deftly through the crowded airport, eager to get back to her car. The wedding week started the next day, which gave her fewer than twelve hours to relax and unwind. Her knee was bothering her again, but in the battle between pain relief and tension release, she already knew which one would win out.
She had one stop to make.
Orion Dixon had a complicated relationship with his ex-wife. Twenty-six years, three sons, and a lot of ups and downs had changed them into two completely different people from the young, eager ones who walked down that aisle. Growing up, he’d heard plenty of people say “marriage is hard,” but living that shit was a whole different beast. Marriage isn’t just hard. Marriage is fucking work .
But one thing had always been easy.
“Right therrrrrrre…” she moaned in his ear. Sunny’s moans had always driven him to the brink of madness. The type of sound that activates a man’s predatory instinct. It made him pillage her.
“Cum for me, baby girl. Right on my dick. There you go. There you go.”
He squeezed his eyes shut so he could fully enjoy her orgasm. Even at forty-seven years old and after three eight-pound baby boys, her pussy still clamped around his dick like a vice. Hell, it was tighter than Fallon’s. Sometimes he wondered if he fumbled.
“ Fuck ,” he groaned as she writhed and jerked beneath him. “Sunny you feel so good.” Her pussy squeezed him mercilessly until he couldn’t hold back any longer. He released with a yell, slamming into her as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him flush against her. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, using her pussy to milk every drop out of him.
Something else Fallon didn’t know how to do.
He came to rest limply on top of her, completely spent. He heard a light chuckle just before she pushed him off of her. With a groan, he rolled over. No time to bask. No time to rest. The moment was over. Sunny didn’t play that wife shit anymore.
He went into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. She made him start wearing them after Fallon entered the picture. Wasn’t his favorite thing in the world, but what else was he gonna do? Say no? He knew he was lucky as hell to still have the little access he did to her. He wasn’t about to fuck it up.
When he returned, she was tucked under his covers, nice and cozy and well-fucked. He used to love that, seeing her with her hair all over her head, that sleepy look in her eyes, her body all limp and relaxed.
“Are you ready for this weekend?” she asked.
Exhausted, he fell onto his back and closed his eyes, throwing an arm across his face. “I’m excited we’re getting it over with.”
“Did you talk to him?”
He sighed. “Baby, I tried.”
“No, Rye. You can’t try . You have to talk to that boy. Make sure he got his mind right.”
“Can’t you do it?”
“I’m not the one who screwed him up.”
He moved his arm, turning his head to look at her. “Baby, don’t be like that. You always throw that shit in my face.”
“And you’re gonna be throwing your shit in my face in…when’s she coming again?”
“Let’s not talk about her.”
“She’s the reason for all of this.”
Orion rolled onto his side to stare down at his ex-wife. Sometimes, he still thought of her as his wife, even when his fiancée was around. There was just something about Sunny—something he should have appreciated when he had the chance.
“He’s being cold with me,” he finally said. “He’s pissed. You know how he is. I can’t do nothing but wait it out.”
“And this is why you lose at life.” She shook her head. “You’re willing to wait it out at the risk of losing your relationship with your son?”
“It’s not about losing. I can’t make him talk to me.”
“Well, you better try. That girl’s father shelled out a lot of money on this damn wedding.”
“He’s a doctor, ain’t he?” He sucked his teeth. “He’ll be alright.”
His eyes followed her as extricated herself from his bed and dressed herself in leggings and a t-shirt. He preferred her work uniform—always had—but even dressed down, she was still a cold piece.
“She’s coming on Friday,” he finally admitted. “So you’ll have me all to yourself for a couple of days.”
“Who said I wanted you?”
He chuckled at that. “If you didn’t want me, you wouldn’t be here.”
“Wanting an orgasm and wanting you are two different things, my dear.”
He grinned. “I’m surprised you aren’t dating somebody.”
She slid her feet into her Nike slides. “I work too much. When would I have time?”
“I mean, listen, I ain’t complaining.”
“Of course not. You have her cake and you’re eating mine, too.”
“Whatever, Sunny. You so mean to me.”
“As I should be.” She stood and threw her purse over her shoulder. “Truthfully, I just don’t care about a relationship. This is good enough a few times a month. Everything else just feels like too much work.”
“Yeah, yeah. You just tryna keep that body count low.”
“Shut up.”
He laughed at his own joke. He’d been her first, and as far as he knew, her only. She had plenty of wiggle room, body-count wise, but he didn’t want to put ideas in her head.
“I guess I’ll see you in South Carolina,” she said as she came to a stop at his bedroom door.
“You will. Safe travels, baby.”
“Don’t call me that. Those days are over.”
He watched her sashay out of his bedroom, calling out, “If you say so.”
And he meant that.
There was a world in which he could have his wife and his sons back. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, but it was surely better than this.
All he had to do was convince Sunny to come back to him.