Redemption (Book 3) The Fixer Series (25 page)

I walked over to where I had left A.J. but couldn’t find her.  I asked Christina if she had seen where she’d went and she pointed me in the right direction. 

She was on her phone.  I could see the panic and the sadness in her eyes as she hung up.

“What is it?” I asked.  “Is everything okay?”

Tears fell down her face.  “No.  That was the agency.  Alyson Raynes needs me in New York on Sunday.”

“Well, that’s no surprise baby.  You already knew that,” I said, as I wiped her tears.

“No Tristan.  You don’t understand.  Not next Sunday, this Sunday,” she said, using her fingers to wipe her under her eyes. 

“Oh.  Well, I guess you have to go sooner than you planned then,” I said trying to figure out what to say next.

“I don’t want to leave you Tristan but I can’t miss out on this opportunity either,” she said as tears started flowing down her cheeks once again.

“Listen, A.J., I have an idea.  But let’s get through tonight first and then I’ll tell you my plan.  I think you’ll like it and it’ll work great for both of us,” I said kissing her cheek as I wiped her tears.  “Now, let me see you smile.”  She did and she was beautiful even though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.  At that moment I would take whatever I could get. 

“Flight 287, Denver to New York will be boarding in fifteen minutes.  Please make sure you have your boarding pass with you as you board the plane,” the airline stewardess called out over the intercom.  We sat waiting to board the plane that would take us to New York.  A.J. had insisted on stopping in the little bookstore on the concourse to ensure she had enough reading material for our flight.  I laughed when she purchased three books, thinking that she would read them all on this one flight.  She was adamant about these three books in particular because Christina had apparently read and loved them.  The first book we had to locate was
Deception
by Alyson Raynes and
Clarity
by Michelle Escamilla.  They all told a story about some ‘super hot’ guy, she explained. 

I laughed, pointing out to her that guys like that don’t really exist in real life.  Her response to me, “A girl can dream, can’t she?” 

“I guess she can, but in the end, it sets women up for disappointment when they realize that their man is never going to be like that,” I said, rubbing her cheek.

Our flight was called and we boarded the plane bound for New York.  I had upgraded our seats to First Class so that we could sit together during the flight.  It was clear that we wouldn’t be spending Christmas in Colorado but we would be spending Christmas together and that was all that mattered. 

As the plane prepared for takeoff, I leaned over and kissed my girl on the lips.

“I love you, A.J. Kane.”

She cupped my face in her hands and kissed me back. 

“I love you Tristan
Petrovsky.  Thank you for making this the best Christmas, ever!”