Page 95 of Life’s Too Short

I snorted. “Okay…”

Her smile fell a little. “Does that bother you?”

I shook my head. “No. Not really. There’s more than one way to have kids if you want them. And I’m good either way if you do or you don’t. It’s just that it’s such a permanent procedure.”

“Well, I needed a permanent solution. Took forever to find a doctor to do it. Heaven forbid a woman in her twenties knows what she wants to do with her fallopian tubes.” She nipped at my bottom lip. “I got you a Christmas present,” she whispered against my mouth.

I made a dismissive noise in the back of my throat and went to kiss her again, but she shook her head and draped her arms around my neck. “I have to give it to you now so you can think about it.”

I smiled. “Okay. Give it to me now, then.”

She bit her lip and beamed up at me. “I got us into Badger Den.”

I pulled my face back and grinned at her. “You did? When?”

“Tomorrow.”

Ahhhhhhh. Fuck.

“I know what you’re gonna say, and I already have a plan.”

I shook my head. “I can’t fly. You know that.” And Lord knows I couldn’t afford to miss any more work.

“I know you think you can’t fly. But hear me out,” she said. “I put a lot of thought into this. We have dinner at the airport tonight. We get there three hours before our flight. There’s a place I love to eat in the terminal and we can get nice and sloshed and watch the planes on the tarmac like a little dose of immersion therapy. It’s only a three-hour flight and I got us first-class tickets. We’ll be in our seats with drinks in our hands and plenty of time to get comfortable and used to the plane before it even taxis from the gate. I downloaded season five of The Office to watch while we’re in the air and I had Yoga Lady make you a lavender-and-eucalyptus essential oil roller for your anxiety. And then, when we get there, we’re staying in an amazing five-star hotel on the beach and having dinner at Badger Den. It’s the ultimate motivation to overcome your fear.”

I dragged a hand down my mouth. “And if I can’t get on the plane?”

She shrugged. “Then you can’t get on the plane. All I’m asking is that you try.”

I blew a breath out through my nose. I guess I’d have to figure this shit out eventually. My girlfriend was a travel vlogger. We’d need to fly to places. If I couldn’t fly, it meant I couldn’t come to her even when I could get away for a few days. And she was right, Badger Den was a pretty amazing reward—even if it was for three hours of what I was sure would be pure hell.

“Who’s watching Grace?” I asked grimly.

She smiled in that bubbly excited way she had. “Dad and Sonja. Sonja says it’s good for him to see that his efforts reap rewards.”

“And Harry Puppins?”

“Becky. I already texted her.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You text my assistant?”

“I text your everyone. All your people are my people now, remember?”

I snorted.

“Come on. Pleeeeease?” She wiggled.

I took another moment. “All right. Let’s try it.”

She clapped animatedly. “Okay, so I have a tip for you. A little life coaching.”

I let out a grim breath. “What?”

“Don’t think about it yet. Don’t think about it until it’s happening.”

I rubbed my forehead. “Yeah, I have a feeling that’s not going to be possible.”

“You know how when you’re running late, you’re all stressed? I don’t do that. Ever. If I’m supposed to be somewhere at two and I know I’m not getting there until two fifteen, I don’t let myself be stressed until two. Because until then, I’m not actually late yet. All I’m doing is feeling the stress of a thing that hasn’t even happened.”