Wanting You

Chapter 1 Ellijay

THANKS to Sasha at cockyhead for the revised book cover.

The lightweight sports aircraft sped towards its destination of Ellijay, GA. The Icon A5 was whisper silent as it sliced through the crisp mountain air. Below Autumn's magnificent touch had transformed the trees, glorifying every inch of the dense forests along the base of the Appalachian Mountain range. Brilliant bursts of cardinal red, burnt sienna and golden foliage created a stunning aerial view against the blue gray sky. Glistening streams snaked their way into larger tributaries. Aiden Ross saw Carter Lake coming into view. He planned to land and dock his amphibious aircraft there. The plane headed toward the lake. Aiden slipped on his Ray Bans shielding his dark brown eyes from the brilliant descending sun.

His heart had not stopped hammering since he'd gotten the call from Nanna two days ago. He'd dropped everything that he was doing, preparing to return to a place he'd written off, forever. His entire world seemed to have crashed into a wall. All his life he'd despised Ellijay, except for Nanna and Jasmine. The rest of Ellijay could go to hell. He checked his controls and prepared for landing. Memories of his father making him fly crop dusting planes burned in his mind. He wanted to play sports like all the other boys, not spend hours in flight and learning the crop dusting business.

Now he would kiss his father's feet because he could be here for Jasmine, today. She had slipped out of his life 10 years ago and now he couldn't bear the thought of what Nanna said. He could hear the elder woman's voice like a nightmare in his head. Aiden, promise you won't mention anything that I said. You can't discuss this with anyone. He had once loved that woman. "She's not going to be able to handle this."

The plane slowly descended. He braced himself for the slight bump he'd feel as the underbelly of the plane made contact with the water. Everything began to power down as the plane skimmed its way to the dock. He smiled as he saw Bruce Roy waving as he walked down the ramp way towards the plane. He'd called in earlier and knew Bruce would be waiting for him. To be honest there were more than two good people in Ellijay, and the Roy family were one of them. They owned the dock. He'd been friends with Bruce since they were five. Yet the relationship had taken a plunge when Aiden moved to Syracuse, New York. The ride to his Madison Square Avenue office in New York city was a stones' throw from Syracuse.

The plane sputtered to a halt. Aiden stepped out onto the dock thrilled to finally be able to stretch his muscular 6'2 frame from the long flight. His arms raised toward the sky stretching them too. Then he reached down and tussled his thick black hair into place. The beautiful hair was a gift from his mother that had Cherokee in her blood. He smoothed his clothes just in time to be greeted with a big slap on the back from Bruce.

"Hey, dude. Look at you and them rags." His eyes widened as he looked at the sleek safari green jacket, black polo and pants that fit Aiden as if he'd spent a mint. Bruce began securing the A5 to the dock.

Aiden smirked, giving his friend a quick once over. That was a line he would expect Bruce to say. He hadn't changed a bit, jeans, tats and all. Tall, lanky, had an infectious smile and eyes as blue as an Ellijay fishing pond. Bruce had his long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail looking like a redneck. In stark contrast to Aiden's expensive Ascot Chang clothing. Even his casual wardrobe from that store brand would cost one third of the average yearly income from the blue-collar workers in their small town. After exchanging a manly embrace, Aiden retrieved his lone bag.

"That's all you brought?"

"The rest is being shipped. Good to see you Bruce."

"Yeah, it's been a minute. Ten years is way too long Aiden."