Unforgivable

So her dilemma was finding time to see Drew, and then there was the tiny little issue of him going to Hawaii in just 28 more days.

The morning after their first kiss, Drew was up early and out for a run even before his mom was awake. When she offered to make breakfast for him, he gave her a hug and told her he had plans.

"I hope your plans include eating something!" she told him, her motherly worry coming through loud and clear.

"As a matter of fact, it does," her son told her with a smile that made her wonder what he was up to.

What he was up to was getting to IHOP before Colby. When he pulled in, the parking lot was nearly empty, so he just sat there and waited until he saw her pull in. She saw his car almost immediately and pulled up right beside him and nearly leapt out of her 2012 Nissan Sentra.

"Drew? What are you doing here at this hour?" she said as she came around to meet him.

"This," he said as he put his arms around her and kissed her.

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'm glad you came," Colby said with a very happy smile on her face.

"You look cute in IHOP," Drew told her once he saw her uniform.

"It's what all the girls are wearing this year," she said as she pretended she was modeling.

"Come on. I'll walk you in," Drew said as he held out his hand.

Colby took it and told him how happy she was to see him and what an unexpected surprise this was.

"I couldn't wait to see you again. Literally," Drew said as he opened the door.

One of Colby's coworkers and her best friend at the restaurant saw them in the parking lot as the sun was already up, heating the capitol city of Florida.

"And who might this be?" her friend, whose name was Ellen, asked with a huge smile.

"This is Drew. Drew, this is my IHOP BFF, Ellen."

They shook hands and Ellen said, the smile on her face even bigger, "It is such a pleasure to meet you."

She then looked at Colby and mouthed the word, "WOW!"

Colby laughed then mouthed back, "I know, right?"

"So what does a guy have to do to get some service around here?" Drew jokingly asked.

"In your case, just ask," Ellen said, making sure Colby knew she wasn't actually flirting.

Ellen was Colby's age, but she didn't look anything like her BFF. She was heavyset, hand short, tousled hair, and a face that was well, less than symmetrical. Even so, were she smart and polite, Drew would have been happy to go out with her. She wasn't someone he'd ever marry, but he would gladly spend time with her under different circumstances.

"Well then. I'm asking," Drew replied, harmlessly flirting.

Colby not only wasn't jealous, she loved seeing him be so nice to her friend. Other customers had been downright rude over the time they'd been there together with some making snorting noises or asking her if she knew what a diet was.

"You go clock in. I'll take care of your new boyfriend's order," Ellen told Colby.

"Oh. Drew and I...were just..."

"Crazy about each other," Drew said finishing Colby's sentence who had yet another one of those emotional rushes.

As Drew placed his order, Colby punched the time-clock then went back out to take her first order of the day. But having Drew there proved to be extremely distracting as she either glanced his way or smiled at him every time she walked on or off the main floor.

She didn't botch anything too badly, but she was having trouble remembering who ordered what at each table. After delivering her third order, and with no one else waiting, she went over to Drew and asked how long he was planning on being there.

"Trying to get rid of me already?" he teased. "Oh, I know. Your boyfriend is showing up and you need me to go, huh?"

"Ha! Yes. That's it. And then he'll need to be out by noon so my other boyfriend can show up," Colby teased back.

"I won't stay once I'm finished. I just needed to let you know I'm really serious about wanting to see you, Colby."

She almost mentioned Hawaii, but she was so taken with Drew she couldn't bring it up. Not yet, anyway, even though it would be harder to do so with each passing day. All 28 of them.

"I'm glad you did. It was an incredibly pleasant surprise," she told him.

Drew knew he thought she was attractive, but the more time he spent with her, the more beautiful she became to him. It didn't matter that he could easily find many other women a lot better looking than Colby Delaney. What mattered was the way she made him feel every time he looked at her. The old saying about beauty being in the eye of the beholder was very true, and as he sat there beholding her, Drew thought she was as beautiful as any woman he'd ever known.

"I really need to get back to work," she said as an older couple walked in.

"What can I do to help?" Drew asked.

"Huh?" Colby replied as she told the seniors she'd be right with them.

"What can I do? Pick up Bianca from school? Help you study? I know your time is limited, so if I can make more of it so we can spend it together, just let me know, okay?"

"Gimme a sec, okay?" she said before leading the man and his wife to a table where she took their order.

On her way back, she poured them both a cup of coffee then topped Drew off and said, "I have a huge paper due in my accounting 401 class. If you could review for grammar errors, that would save an hour or so."

"Yeah. Sure. Just help me log in," Drew said.

Colby took his phone, found the website, then entered her username and password then opened the document.

"The editing tools are self-explanatory, but let me know if you can't figure something out."

"You got it, beautiful," he told her. "Now back to work!"

Colby smiled then said, "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."

"Oh, I think I might," Drew told her with a smile.

"Okay. See you soon," she said, still wondering why a guy that good looking was so into her. She didn't believe in magic, and she had no money for anyone to swindle her out of, so all she could do was trust that Drew really did like her.

"But why?" she asked herself again before picking up and order of bacon, eggs, and toast.

Drew carefully proof read every word, and checked her calculations. He was very impressed by her writing ability, and although he was no math (or accounting major) he was able to understand what she was doing. By the time he finished, he'd found only two small errors and was even more impressed with her intellectual abilities.

As he watched her coming and going, Drew was picturing her in a business suit working in an office where she could earn enough to support her daughter without spending 16-18 hours a day doing it.

But an even more appealing image was one of Colby waiting for him to come home each day where they and Bianca would spend the evening having dinner, talking, and being a family. That he was even thinking that way said a whole lot about the kind of woman Colby was, because this was the first time in his life he'd ever felt this way about anyone, and the truth was, he really barely even knew her. But even so...

When she had another free moment, she stopped by to ask how it looked. Drew told her what he found, and also let her know how sexy 'smart' was.

"So you are very sexy to me," he said with a smile that nearly caused a moisture issue in a certain part of her body.

"It's funny, but as a kid I didn't like school all that much. But at some point I realized I was either going to have to get myself in gear or...marry a really rich guy."

She smiled, but Drew knew she could never do that even before she said it.

"But I'd never even go out with a guy just because he had money let alone marry him, so going to school online seemed like my only way up and out of the mess I got myself into. Not that Bianca is a mess."

Drew laughed and told her he understood then asked if he could do anything else to help.

She wanted to say, "Yes. Stay in Tallahassee," but knew that wasn't possible.

"No. And you've done so much already. Not just the paper, but little stuff like keeping my daughter from doing something she might never recover from."

Drew put $20 on the table for a $10 meal then stood up.

"Will you get fired if I kiss you before I go?" he asked.

"Maybe, but it'll be so worth it," Colby said with a happy smile as he leaned in and kissed her softly.

"Can I see you tonight? Maybe to just help you study?"

"Drew, you don't have to do that," she said, knowing she wanted to see him at least as much as he did her.

"Tell you what. I'll pick up something for us to eat, and stop by around six. Will that work?"

"Yes, but you still owe me an explanation," Colby reminded him.

"I thought I already provided it."

"How? When?" she asked.

"When I told you 'smart is sexy'."

"Wait. That's it?"

"Well, you are very attractive, but if you weren't smart, you wouldn't be sexy no matter how beautiful you were," he told her as though he was stating a fact anyone should know.

"Colby? Table five over here!" a younger man called out.

"Oops. Gotta go. Can't afford to lose this job—or the golden parachute that comes with it," she said, smiling happily.

"See you around six?" Drew said as she walked away.

"I'd like that very much, and so would a 12-year old girl I know!" she called back.

For the rest of that week, Drew did almost exactly the same thing each day with the exception of reviewing a paper. Everything else was a matter of prepping for finals, and he did his best to quiz Colby once he understood what she needed to know. Each time she got an answer right, she also got a nice, long kiss to go with it. But if she got one wrong, her 'punishment' was 'having' to give Drew one making learning more fun than she ever thought possible.

With Sunday being the only day Colby had free, the three of them spent the next one together from early in the morning until late at night. Bianca was in bed by 9pm, her pleas for extra time having fallen on deaf ears.

By ten, Drew was in Colby's locked bedroom and in her bed making love to her for the first time. She'd asked to turn the light out, because as much as she wanted to be with him and look at his gorgeous body, she was afraid of having him see hers.

But when he assured her she was perfect just the way she was, she relented. Then when he continually told her how each part of her body was beautiful she nearly cried. And when he finally made love to her after bringing her to two shuddering, mind-blowing orgasms with his fingers and tongue, she did.

"Hey, what's going on? Does it hurt?" he asked after going very slow at first.

"No. It's amazing," she told him as her tears fell.

"Then what is it?" Drew asked as he ran the back of his hand along her cheek.

"I...it's...you're..."

When she began sobbing, Drew stopped and sat up next to her.

"Please tell me what's going on here, okay?"

"I'm afraid to say it," she told him as she tried not to make any noise that Bianca might hear.

"Afraid? Of me?" Drew asked as he stroked her long, silky hair.

"What? NO! Of course not."

He kissed her softly, smiled, then said, "Tell me, Colby. Please?"

She looked away, took a long, slow deep breath, then said, "Hawaii."

The answer was so obvious it made him feel like an idiot when she said it. He was well aware that he was leaving, and it was on his mind all the time now. But Colby's life was here in Tallahassee, and no sane woman would uproot her life—and her child's—to follow some guy she'd only known for a month halfway around the world.

Knowing there was nothing he could do or say to assuage her fears, Drew lay down next to her and just held her.

"I'm sorry," she said a minute or so later. "We have three weeks left, and I'm ruining that by freaking out about what might or might not happen after that."

"I'm sorry, too," Drew told her. "I never intended to hurt you, Colby."

"I know. I know," she said immediately as she tried to smile. "I'm a big girl, and I'm here with you by choice. I...I guess I just didn't realize I could fall this hard this fast for someone."

"Same here. I never once thought I'd meet anyone when I was home let alone...fall in love with her," he told her, knowing that would only make things worse.

"What? Drew...you can't mean that," she said in the nicest way.

"Yes, I can, Colby. I know it's supposed to take months or years to really fall in love, but I can't change the way I feel about you."

"And I thought I was the only fool here," Colby said very sweetly as she tried not to start crying again.

"Do you want me to leave?" Drew asked as he ran his finger across her lips.

"No. I'd much rather you to finish what you started," she said with a different kind of smile. "Just go slow, okay, because, in case you didn't know it, you are really big."

"Well, you are really beautiful," he told her as Mr. Happy began to grow again.

Moments later he was back inside her and within minutes, Colby had to stifle a loud scream as she came yet again as he loved her completely, his thick shaft raising up and pushing against her love button on each stroke in and out.

"That...was...amazing!" she quietly gasped as he lay on top of her still inside her.

"You are amazing," Drew told her as he kissed her softly.

"Do you maybe want to take a shower before you go?" Colby asked hopefully.

"Is it big enough for two?" Drew asked as he wriggled his eyebrows up and down.

Colby laughed loudly then said, "Shhh! Shhh!" even though Drew wasn't making any noise.

She got up then took his hand and said, "Come with me!"

He did, and he also came with her again a half an hour later.

On the ride home, Drew's mind was racing, and then, out of the blue, the answer hit him. Or at least a potential answer.

It was only 2100 or 9pm in California where one of his best friends from flight school was home on leave with his family.

He got out his phone, found the name, then hit dial.

"Jeremy. Drew Gillis."

"Drew! What's going on in sunny Florida?" his fellow Air Force lieutenant and Raptor pilot asked.

"A lot, actually," Drew replied. "Listen, you still interested in Hickam?"

"Is the Pope Catholic? Does the big bear..."

"Yes, and yes," Drew said cutting his friend off with a laugh.

"And?" Jeremy asked.

"And we need to both make a call tomorrow. Together."

"Wait. You want my orders to Tyndall?" his friend asked, not sure he was hearing correctly.

"In a bad way."

"Jesus. Who is she?" he asked with a laugh.

"Her name's Colby, and I got it bad for her."

"Halla-freain'-lou-yah!" Jeremy hollered out. "You know what, Gillis? You're alright. I don't care what our flight instructors said about you!"

Drew laughed then wondered what kind of chance there was of getting the swap. Jeremy was also single, so it was really just a matter of the guy (or gal) with the authority to make the decision being willing to change their orders. No money had been spent, so this should be an easy fix with 'should be' being the key words.

The following morning, Drew went to IHOP and spent what little time he could with Colby but didn't mention his 'grand plan' knowing it might get shot down.

Around noon, he called Jeremy, and they agreed Drew would call Air Force personnel and begin the hunt for that one person with the power to change their fate. Once he had him or her on the line, Drew would bring Jeremy in on a conference call.

"Just don't say we were involved in a three-way. Ever," Jeremy 'warned' his friend with a laugh.

It took less than 15 minutes of being transferred around with most of that time spent explaining and re-explaining what he was trying to do. But after getting the right person on the phone, Drew was shocked when he said, "It's no skin off anyone's back. Just get the other officer on the phone to tell me that's what he wants, too, and I can fix this in a few minutes."

Jeremy came on seconds later and confirmed that he wanted Hickam more than he'd wanted Raptors. That comment brought a snort, but it was followed by, "Okay. That's it. Your news orders will be available online no later than tomorrow."

"That's it?" both of the young officers said.

"I don't I believe I stuttered," came the reply with a chuckle.

Both of them thanked this mysterious, all-powerful administrator profusely before they terminated his end of the call.

"Dude, I SO owe you!" Jeremy told him. "I'm talking grass skirts, luaus, and white, sandy beaches!"

"And I'm talking about having some time to see if this woman is as amazing as I think she is."

In the end, both of them were extremely satisfied with the change in orders, just for very different reasons.

That night, Drew insisted that Colby make time to go to dinner with him, and after protesting about how much he'd already spent on her and her daughter, she gave in.

"I can't seem to say 'no' to you, can I?" she said very sweetly.

Drew laughed then told her he was glad that was true, and hinted that he had some very important news to share.

"You're going to make me wait, aren't you?" she playfully pouted.

"It'll be worth the wait. I promise," he told her without giving her any additional information.

Back home, and before dinner, Drew's dad mentioned he thought things seemed to be getting serious with this new, older woman in his son's life.

"They are, Dad. In fact, I have some news so share with you and Mom."

When Sybil came in, Drew told them he was staying in Florida.

His mom nearly cried as she started hugging him, but his dad just stood there and waited.

"So how is that happening?" the former Ranger asked.

Drew explained the process, and having served in the military, that made sense to him.

"Well, I can't say I'm disappointed you'll be close to home," Martin told him.

"Does this have anything to do with the nice, young lady we saw in the neighbor's yard?" his mom asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"It does, Mom," Drew admitted. "It kind of has everything to do with that."

For the next several minutes, the three of them discussed what was going on, and in the end, both of his parents agreed this was their son's life, and his decision to make.

"Just don't rush into anything," his dad warned.

Martin laughed then said, "Then again, the fact that you went to the trouble of getting your orders changed tells me you're looking for the time you need to avoid rushing into anything."

Drew only smiled as his mom said, "As long as I can see my son every month, I'm VERY happy about this! And should I end up being a grandmother to a sweet, 12-year old girl, well, that would just be icing on the cake!"

Drew almost said something about the word 'sweet' where Bianca was concerned, but in all honestly, he'd seen nothing but that quality in her since 'The Episode' as he and Colby had been calling her late-night excursion.

"She's a really sweet girl, Mom. She just needs some love and mentoring. You know, like a certain eight-year boy did not that long ago."

When he said that, Sybil reached for her husband's hand, kissed it, then said, "Best decision I ever made."

"Me, too, honey," Martin told her before leaning over and kissing her.

"Okay. I'm outta here!" Drew said. "You two are incorrigible!"

His parents laughed, and Drew knew his mom had scooted onto his dad's lap when he heard that familiar giggle, and that only reinforced his desire to get to know Colby and Bianca even better.

When Drew showed up with Chinese takeout, Colby thanked him as she always did, and felt no small amount of guilt even though she knew Drew loved doing things for her and her daughter.

"So are you going to make me wait until after dinner to tell me this big news?" she asked after hugging him. They still hadn't kissed in front of Bianca even though she was sure they had.

"Let's sit down and then we'll talk, okay?" he suggested after giving Bianca a hug who asked what news her mom was talking about.