While Adira had been dozing, Ralph found that the airport lounge was getting fuller. He said to Adira, "Let me get Raven out of the way." She nodded sleepily.
Ralph lifted the child. He wrapped his arms around her and soothed her, as she was disturbed from her sleep. He suddenly noticed that two of his buddies were recording him on their phones, and grinning back at him. Ralph wondered what they were planning to do with the video. He knew that he could imagine what a picture-perfect scene it was they must be thinking. Adira and he looked all cozied up, her head on his shoulder, while he held Raven. The two of them were asleep, while he was half asleep. He threatened his friends to delete it, or else...
One of his friends replied, "Don't worry, Big Papa. We will share this only on Facebook."
Ralph told them not to be stupid. But his friends said, "We will text you the video and pics."
Adira woke up and asked him whether he was upset about that.
Ralph replied, "No."
They then dozed off for some more time.
Adira woke up suddenly and gasped "Oh my god," pointing at the window. "Is that snow?" she asked Ralph.
He tried looking out and replied, "That is snow. Shit. I know what that means. Our flights are about to be canceled, and we will be stranded for the night while Atlanta shuts down. They cannot deal with ice or snow, because they are not equipped for it."
Ralph then jumped to his feet, managing not to knock Adira in the process. He requested her to stay put and assured her he would be right back.
She said "No problem, but what are you planning now?"
"To try to secure some accommodation," he said. Ralph then grabbed the phone from his pocket and rushed to the officer's lounge. But there was no one at the front counter when he stepped inside. He read the policy on who is allowed inside. Active military and their families were mentioned there. He thought, 'Fuck.' It did not matter that he would have to lie again, he had sworn to watch over Adira and Raven. He was a man of words. He went inside and asked for three rooms, two for his friends, and one for his wife, baby, and him. He then said that she was a newborn. He then joked "not my wife, but my daughter is a newborn."
Ralph was a bit worried. He was waiting for the guy at the counter to see through his lies. But the guy smiled while his fingers were flying all over the keyboard.
With an apologetic grin, the man at the counter said that he had two rooms left. He said that his buddies would hopefully not mind and stay in one room, while Ralph could stay in the other room with his wife and child. The men then informed him that he needed the IDs of Ralph as well as his soldier friends, as well as a credit card in case of damage. Ralph submitted his ID and a credit card at the counter. He then texted his buddies. He asked whether he could pay for his friends, and then they would follow up with the man at the counter with their IDs. The man responded, "Absolutely, Brigadier General." He then took a copy of both Ralph's ID and credit card. He asked Ralph whether he required a cot for the infant. Ralph said OK. The man asked him "How many years have you been married?"
Ralph replied that he had just actually married.
"New baby and a new wife," the man chuckled. The printer then behind him came to life. He grabbed the copies they threw out. He handed over the documents to Ralph. He then said, "Best wishes to you and your bride. I will make sure to put something special in your room."
Ralph replied that it was not necessary.
The man at the counter replied, "Actually, it is my job."
Ralph then did not argue. He knew he was trying to do the right thing. He said, "Thanks. I am looking forward to staying here. Especially with an ice storm on its way."
The man glanced over Ralph's shoulder. "In an hour, the storm will come up. But you need not worry, though. We have anything you might need, including diapers, formula milk, etc. He said, "Brigadier Sir, please give me fifteen minutes, and your rooms will be ready."
"No problem. Thank you." Ralph shook hands with him because it seemed the right thing to do, but he also had a suspicion that this dude was going above and beyond what is required of his position.
Ralph went back to Adira. He found her sitting and nibbling on her fingernails. Her eyes were wide and panicky.
Adira informed Ralph, "While you were away there were a couple of announcements. Everything is canceled. A monster ice storm is on the way."
Ralph told her, "Don't worry sweetheart. I got everything covered."
Although Adira had promised herself that she would never be a woman who needed a man. She never wanted to be that woman again. But here she found herself being led by Ralph and following him like he was leading them to the 'Promised Land.'
While she was being led by Ralph to the U.S. Lounge, he said "Free food, free hot shower, and my company. What else can one ask for during an ice storm?"
On second thought, maybe he was leading her to the land of soft beds and all the food that she could eat, Adira thought.
Ralph just stopped outside the entrance, and said, "There is something I did not tell you."
Adira felt uneasy, and asked him, "What is that?" She held Raven closer, breathing in her baby's scent like it was a talisman that could protect them.
Ralph replied, "They think that we are married."
Nervous laughter burst from Adira's throat. She said, "We might as well be at this point." She saw Ralph running a hand through his short, dark hair. His eyes were earnest and sweet. Kind. She wanted to shrink back from that goodness. She could not trust her judgment when it came to men. Although the men she trusted before, were nothing like Ralph. Lucifer was slick, charming, and polished in a sleek sort of way that's reserved for politicians and old money. He had an Oxford education, trust fund income, and a position of power. Which made him untouchable.
Ralph tried to clear his viewpoint by telling her that "You and Raven cannot stay here if we are not married."
Adira thought about whether he was serious. She asked Ralph, "Only married people could stay here, not families like brothers and sisters?"
He said, "Well fuck. I guess I could have said that you were my sister." His cheeks flushed when he said that. He then told her, that if she was uncomfortable, he would figure something out. He then said, "Let's get into a fight, and then you can make me sleep out by the gate as a punishment for being such an asshole."
Adira thought about how he could sleep outside the gate, before going off to war. He wanted her to kick him out of the room which she would never have had access to if it wasn't because of him in the first place. She said, "No" and shaking her head, she said "We are not fighting and you are staying. We are adults, and I... You are staying, and that is final." She then said, "Please stay."
Ralph said, "Yes Ma'am." He stepped closer, and in a low voice said "Nothing bad will happen to you and Raven while you are with me. I will sleep on the floor to prove it to you."
Adira, biting her lower lips, was pushing down her emotions, which she was trying to keep locked up, but Ralph made them impossible. She just said, "I know you would, which is why I am not going to let you."
He nodded and said, "Yup."
The man at the counter with a huge grin on his face said, "Welcome, Brigadier and Mrs. Wellington. Your room is ready." He handed over the keys to Ralph. He guided them, "Go to your left and then take the next right. Room three."
A/N: To be continued...