Tour kept us busy, and before I knew it I was on a plane with my brothers headed back to Nikki and Everette. The eight-hour plane ride was the most downtime I had gotten since I left home and I was grateful for the stillness. It might have taken until the end of the tour, but I did make good on my promise to Nikki to get some rest.
I had been able to call and check on her here and there. Mostly at night after the shows since midnight in Europe was afternoon in Tulsa. I was glad her Mom was there to keep her company. I missed her and I heard a sadness in her voice when she talked to me, even though she assured me everything was fine.
I hoped that there wasn’t any more to it than just her missing me. I worried that she regretted marrying me when she could have had any man in the world. I had no idea what it was about me that made her finally say yes the third time I asked her. I guess God was on my side for that one, because I told myself going into it that night was going to be the last time I would ask her, after that if she wasn’t interested in forever, we would have to go our separate ways.
Taylor said I grinned for a week straight after she said yes. I was more excited about planning the wedding than she was, but she finally got into it once she saw that I was willing to pay for anything that her parents wouldn’t or couldn’t. And she was amazing when we went looking for our house. She had studied real estate in college, thinking that would be her career path, so she knew all of the right questions to ask. We got a beautiful home for a beautiful price. I was glad to see that she was concerned about things like that.
“Ike,” a voice said. “Hey Ike,” somebody was shaking me. I must have fallen asleep daydreaming about Nikki.
Zac was leaning over me, hot breath in my face.
“Well, that’s not the most pleasant thing to wake up to,” I said.
“And y’all tell me I’m hard to wake up. Geeze. Hurry up and get your things. They are waiting on us to leave.”
I had a few things scattered out. I had every intention to catch up on emails and my to read list, but I guess I didn’t make it that far. I threw everything in my bag and followed Zac off the plane.
My feet hit the familiar hallway of the Tulsa airport and suddenly I couldn’t walk fast enough to get out the door and home to my wife and my son.
Nikki opened the door, Everette in her arms, as soon as I pulled into the drive.
I barely remembered to turn off the car in my rush to get to them. I pulled them both into an embrace. I kissed Nikki and then our son.
“It’s good to be home,” I told her. “I missed you both so much.”
“We missed you, too,” she said.
I put my arm around her as we walked back into the house.
“How was tour, Isaac?” Nikki’s mom came into the living room folding a bib as we got settled on the sofa.
“It was great. Not nearly as good as being home, though.”
She nodded. “I want you and Nikki to take some time to yourselves while I am still here,” she said. “I know you need time to rest, but I’m happy to keep Everette whenever you are ready. I’ll be here for another couple days, then I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Thank you,” I told her. “And I’m so glad Nikki had you here while I was gone on tour to keep her company and help with Everette. And it’s good for him to get to know his grandmother, too.”
“I was happy to do it. We had some really good bonding time,” she looked over a Nikki and beamed.
“We really did. I think it was good for us to have time to be so close to each other again,” Nikki agreed.
I was glad to hear that. Her relationship with her mom had been rough ever since we’d met. Knowing that made me so sad for her since I was so close to my parents.
I hugged Nikki close, happier to be home than ever before. Everette settled down into my arms like I had never been gone.
I didn’t know what the rest of the year was going to bring, but I did know that leaving for fall tour would come much too soon.