Mesmerized

lines are a lot longer. Plus they start boarding half an hour early. The two hours gives you time so you're not all stressed out. You can grab a drink, go to the bathroom, that kind of stuff.”
    "Are you always this practical?" Lily smiled.
    He shrugged.
    Christmas music could be heard over the speakers when annoying voices weren’t announcing flights. “I forgot it’s almost Christmas,” Lily said softly.
    “What do you want for Christmas?” Jake rubbed his thumb lightly on her hand as he met her eyes.
    “Just you.”
    “Now c’mon, every girl has something they want.” Jake smiled. He was trying to find a way to distract her. It was obvious she was upset about this trip. He hated to see her unhappy. 
    “Not this one. I just want you.”
    "I guess I'll just have to ask your mom later. I'm sure she'll have some ideas."
    "She always goes overboard for the holidays. Let's go to the coffee shop. My head is pounding." Lily stood up and held her hand out for him. 
    Jake felt so proud to be walking around with Lily. It was impossible not to notice the men staring at her with lust in their eyes. He still couldn’t believe that she wanted to be with him when she could have anyone. He made her feel like the luckiest man in the world. 
    "I'll have a caramel latte, please," Lily told the guy behind the counter. He stood frozen, just staring at her. 
    "She said she wanted a caramel latte. Is there a problem with that?" Jake said loudly over Lily's shoulder. 
    He seemed to snap out of it. "I'm sorry. Would you like anything else?"
    Jake placed his order and paid. He really had no idea how she could put up with things like that all the time. Lily looked unfazed as she walked to the end of the counter to pick up her drink. It was definitely going to take some getting used to. He had observed Lily's father and the attention to his wife didn't seem to bother him at all. Sandra obviously ate up the attention. Glad Lily isn’t like that. Will she be like that when she gets older? I hope not.
    Jake tried not let his nerves bother him and was glad when their plane pulled up. They were flying first class so they got to board early. Jake and Lily sat next to each other, holding hands. Soon they would be in Atlanta, and he hoped all hell didn't break loose. 
    Lily stared out the window as the plane took off. She liked the feeling of flying. Once the seatbelt light was off, she pushed up the armrest and leaned against Jake. Her body tingled and she silently told it to shut up. She couldn’t attack him on the plane; she’d have to control her urges. She touched her necklace, which calmed her down. Jake leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
    Before they knew it, the flight was over and they were in Atlanta. The airport was ridiculously huge. It took forever to get their bags. Finally, they made it to the car rental place. Lily’s dad went to the desk. The rest of them were huddled around planning the next step. 
    “We have to get a hotel either way,” Camille said.
    “I suppose you’re right,” Lily’s mom said. “Looks like Gregory is done getting the car. Let’s go, we’ll talk more there.”
    "I've already booked the rooms. Do you think I would have gone into this blind?" Gregory asked.
    "Of course not." Sandra laced her arm through her husband’s and smiled up at him. 
    The drive to the hotel was uneventful, though traffic sucked. Lily held onto Jake’s hand the whole way.
    Gregory held open the door to the hotel room. 
    Lily walked in. “Wow, Dad!” 
    It was a gigantic three-bedroom suite with a stainless steel kitchenette and living room area with a modern, black leather couch and chairs. Colorful abstract paintings hung on the beige walls.  Lily ran her hand along the hardwood desk as she took in the impressive room. She could see herself living in a place like this. 
    "Yeah, the room is nice. You can gawk at the place later, we have things to discuss. John is coming over soon to go over the plans."
    “Who’s John?”
    “A friend,” he answered. “Everyone put your things in your rooms and meet back here in twenty minutes."
    "We have a plan?" Lily was surprised. 
    "Of course we have a plan. This is not something that you could wing.”
    Her parents had the master bedroom and Camille had the middle room. Lily walked towards the first room to the right. "I'll take this one." 
    After she threw her bag in the room, Lily went back out to grab Jake. She started to lead him to her