Barely on time to board the plane, Jordan is guided to his seat. There's no one around him which allows him time to think about what to say to Kristin. All that's on his mind is making things right. Now that the last of Brittney's spell over his heart is gone.

As the sun bakes the ground several thousand feet below the plane, Jordan finds a renewed passion for the love of his life. Time slowly gradually ticks by as he travels over the Mid-West. While he looks out the window, Jordan recalls the first flight not long ago when Kristin used him to keep her fear of flying down.

"I hope this works; she's gotta forgive me and take me back." He tells himself with doubts in the back of his mind.

The plane comes in for a landing, and Jordan takes off the rental car counter and rents a Nissan Altima. He's not too thrilled with it but then makes his way across the city to Mr. and Mrs. D'Amore's restaurant. Inside he asks to talk to anyone of the family who may be in the back. To his surprise, Mrs. D'Amore walks out to greet him.

"I had a feeling that you would be here sometime soon. Come, wait for Kristin back here with me." She greets, waving him back to the office.

"Thank you, ma'am. Is she at the interview already?"

"Si, she is uh how you say, kicking stone to see what is beneath them."

Jordan nods his head that he understands what she means. He takes a seat across from the table, which is where the interrogation begins.

"Why did you not come together? Did you do something to my girl?" Mrs. D'Amore asks with concern.

"I did make a mistake that caused us to fight." Jordan begins but is cut off.

"You hit my girl! Did you hurt my girl? I'll kill you if you did!" She threatens as Jordan remembers there is a language barrier.

"No, no, no, no, I am sorry, not like a fistfight kind of thing. We argued, or a falling out. I wouldn't ever harm Kristin in that way. I swear on my life, I'd never lay a hand on her."

A wave of relief returns to the room. Mrs. D'Amore lets out a sigh of comfort as she looks into Jordan's eyes and sees that he is sincere.

"She does have our Italian hot temper. My little Kristin has always been one to lose it. She, uh, always in fights with others at school and always takes up for me and her poppa." Mrs. D'Amore explains with a hint of sadness.

"I've seen a touch of that inner fury. I never meant to upset her, but I am here, and if you do not mind, I would like to help out here until Kristin returns. I am willing to go to the ends of the Earth to make up to her and your family." Jordan offers, then dips his head waiting for a response.

"Si, please, if you want to help us, we would be grateful. I could use someone to wash dishes, and if you can bus tables, that would be Godsend," Mrs. D'Amore says.

Jordan gets to his feet to allow Mrs. D'Amore to lead the way. They walk to the dishwasher, and Jordan throws on an apron to rinse dishes and glasses off, then fills a plastic crate to slide them into the dishwasher. In between washing cycles, Jordan darts out into the dining area to clean tables and collect filthy dishes. It keeps him busy enough that nearly two hours fly by before he realizes it.

Kristin sneaks in through the back and watches from a distance after being filled in on what was said. Kristin is floored by his gesture and sees him in a new light. Here is a man willing to drop everything at the drop of a hat to travel across the country to find her. Now he's here working in her parent's business for free to make good over his screw-up.

"Jordan...Hey, Jordan sweetie, come on when you get that tank finished up. We need to talk." Kristin calls out at last over the banging of dishes and pans.

Startled, Jordan nearly jumps when he hears her voice. On the heel of his shoes, Jordan turns around to make eye contact with Kristin. He slips from the apron then strolls over the slippery floor, where Kristin takes him into her arms.

"I want to kiss you, but we need to talk alone," Jordan says softly into her ear.

"Yes, we need to talk about how things are about to change. Come on. You wanna talk, then we need to get out of here."

Kristin takes him by the hand to head outside, where Jordan takes control and heads for his rental car. When she realizes that Jordan didn't wait for a domestic truck, she's struck in awe that he would drive a Japanese sedan.

"You must have been in a hurry! You're driving a car, a Nissan nonetheless; wow, I am blown away. All for this me, I can't believe it." Kristin expresses once the car doors are closed.

Jordan starts the car to give them a cold blast of A/C, so they don't fry in the dark-colored car.

"Listen, I know I royally screwed up back at your house, but please don't leave me. I had this dream where you were the one I wanted. I even shot my heart to destroy what I had left for Brittney. She may have had my heart, but Kristin, you're the one for me, not her. You're my soul, and when I die as an old man, my soul will go on, and that belongs to you. So, that means I will love you until the end of time. I want to marry you and have a happy home and kids with no one but you." Jordan says, and nearly breaks down in tears.

Kristin reaches out, taking her hand to rest it along his cheek, and gently massages it buying time to come up with something to say.

"That sounds like it was an intense dream, but are you sure I'm the one you want? I can't be your backup choice. I won't be a rebound. I can't..." she's interrupted when Jordan takes both her hands and maintains eye contact.

"I had that before we met, so you are not a rebound. I am so deeply in love with you that I don't want it to end. What else do I have to do to prove I'm serious? I flew from Georgia to here to find you and do whatever it takes to win you back."

Touched by his words, Kristin digs in her feet to get ready to play hardball.

"Then would you be willing to go back with me and pack up to move here? I landed the job, and once I'm trained, I'll be pushed into the manager's program. My time in Georgia is over; the government program is taking the loan on my house, relieving me of it without a major hit to my credit."

"I can do that, and I'll get contact information for a few stations out this way. I'll take the test to become a paramedic here. Wherever you are is where I want to be, as long as I have you at my side," Jordan says.

What Kristin does next turns things between them up a notch. She's about to test how far Jordan will go to prove himself.

"You sure you want to do this? Maybe I want you to reach for your potential. Let's say we decide to make this work. Are you willing to go back to school to be better than just a paramedic?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Placing her index finger to her lips, Kristin rushes to come up with an answer. It doesn't take long to keep testing Jordan's resolve.

"Physician Assistant maybe, you know, something that doesn't involve medical school, and you can attend classes right here in Phoenix. Yeah, I'd like that, see you do much better than you think you can do. So, is that a deal?"

It all weighs on Jordan, but then he presses his tongue over his front teeth with his mouth still closed. He notices that Kristin has that playful vindictive grin plastered on her face.

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'll just head home. Love you, sweetness, bye." Jordan says as Kristin's mouth drops.

"Seriously..."

Jordan bursts out laughing when he sees he broke through the façade and takes her hand.

"If that's what it'll take, then yes, I will do it. You're what matters the most in my life. I love you, Kristin. I will always love you and no one else."

In a final act to truly get back at him for being the cruel smartass a few moments ago, Kristin takes control to surprise Jordan once more.

"Marry me," Kristin nearly mumbles.

"Do what?" Jordan says, confused.

"I said marry me; yeah, that's right, I'm breaking the rules. I want us to get married when you get finished with school. If you're that serious, then let's make it official."

"Then, yes..."

Her jaw again dips open as she turns in the seat to face Jordan. He doesn't hesitate to come in for a kiss. Kristin doesn't think but only reacts as she feels her body pull closer to Jordan's. Her heart skips a beat as she pulls away.

"I can't believe it. It feels like this isn't about to happen." She comments, barely able to speak.

"Anything for you, I'd fight the Devil himself to keep you safe."

She's touched by his words, so much so that she recants on the other things she said.

"Oh, um, you know the other stuff. I was only yanking your chain. I'm not going to force you into a career or feel pressured to have to do what you don't want to do. I know you love what you do as a medic."

Jordan keeps her close as they touch foreheads and close their eyes.

"I'll think it over, and it may be nice to get off the streets and work in an office. Who knows, I may change my career altogether. Time will tell, but come on, let's go share the good news, my fiancé." Jordan mentions and shuts off the car.

Kristin's now scared to death about going back inside. She never thought Jordan would break tradition when she proposed. Not even having a ring ready makes things even more awkward. Her face is flushed when they walk back to the office area, where Jordan makes the announcement.

"Excuse me, if I could have the D'Amore family gather near for only a moment. I have something to say!" Jordan begins as Kristin holds one hand over her stomach feeling anxious mixed with being nauseous.

"Kristin and I have decided not to call it quits, and not only are we giving our relationship a new lease on life, but we're also now engaged. So, if you don't mind, there will be a wedding to plan."

Cheers and clapping come from every direction. Kristin's entire family walks over to hug and congratulate the engagement announcement. Enzo walks over to hug his sister and even shares one with his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

"Congrats, I was hoping things would work themselves out. Welcome to the family. You'll be a good brother-in-law." Enzo praises with a smile on his face.

Once the restaurant shuts down for the day, the rest of the family celebrates. Jordan is given shot after shot of Amaretto until he can barely stand. Kristin tries to escape the attention, but her parents make sure she can't make a getaway.

"We're so happy for you, our little Kristin. Please, when you have children consider some traditional Italian names for our sake. We couldn't be more happy for you both." Mr. D'Amore says in a heavy thick Italian-English accent.

"We will, poppa, I promise, but I want to get my career back on track. Plus, we still need a ring and get things settled back in Georgia."

From her pocket, Mrs. D'Amore takes out a ring box. Once it's open, she gives more than the ring to her oldest daughter.

"This was my original engagement ring for your poppa. It's a pure silver band with a real emerald. Take it, wear it. It is our gift to give you and our blessing to marry this man. He is such a good man, and Jordan will love you like no other."

Kristin's touched and takes the ring slipping it over her ring finger, and kisses it.

"Thank you, momma, thank you, poppa, but please can me and him go rest. We have lots to do and a flight to catch tomorrow. I promise I will celebrate when we get back. It shouldn't take us long to get our affairs in order and drive back." Kristin pleads, needing to rest feeling dizzy.

Enzo and Mr. D'Amore carry Jordan to Kristin's old bedroom, where he's laid out on the bed. When they're gone, Kristin takes her spot alongside him on the bed and quickly passes out.

Early the next morning, Jordan comes to and feels Kristin nestled against him. He gives her a light squeeze with a kiss on the forehead. It's enough to stir her from a peaceful sleep.

"Good morning," Jordan whispers, feeling the hangover.

"Morning, you need to get cleaned up as best as possible. Our flight leaves at noon, and then we need to get things lined out.

Jordan gets to his feet and gets a quick shower in Kristin's bathroom. She follows suit and quickly begins going over details of what needs to be packed up for a cross-country road trip.

"When I get back, I'll inform Alex and leave him next month's part of the rent and enough to cover the utilities." Jordan preplans while he waits for Kristin to pack her bag.

"I'll fill out the forms to surrender my house, and I'll meet you at your apartment. That will take a few days. I'll stay with you while you work out your notice. I can't believe this is happening." Kristin says with her cheeks glowing.

Things begin to unfold, and the couple has nearly everything in place. It's a long flight as Jordan sleeps off more of the hangover while Kristin takes her time searching for wedding dresses and venues to book a ceremony and reception. Her nerves haven't fully settled, but she's never been happier. By the time they prepare to land, they're eager to spread the news. When they inform Jordan's parents, they're ready to make plans to travel to Arizona for the wedding when a date is set. Before Jordan is set to depart for Atlanta, again, his mother gives him one last tidbit of advice.

"I love you, son, and I'm thrilled to get to travel, but also welcome Kristin into our family. Please don't get her pregnant until you're ready. Be safe and take care of her when you drive across the country. Send me lots, and I mean lots, of pictures."

"I will mom, I love you too, and we'll see you in Phoenix."

Kristin takes a couple of days to settle up things to handover her home. Meanwhile, Jordan hands in his resignation. In a surprising twist, his supervisor gives him paid time off to use rather than having to drag out his final two weeks. Alex is conflicted; on the one hand, he's happy for his best friend but hates losing a great roommate. Unwilling to kill himself with overtime, Alex quickly finds a new roommate who will move in the day after Jordan and Kristin drive off for their new home.

"I guess this is it; keep in touch, and if I can afford it, I'll be there for the wedding. I may hitch a ride with Nikki and Josh or something. Take care, dude, it's been real." Alex states giving Jordan a farewell hug.

"You do the same, take care, and hey, you're Senior Medic now. I couldn't picture anyone more deserving. Keep in touch, and I'll miss you, brother." Jordan says before the bro hug ends.

Kristin waits by the door and Jordan hands over the apartment key. Together they make their way down to the packed up SUV and U-Haul with the attached trailer for Jordan's truck.

"This is it. We're about to be on our way." Kristin says, nervous about new adventures awaiting nearly two thousand miles away.

"Farewell..." Jordan declares, giving Atlanta one final wave and climbs into the U-Haul to follow Kristin.

Alex stands there to wave goodbye and gives Jordan a military-style salute. They're on the way to a brand-new life without knowing what lies ahead. For Jordan, it's the final nail in the coffin over being divided. Now is his time to prove he's no longer a man split between two women. He looks in the rearview to see Atlanta one last time and smiles as the open road beckons to welcome him as a new man.

THE END