I pulled out my phone because I wanted to capture Mason’s reaction. I imagined showing Tyler later and watching him laugh when he realized his own son had been sitting quietly in the back while he welcomed everyone aboard.
Tyler mentioned the weather, gave the flight time, and made one of his usual corny jokes.
Mason was beaming.
Then Tyler stopped.
After a few seconds, his voice came back over the speakers.
“Actually, folks, before we leave, I need to say something a little different today.”
I lowered my phone slightly.
Something in his voice had changed.
He didn’t sound frightened. He didn’t sound nervous. He just sounded unusually serious.
“Before we take off, I’d like to do something I’ve never done on a flight before,” Tyler said. “There is a very special person on this plane tonight. Someone who means absolutely everything to me.”