“Never. I want you just as you are.”
Her smile is electric, a torment and a pleasure.
* * *
As we board, our pilot, Roger, lets us know it’s the perfect day for an impromptu flight. “Low cloud cover and wind today, so we’ll get you there in a jiff.”
There are eight recliners to choose from in the private Bradbury jet, four singles and two doubles framing a table. I let Ivy take her pick first, curious to see whether she’s a window or an aisle. True compatibility arises in the smaller things, I find.
She’s been wide-eyed and quiet since we arrived at the airstrip, and it’s so unlike what I’ve come to know about her that I’m hoping it’s a matter of awe and not discomfort.
I’m not sure I could forgive myself if it’s the latter.
It pleases me when she slips into a double by the window, beckoning me over to take the seat beside her.
With the engines on, crew onboard, and the two of us buckled in, I’m surprised to find the aircraft door still open. Flagging down the attendant, I ask, “Is there a problem?”
“No sir,” he confirms. “We’re just waiting on two more.”
Bollocks.
“Sorry, love,” Darcy calls out, sounding anything but as her voice floats into the cabin. “We left as soon as Roger called, but traffic’s been a nightmare.”
Within seconds, my little sister appears, polished in wide-leg pants and an asymmetrical shirt. Mum follows her onboard, looking far more relaxed in jeans and a hopeful smile.
A family outing isn’t exactly the romantic atmosphere I was going for, but I can at least be grateful that Reed isn’t here.
“Hello, Darce.”
“Hello, you,” she says, ducking down to kiss me on both cheeks. She looks well, which always eases my mind, her honey blond hair cut to her shoulders. She waits as Mum sits across the table from Ivy, then glides elegantly in beside her.
“What a surprise,” I say. It’s exceedingly interesting that the person who has been too busy to see me in the last week is free suddenly. “I would have thought you’d be working.”
“I am working,” she retorts, but the gleam in her eye says that’s a big, fat lie. “I’ve been meaning to visit the factory, and it’s the perfect day for it.” Her gaze lands to where my hand is holding Ivy’s before jumping back to my own. She looks a little too eager to have caught us together. “Don’t mind us interrupting your romantic interlude. You’ll barely notice we’re here.”
I doubt that.
It’s cheeky as fuck, but that’s Darcy for you.
Suddenly, Ivy is pressed as close as she can be, holding her hand out to my sister. “You must be the wonderful sister I’ve heard so much about. Hi, I’m Ivy.”
“Lovely to meet you,” comes the pleased response, and they shake hands. “Sorry we didn’t know you existed, a small oversight on my brother’s part.” So, it’s going to be that sort of a visit, then. “I adore your necklace.”
Ivy touches the black leather cord that’s tied at her neck and the two pendants hanging from it. “Thank you so much. I broke the bracelet I originally had these on while sparring with my friend Fil, and actually, the leather is an offcut from a dress he was making, which was perfect, because I haven’t taken these off since I bought them.”
“What do they mean?” Darcy asks.
“The heart is my mom and the seahorse is my sister, Ciara. She’s a marine biologist and obsessed with them.”
“That’s beautiful. Nothing for Lincoln yet? My, my. You’re slipping, brother.”
Ivy laughs, but this is starting to feel too much like an interrogation for my liking. “Don’t be cheeky,” I chide gently, with a pointed look to add:Be nice. I like this one.
I need this to go well.
Darcy softens.
“Oh, there’s plenty, I promise you,” Ivy lies smoothy, saving me once again. There’s a freckle caught in her hairline that I haven’t noticed before, one of many hidden gems I’m keen to discover. “Before Lincoln, the most I ever got from a date was a complex.”
