"We're landing," he said, his voice gentler than he'd intended.
Angela's eyes flew to his, wide and anxious. "Already?"
"Already," he confirmed, nodding toward the window where the Burke estate was coming into view.
The main house stood proud against the backdrop of mountains, its stone exterior dusted with snow. It wasn’t as large or lavish as one might expect someone of Duncan’s financial status to own, but it would still be awe-inspiring to the average person. Especially someone who had just recently been living in a one-bedroom basement apartment with her sister.
Smoke curled from one of the chimneys, a welcoming sight in the winter landscape. The helipad was situated a short distance from the main house, with a road leading to it.
"Oh my goodness," Kiara breathed, pressing her face closer to the window. "It's like something out of a fairy tale."
Angela finally turned to look, her hand still gripping Jude's arm. He felt her fingers tighten even more as she took in the sprawling estate.
"That's… where they live?" she whispered.
“Yes, that’s the home Duncan had built when he moved his family from New York to Idaho.”
“You said your house is on the estate too?”
“Yep.” Jude pointed out the opposite window. “My cabin is over there. Annie has a cabin as well, but hers is a bit closer to the main house.”
“Is that where we’re going to stay?” Kiara asked.
“Definitely.” Jude couldn’t imagine a scenario where Duncan wouldn’t want them close. “They have plenty of room.”
Angela looked away from the window and bent her head. As she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Jude had a momentary reminder of who she was.
Annie’s twin.
It seemed strange not to have that be uppermost in his mind every time he looked at her. Instead, her relationship to the family formed in his mind as Duncan’s daughter. Not as Annie’s twin.
But now he was reminded that Annie was waiting down below, along with Duncan.
He thought about what Duncan would feel when he saw his twin daughters together for the first time in over two decades. Though they might be identical at the DNA level, they were also different.
Both had a gentle air about them, but Angela’s came with the addition of vulnerability. Annie, however, didn’t have that same vulnerability. She would go head to head with her dad—and, to Jude’s dismay, even with him—when she felt she had to, without fear of anything happening to her.
Annie knew that regardless of what they might argue about, her dad loved her and Jude cared for her. Something told Jude that Angela had never had that sense of security.
Jude prayed that would be something that Angela came to understand as well.
The helicopter began its descent toward the large helipad near the main house, and Jude felt Angela's grip tighten further.
"Almost there," he said, keeping his voice soft.
As they hovered over the landing pad, the snow swirled in miniature cyclones beneath them. Marcus brought them down with practiced precision, the skids touching ground with only the slightest bump.
"We've arrived at the Burke Estate," Marcus announced through their headsets. "Please remain seated until the rotors have stopped completely."
Jude watched as Angela took rapid breaths. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving slightly as if in prayer. When the rotors finally slowed to a stop, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.
"You did it," he said.
A small smile flickered across her face. "I survived."
"More than survived. You were brave."
She looked down at where her hand still clutched his arm, quickly releasing it. "Sorry."
