As we walked outside to each of our cars—my brothers in theirs and me with River—all I felt for Victoria was pity. She could have had all this, but instead, she chose to walk away.
Maybe one day I’d have answers, but right now, with my family around me, I was okay. More than okay. I was on my way to freakin’ Hawaii for an all-expenses-paid vacation.
Thank you, Past Adam!
Another Past Adam great decision was to get my brothers to come with me to Hawaii because flying on a private jet was a whole experience. Noah had already sung its praises to anyone who’d listen, but I hadn’t seen the appeal until we all stepped inside one.
“I’m not sure I’m dressed appropriately for this,” River said, his shoulder bumping against mine as we settled in our seats.
I stretched out my legs. “I think that’s the whole purpose. If you have enough money to fly like this, you can wear anything you want.”
“Let’s not forget to thank your brother for marrying someone with that kind of money.”
“Whoa, let’s not go that far. Poor Lior has to put up with Noah, so he’s the one we need to thank.”
“True.” River raised his closed fist, and I bumped it.
Excitement built in my belly as one of the flight attendants closed the plane door. The other came over to us with a tray of drinks.
“Good morning, gentlemen. Would you like a drink? We have champagne, orange juice, or I can get you something from the bar. A cocktail, perhaps?”
“Orange juice for me, please. No one needs to see me drunk before I’ve had breakfast,” I said.
“Understood, sir. Breakfast will be served as soon as we’re at cruising altitude.” He gave me a glass of orange juice before turning to River. “And you, sir? If you’d like, I can grab our drink menu,” he said, his tone carrying a note of flirtation even my straight ass didn’t miss.
“Uh, nothing for me, thanks,” River stammered, looking away.
“Oh, someone has a new fan,” Noah chimed in from across the aisle, his voice laced with mischief. “Guy’s clearly into you.”
Lex, usually not the instigator but clearly high on love, turned around from the seat in front of us and nudged River playfully. “It’s not every day you get hit on at thirty thousand feet.”
“We’re not there yet.” River shot them a bashful look, but something flickered in his eyes—a spark of courage or perhaps just the thrill of the moment. He turned back to the steward, flashing a hesitant but genuine smile. “Actually, a coffee would be nice. Thank you.”
“Coming right up,” the steward replied, grinning as he moved down the aisle.
I watched the exchange with interest. It was rare to see River being hit on. Especially in the light of day. In a club? Yeah, it had happened a few times, but I had only watched it from afar, unable to make out what was actually being said.
I fiddled with the corner of the in-flight magazine, my mind replaying the last time we had gone out together. We’d laughed, drank, and danced through the evening, sharing the kind of freedom neither of us often experienced.
Being in a relationship had put a stop to most of my partying. Not that I’d done much of it anyway. My brothers, River, and I had a tradition of going to Tanner’s on Friday nights, but over the last year, those had been few and far between.
Since my engagement, Lex finding Emery after he’d disappeared due to a car accident that caused him to lose his memory, and then Noah marrying Lior in secret, our schedules hadn’t matched, even with us working together.
Then there was River, who put his heart and soul into my parents’ restaurant, so trying to pull him away was a feat.
“Remember that night at Haven?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them. “I was like some kind of dude magnet.”
River’s chuckle was soft. “You always are. People are just drawn to you.”
“Guess my gravitational pull doesn’t work on flight attendants though.” I elbowed him, letting the joke hang between us.
I watched as River’s gaze drifted back to the aisle. The steward’s smile lingered on him longer, teasing out a flush on his cheeks that hadn’t been there before.
Something inside me clenched.
“Hey you think we have to wait long for breakfast? I feel weird.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” River’s voice was clad with genuine concern. I didn’t want to worry him, but how could I explain that I didn’t like the way the steward was all flirty with him. I was probably just feeling extra needy with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
