“I feel like the only places I can list are the ones that I see in ads or the usual places people travel. Or maybe, like the pyramids, are just epic, ancient, and unbelievable until you can see them in real life.”
“Definitely. There are so many ancient wonders that would be cool to visit. Like the old Mayan temples Chichén Itzá and Tikal. Machu Picchu, the Incan city built high on a mountain in Peru. Angkor Wat, Petra, Pompeii…” My voice trails off. “I have a collection of big coffee table books with pictures from amazing sites all over the world. I’m not sure there’s a country I don’t want to visit.”
“I’ve never heard of half of those, but the ones I have heard of would be super cool.”
“They’re all really incredible sites built by ancient civilizations.”
“Why haven’t you traveled?” Brevan asks.
I sigh. “I’d like to tell you it’s because I was busy raising my kids, but I don’t think that’s the reason. I think I just got caught up in my job. Comfortable with my routine. Anything that deviated from that, no matter how interested I was in it, became a fantasy. Something that would be cool ‘someday,’ but you know that someday isn’t going to happen.”
“This is out of your routine, though.”
“This is for school. Everything I’ve done in my adult life has been for Rainbow Dorset. Every time I’ve deviated from my routine has been for the school.”
“That’s admirable.”
“It is. Some would say it’s a little sad.”
Brevan shifts to look at me. His green eyes are just stunning up close. I could get lost in them for hours. Especially with him so close, feeling his skin press to mine. “You think so?”
“A week ago, I wouldn’t have. But then I met you, and yeah, I think it was a little sad.”
“Because you were lonely?”
“I’ve spent years alone. Almost two decades. So yes.” I laugh. “But you know what I did when I realized I was lonely?” Brevan shakes his head. “I got a dog to keep me company. I didn’t seek human contact or friendship. I got a dog.”
His smile slips onto his face. “I love dogs. What kind?”
“Golden retriever.”
“Oh my god, there is no better breed, is there?”
“For constant company, with boundless energy, infinite loyalty, and unconditional love? No, there isn’t.”
“I can’t wait to meet them!”
My heart nearly stops. This is real. That one statement right there assures me we have a future. “I can’t wait either.”
CHAPTER 25
BREVAN
This is the sixth time that I’ve bolted upright out of bed at Corwin’s alarm. It’s the absolute most grating sound. I can feel it down my spine.
“I’m not going to miss that,” Xile mutters, burying themself under their mountain of blankets.
I rub my hand over my face. Me either. Corwin laughs sleepily after he turns it off.
“I can’t believe we’re leaving today,” Xile says, sighing. “It wasn’t a short trip, but it feels like it ended far too soon.”
“It did,” I agree.
“We’re not hopping on a plane yet,” Corwin says. “We have the whole day today, and it’s going to be around a pool or something. Remember that Miss Horship told us to pack our bathing suits and quick-dry towels in our carry-on.”
“It’s too cold for a pool,” Xile says.
“You didn’t do any research, did you?” Corwin asks, laughing. “Hot springs. Like a natural hot tub.”
