“She looks a little green,” Vince says, and I swear I can hear the hard set of his jaw.
It’s silly, but for some reason, it makes me feel better knowing I’m not alone.
And just when I think it can’t get worse, it finds a way.
If I thought taking off and flying were scary, landing is terrifying.
“I never want to get on a plane again,” I say as we leave the plane, and I rush down the steps to stand on solid ground again.
Des chuckles and shakes his head, but I’m so serious.
“How would you like to get home then?” he asks, throwing his arm around me, and I groan because, from the sound of it, driving isn’t an option.
“Wait, where are we?” I ask, looking around, and while I can see stuff, buildings, and other planes mostly, it doesn’t give me even the slightest hint of where we actually are.
“Italy, Sicily to be exact.”
I’d much rather have taken her to the house in Curaçao, but no man can control the weather.
Next time.
Instead, we're home, in Italy.
Not our home, as we never lived here, but our grandparents did. Once we had a foot in the door, we sent our parents back to care for them. They were both first-generation Americans born in the US and were more than happy to return to the country and get away from the city's hustle and bustle. Our family has an estate passed down through the generations. Our grandparents left it to them when they passed, and we ensure to visit at least once a year. The wine’s much better here, also, so there’s that.
Kat has been in awe since the plane touched down—well, since we drove away from the airport.
And, fun fact, she isn’t a fan of flying. It would have been funny if I hadn’t been worried she might puke at any moment.
Vince has never been a fan either, but he just doesn’t like heights or anything he isn’t in control of, and considering hedoesn’t have a pilot's license, well, yeah, he’s not flying any planes.
Apparently, aside from the states she drove through to get to New York and New York itself, she’s never traveled. Born and raised in Maine, Des seemed appalled by that information, and I’m sure Nathan will ensure we rectify it, especially after seeing how much she seems to love Italy.
The wonder on her face, her wide eyes, and damn near giddy eagerness to see everything is adorable.
What wasn’t adorable was the way she all but shut down when Des teased her about enjoying our ‘expensive’ vacation.
I could have kicked his ass. Thankfully, I was able to distract her by buying a flower from one of the dozens of street vendors. After that, Addy stepped in perfectly and stole all of her attention the way only she can.
“If I didn’t already want Carter dead before, I sure as fuck do now,” Vince grumbles as we follow the girls. Addy is dragging her through the crowd in search of gelato. She’ll have to wait until we venture to Florence to get Amorino’s, but it’s not as if it’s less than here.
“What does Carter have to do with anything?” I hate to even bring him up, but Kat is far enough away, and I’m sure he has a reason.
Vince looks at me like I’m stupid, and I get the feeling I’m missing something.
“Didn’t you see how she reacted to what Des said?” he asks, and I’m annoyed all over again, shooting a glare at Desmond.
“I was just messing with her,” Des says, and at least sounds like he feels bad.
“It wasn’t you, not really. I mean, teasing her might not have been the best idea when she was actually enjoying this, but that’s a learned response.”
“What?” Des asks, but I understand, and for a moment I see red.
“You think Carter put his hands on her?” I hiss, then remember where we are and in what company. I don’t need to ruin this trip for Kat by bringing up the past, and I don’t want to scare Addy by losing my temper.
I look to find Nathan occupying both of them with street vendor treats. Yeah, that will do it, at least for a few minutes.
“I can’t say for sure he ever put his hands on her, but I wouldn't be surprised with the way he behaves. He’s an entitled jackass. He had Trevor break into her apartment and trash it, sent her threatening notes, and tried to have her kidnapped. I’d say the odds are pretty good.”
