She flips up the app on her phone and lets out a groan. “23F, and Tony is 23E. What about you?”
“16E.”
“Middle seat? You had the middle seat.” She grabs my arm. “Please tell me your guys are beside you in D and F. I’d actually like to get to Charleston without them having to divert because your guys are losing their shit. For guys that like to share-”
NOW BOARDING GROUPS ONE AND TWO.
“That’s us. What group are you?”
“Five. But you can say we’re traveling together and I think they’ll let us on.”
We get in line and make our way up to the stand, scan our boarding passes, then head down the gangway. Lizzy and Tony are in tow behind us.
“Vacation here we come!” Lizzy shouts, shifting her bag on her shoulder.
“Yay,” Jax moans up ahead.
“I hope you aren’t sitting beside grump-butt.”
“Grump-butt can hear you,” Jax responds.
“Good. Then maybe he will turn that frown upside down.”
Knox hangs back and grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. “I, for one, am very excited. This is the first family vacation we’ve ever taken together, which seems crazy. I mean, we’ve gone away for a quick weekend here or there, but this.” He kisses my hand again and continues to bounce down the gangway, throwing his arm over Jax’s shoulder.
We take our seats and I’m nestled in between Jax at the window and Emmett on the aisle. I didn’t know who settled where because this morning they were randomly drawing the seats to see who would sit next to me and who got the seats across from us. When Knox booked the flight, he had bought all six seats in the row, so there was an empty space in the middle. He apparently got the window seat and Callum got the aisle. Seems to fit their personality. Knox, always the eager beaver, wanting to look outside while Callum needs to be on the aisle, always in control and ready to move.
I grab my logic puzzle book from my carryon bag and begin working the puzzles while the rest of the people fill in their seats. The flight wasn’t sold out, which is baffling to me. South Carolina beaches on Fourth of July? No better place to be.
When we were younger, we would take day trips to the beach, setting up chairs and umbrellas and just play on the ocean all day and then watch the fireworks at the neighboring resorts and parks at either end of the beach. It was great.
I hope we get to do that this year. I’d love to just dig my feet into the cool sand and lean back on my guys and watch the fireworks show their vibrant display off in the distance, and possibly catch a sea turtle or two come up on the beach to lay their eggs.
One year, Beckett and I were walking on the beach in the early morning and saw a turtle flipped over on its back. We waved several other people down who were running or riding a bike and flipped it over to help it get back into the ocean. It was one of the greatest feelings I think I’ve ever experienced. To know that we helped save that turtle's life. Because of that moment, I became obsessed with turtles, to the point, I promised myself that when I get my first tattoo, it will be of a turtle.
Maybe while we’re here this week, we’ll see flags on the beach where the turtle patrol has marked nests. It should be about time for some of the earlier eggs to be hatching, so maybe we will get to see some baby turtles making their way to the beach if we do an early morning walk.
This is going to be such a great week! I can feel it!
EMMETT – SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO HULK OUT
Thatwasfuckingembarrassing.I haven’t traveled on a commercial plane since I got my piercings and as soon as Ev walked in, I realized what I was going to have to go through. And freaking Knox. As soon as he realized it too, he started jumping around like a freaking kangaroo in a cage and singing Light ‘em up.
Asshole.
He’s been so excited about this trip. Probably more excited than all of us combined, including Ev and Lizzy. He’s always wanted to do family trips like this, but we never found the time or would always forget to plan until it was too late. Part of me wonders if he had anything to do with this trip, or if it really was just Lizzy and Ev.
Whatever the reason, I don’t really care. I’m just excited to get away with our girl for a week. No work. No commitments. Just rest, relaxation, and sex. Lots of sex.
Jax is staring out of the window and Everlee has her head in some book with words and boxes. I watch her for a while, read and place X’s and O’s within the boxes, wondering if it’s some sort of single person Tic Tac Toe.
“It’s a logic puzzle,” she says, looking up at me. I don’t speak, so she continues, “You have these clues and you have to solve who did what, where, and when. There are only green, blue, red, and yellow socks. If Thomas has red, then no one else can have them.” She points at the O for Thomas and red sock and the X’s for everyone else. “You just keep going through them until you have the answers. This one is an easier one because it’s at the front of the book. Do you want to try?”
“No, but I’ll watch you.”
“Creeper,” Jax mumbles quietly.
I reach across Ev and pinch his nipple. “What’s your deal?”
