Kitty nodded, the earnestness in her expression touching. If Ihadthought she was a last-rites wife, here was literal proof of the opposite.
“He’s my friend. I don’t want him to think I betrayed him when Iwas high on travel sickness meds.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “OnlyI’dgive the game away on OTC drugs.”
“Does he care that he hurts her?”
Her gaze softened. “He genuinely believes he’s saving her from future hurt. That’s a damn hard argument to fight. I told him that nobody is promised tomorrow, but he just digs his heels in.”
Because the idea ofhertomorrow not being promised riled me the fuck up, I muttered, “Definitely a family trait.”
“So you get it from your dad’s side?”
That triggered a whole conversation about the joys of being raised in immigrant families—Matriwas a Brit who’d moved to Sicily after falling for my father. Her parents were Irish transplants.
Unsurprisingly, we had a connection via random British music—not unlike Rory, she loved Robbie Williams—and TV shows.
“I can’t believe you’ve seenThe Royle Family!” She cackled as her hand clutched at mine once we began our descent.
By that point, it had less to do with fear…
And I didn’t want to let go of hers either.
I could tell she felt the same, making it that much harder knowing we’d have to break the connection soon.
The hours had sped past when I’d wanted them to slow down.
But time was something I couldn’t threaten. The unspoken timer had buzzed and this pocket of unexpected happiness had already burst.
Neev:
WHERE ARE YOU? WE HAVE HUNKS TO DO.
Lara:
Niccccce
I felt no guilt in reading the two texts over her shoulder once she switched off airplane mode.
“My sisters are waiting for me,” she mumbled, typing a response one-handed.
Kitty:
Be with you soon. I got stuck in my seat before economy disembarked
It wasn’t a complete lie.
We’d silently agreed to let economy get off first.
Kitty:
Understatement.
Gnawing on the lip I wanted to taste, she graced me with a sad smile. “Thank you for getting me through the landing.”
“Any time,duci.” Her eyes darted to mine when she sensed my sincerity. “Why are you scared of flying?”
“9/11. I remember it too well. The way things were before and how they became after.”
“You must have been a toddler?”
