Forest flashed a smile at the girl, and her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. “Sara, let me introduce my sister, Skye Summers.”
Sara thrust out her hand. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Summers.”
Skye tilted her head toward Forest, wondering why this woman looked familiar. Forest never did anything without purpose. “Nice to meet you.”
Forest cleared his throat. “Sara is interning over winter break and next semester. She’s a senior at Rice University, studying aeronautical engineering.”
He guided Skye down the jetway, leaving Sara at the gate. When they were out of earshot, he lowered his rumbly voice. “You might not remember Sara, but we placed her with our first foster family. She was fourteen.”
That made Sara’s placement seven years ago.Shewastheir first?
Skye turned around, widening her eyes. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Her name wasn’t Sara, Bean.”
“No. She changed it. Like us.”
“Does she remember me?”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t remember much about that night. Only that the people who saved her were good. Jake and Allison Brenerkie adopted her after having her for a year in their foster care, and they rescued three more. She’s had a good life. We did that.”
Forest guided Skye onto the plane where an efficient staff seated them in two thick leather seats facing each other. As the crew prepared for takeoff, she settled in, pulling out her computer from her backpack.
Sara enplaned a few minutes later. She grinned at Forest and then went back to sit with the other staff for takeoff.
Skye laughed. “Sara has a crush on her boss.”
Forest leaned back in his leather recliner. “She’ll get over it.”
As they were taking off, Forest’s eyes narrowed. “So, you not only went off and married a rock star, but you had to pick Blaze? My fucking rock idol? Seriously, my summer Skye, that’s wrong on so many levels. You’re going to tell me everything.”
The story of Ash began with Spencer, and she wasn’t quite ready to broach that tangled web.
She crossed her arms. “I want to hear about you and your great white whale. How did you ever persuade anyone to get on a boat with you and travel across the Pacific?”
He huffed a laugh and kicked an ankle over his knee. “Now,thatis an interesting story.”
Forest’s story took him on a two-hour tangent. He loved to tell a good story, but it came at a price. Never in her wildest imagination did she realize how creative two men could get on a boat.
After he showed her a particularly interesting photo, she leaned back. “I see you no longer have issues with rope.”
He grinned. “Daniels has been helping me. I hope you get a chance to meet him.”
She’d always imagined, if Forest ever delved back into the darker aspects of his sexuality, he would take the dominant role. It came as quite a surprise to see him submit. She flipped through that series of photos and tried to focus on the smiling pictures of the two men catching fish and collecting rainwater. Part of her hoped Daniels figured out whatever test Forest had left for him.
“What does Daniels do? You said it was his yacht…”
“He’s in investment banking, properties and such. More old money than new, living off his inheritance, I think.” He frowned at that comment. Forest hated wasting money.
“Does he know what you do?”
Forest pulled out the leather tie holding back his hair and finger-combed his shoulder-length locks. “He knows I have money but not who I am. I’m hoping he figures out my clues.”
Sara hovered at the back of the plane. Forest waved her over and asked for water.
“Now, you’ve distracted me long enough.” He took a water from Sara with a smile and leaned back. “First, you send this crazy prenup from that asshole boyfriend. Next, you text, saying you’re taking a stranger with you on a trip. Then, you get hitched to none other than the lead singer of Angel Fire. What the hell are you doing?”
She didn’t have a clue.
“Have you met the band, too?” He leaned forward, his eyes sparking with excitement.
