"That's all I can ask for," I said quietly.
Chris was driving,and I sat beside him, staring out the window, trying not to let my grogginess slip into full-blown crankiness. In the backseat, Carol, Liam, and Nova were half-asleep.
I still wasn’t entirely sure where we were going. Chris and I had been talking over the phone every day for a week, and then, a couple of days ago, he asked me to clear our weekend. At first, I was going to say no, but something in his voice, almost pleading, made me reconsider.
He had promised things were in motion to end his “engagement,” and I kept replaying his words in my head about how our connection was surreal but not complicated. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was me, being me, and overthinking everything until it became impossible to be a good idea. Besides, the kids hadn’t stopped asking about him since the pancake incident. There was no escaping this.
I told myself I would go with it. One weekend. I would leave the worries and doubts behind and pretend he was this guy I’d met. Someone kind to my kids that I was attracted to and wanted to spend time with. I wouldn’t think about thefact that he’d been my husband in my mind for twelve years. Or that he was a famous, ridiculously wealthy actor. Or—at least while the kids were around—that he’d done things to my body, I still felt phantom tingles from.
“Why did we wake up at five a.m. again?” I asked. Waking up before seven was basically a crime in my book, especially since most nights, I didn’t go to bed until after one. Last night, I managed 11:30, which was practically a miracle, but still.
“For future reference, we are not fans of waking up this early,” Carol complained from the back, her head leaning against the window. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Nova’s head droop onto her aunt’s shoulder, her small body giving in to exhaustion. “See?” she added, pointing at her niece.
“I don’t really mind waking up a bit earlier,” Liam chimed in, his voice bright and upbeat like he hadn’t read the room at all.
“Shhhh…” Carol shushed him without looking up, clearly in no mood for his optimism.
Chris and I exchanged a quiet laugh, and he placed his hand on my thigh gently and with no expectations behind it. Without even thinking, I rested my hand over his. It felt… nice. This moment—the kids, the car ride, the touch of his hand—felt familiar. Too familiar. Like something pulled straight from my daydreams. I had to keep reminding myself where the line was. Where the dreams stopped and reality began.
His phone buzzed from the cup holder, the nameANNAflashing across the screen. My eyes landed on it before I could stop myself. Something twisted inside me. I didn’t think of myself as the jealous type, but seeing his “fiancée’s” name on his phone sparked something.
He’d told me the PR contract was over and that I’d see thenews soon enough. So maybe that was what the call was about, Anna calling to coordinate how the media would break the news about their “separation.” At least, that’s what I was going to choose to believe today.
The good news? No sign of the flask that sat there before.
“Okay, time to change transportation,” Chris announced, pulling into a parking spot.
I stepped out of the car, my legs stiff from sitting for so long. The kids, however, were fully recharged. I looked around, and my stomach dropped. We were at an airport. Not the crowded, chaotic kind with long lines and people dragging suitcases everywhere. No, this was something else entirely. Secluded, quiet, and surrounded by private planes. Sleek, shiny,terrifyingprivate planes.
Oh no.No, no, no.
Chris handed his car keys to the valet, his gaze casually drifting to one of the planes parked nearby, like this was just another Saturday for him. Meanwhile, I stood there frozen, trying not to panic while every nerve in my body screamed at me to get back in the car.
Carol must’ve noticed my internal meltdown because she leaned close to Chris, whispering. “Dude… she’s scared shitless of planes.”
He didn’t even look surprised. If I wasn’t having a mini stroke, I’d be turned on by how in charge and composed he was being.
“I’m aware,” he replied, calm as ever.
Carol blinked at him like she wasn’t expecting that. “You are?”
“Yeah,” he said with a slight nod. “But where we’re going is worth it. Trust me.”
I felt his hand lightly brush against my back, and I flinched before forcing myself to relax. The kids were bouncing with excitement, their wide eyes darting betweenthe plane and Chris like he was the coolest person they’d ever met.
Act human. Now.
I tried faking enthusiasm, but my heart was racing, and the closer I got to the plane, the harder it was to ignore it. The idea of flying had always made me nervous. A giant metal tube that defied gravity? Yeah, no thanks. The thought alone gave me chills. But for some reason, I ended up standing a few feet from one of the shiny death machines.
Chris leaned closer. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, even though it was obvious I wasn’t. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, and I couldn’t seem to loosen them.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing the word out.
He gave me a long look as if he could see right through the lie, but he didn’t push it.
“I’d like to talk to you about something,” he said after a pause.
