“Good, you can have him. He’s starting to piss me the fuck off.”
The pilot interrupts us and tells us we need to board and buckle up before we miss our chance for takeoff.
Okay…I’m losing my mind.
A part of me wants to scream out loud that I’m currently in the most beautiful private jet. It’s fully stocked with whatever you could possibly need, and the interior is elegant, with deep amber leather seats that feel like butter.
Even the flight crew is immaculate, though crazed thoughts of accidentally tripping the stewardess have crossed my mind a few times whenever she looks at Harrison.
But of course, I’m classy. I won’t do that, and I need to act normal in front of Jackson, on all accounts. The other part of me is beginning to malfunction. I’ve stammered over my words ten times, distracted by Jackson.
Every time it happens, I wither lower in my seat from Harrison’s death stares.
He knows exactly what’s going on with me, and between the two of us, our jealousy is at about one hundred and psycho percent.
We’re sitting at a four-top, with a table between us. I didn’t even realize planes had these; I’ve only ever seen them on trains.
“I can’t believe you’re here right now. How long are you in town for?” Harrison asks Jackson.
“I came into the city yesterday for a meeting. I called Lauren to make dinner plans. I didn’t want to tell you if things didn’t work out. When she told me you were going to Carter’s birthday party, I knew I had to surprise you, so she added me to the customs sheet for your flight. Unfortunately, I leave right after the party.”
“Fuck, Mom, Dad, and the others would have loved to see you.”
“I knew Mom, Dad, and Seb were out of town. But I figured Leo and Nate would also be attending the party.”
“It’s Nate’s week with Claud. Leo and he are in the city for work, and when we leave in a few days, they will take the house over.”
“How do you all know each other?” I butt in.
“Ouch.” Jackson put his hand over his heart. “You’ve not told her about me?”
Harrison ignores him. “Jackson grew up with us, too. He’s the same age as Seb and I. Though we didn’t meet him until we were about nine or ten, we were instantly inseparable. When he got older, he also used the Morales household as a refuge with his sister. He has fucked-up parents too. Then he chose to go to college with Seb instead of me, so was on my shitlist for a while.”
“What a fucking depressing childhood,” Jackson murmurs.
Harrison shrugs. “It’s the truth, and the stories that come later are not for my girl’s ears.” He looks down and winks at me, then turns back to Jackson.
“It’s so fucking good to see you, Peters. Well, besides when you’re flirting with my girl.”
“God, you’re just as bad as my brother-in-law. What’s with the possessive shit? You really think I’d go after your girl?”
“Oh, like you didn’t try to fuck all our girlfriends in high school?”
He chuckles, and there are those dimples again. “Fair. But we were sixteen. Give me a break.”
I look between these two, and I can feel the closeness between them.
“Wait,” Harrison suddenly says. “Brother-in-law? What the hell—we weren’t invited to Sadie’s wedding?”
Jackson waves him off. “They’re not married yet. They’ve been engaged for what feels like forever.”
“Promise you’ll stay next time. We miss you. Mom and Dad miss you. We’ll all even come to London.” Harrison turns toward me. “Jackson lives there now.”
I don’t miss the way Jackson’s face falls in sadness before he quickly masks it.
Both his phone and Harrison’s phone start to blow up. “Finally, Wi-Fi. I would love to chat, but I need to work before we land. If we don’t get to talk after, I’ll see you both at the party,” Jackson announces, then moves to another row for privacy.
“Baby, I have some work to do too. I want to get this out of the way before we get to the house.”
