Me: London. Not sure how long we’ll be gone.
Me: Call or text if you need me. I’ll update you when I know more.
Hudson: Is Mason okay?
Me: He will be. We’re going to find his brother.
Hudson: His brother? Are you serious?
Me: Yes. I’ll be in touch.
Before I could put my phone away, Mason huffed out a breath. “Why do they insist on adding me to the meat market?”
I laughed at his reference to the Bachelor Auction. “It’s for charity. Suck it up, buttercup. You can do it.”
He grunted. “You’re supposed to be my person. That means you have to buy me. But I’ll pay for it.”
I rolled my eyes because I was already a step ahead of him. “It will be fine. I promise. I don’t understand your aversion to it. It might be fun.”
Mason shifted to look at me. “Are you serious?”
I grinned at him. “You never know.”
He huffed, then turned away. “The hot ones keep dropping like flies. And I’m genetically incapable of saying no to a charity. That’s why you have to buy me. I’m not interesting in the least.”
I smirked at him. “Maybe if all goes well, you can get Axel to come take your place.”
His eyes widened as a smile took over his face. “If I shave my beard, maybe he could pass as me. And women love a British accent.”
“How do you know he has one?”
He smirked. “YouTube. I found some interviews.” Mason paused, then rubbed his jaw. He looked around at the shops surrounding our gate.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Headache. I just need some pain reliever.” When he spotted a little market, he stood up. “I’ll be right back.”
I glanced over at the desk at the gate attendant as she stared at Mason. He was difficult to miss with his broad shoulders and designer jeans. The ladies at the auction would be fighting over him when they got a look. It was my job to make sure they didn’t. Getting to my feet, I strode over to the desk.
The gate attendant smiled up at me. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes,” I said, motioning toward Mason. “My boyfriend over there is very tall and is going to need some extra space. I booked these last minute, and wondered if you could check to see if 2A or 2D is available? A review I read said those two cabins had a little more legroom on this plane.”
“I’ll be happy to check for you,” she said. As she clicked away on her keyboard, I kept an eye out for Mason. “I can move him to 2D. That’s not a problem. Would you like 2C?”
“Yes, please. Wonderful,” I beamed.
When she made the changes, I went back to my seat. Mason returned with two bottles of water, an electrolyte drink, and a pain reliever. He sat down and handed them to me.
“Have you figured out where we’re going when we get to London?” he asked.
“Not yet, but I’ve got some work to do on the plane. I’ll have it secured before long.”
Before he could ask more questions, the gate attendant made the announcement we’d been waiting for. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’re ready to begin boarding flight 4766 with service to London Heathrow. Please have your boarding pass ready. We will begin with our active military, followed by Platinum members and first class passengers in Zone 1.”
Grabbing my bag, I glanced at Mason. “Let’s go find your family.”
The smile that lit his face was enough to do me in.
