She glanced up and met my gaze before she lifted her hands and moved them around the plane. “The job offer.”
I knew that Sabrina was speaking English, but her words weren’t making any sense. “Why would Samuel have changed my offer?”
Her gaze went back down to studying her hands again. “You’re a rock star. Kids cramp that style.”
I tightened my hold on Samuel as a protective surge ran through me. Maybe five years ago, I would have felt that way. Parties. Women. Booze. That was the recipe for a rock star’s life. But now? Things were different. I didn’t want one-night stands and hangovers. I wanted something more.
But I wasn’t sure I was ready to say any of that to Sabrina, so I settled on my default mode.
I scoffed. “Have you seen how women react to a man holding a baby?” I winked at her. “Being a rock star and holding a baby is a lethal combination.” I turned toward the middle of the plane and started to pose like there was a slew of paparazzi in front of me.
Sabrina’s sputtering drew my attention. I could tell that she was trying to formulate a reaction to me.
“I’m kidding, Sabrina,” I said. “You need to relax.” I shifted Samuel so I could wrap my hands around his chest and moved him in front of me with his feet resting on my thighs. He grunted as he pushed up, straightening his legs. Samuel met my gaze, so I leaned into him and said, “Your mommy needs to relax.”
“I’m relaxed,” Sabrina protested.
I glanced at her from around Samuel. Her chin was jutted out and her arms were folded across her chest. A stance that had nearly killed me this morning when she walked out of her hotel room in that skimpy oversized t-shirt and nothing else. That image was now permanently burned into my mind—and I wasn’t sorry about it.
I could only imagine what Ms. Independent would say if she knew what I was thinking right now. There would be a lot of wide eyes and sputtering. And maybe, possibly, some flushed cheeks.
Sabrina must have taken my silence as rejection of her statement because she suddenly dropped back against her seat. Instead of looking calm and at ease, she looked crumpled and in pain. She only remained in that position for a few seconds before she sighed and wiggled herself up into sitting.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve relaxed,” she said before her gaze met mine. “What?” she demanded.
I just shook my head. This woman was in her head way too much. I hadn’t said anything past, you need to relax, and she’d proceeded to have a full-on argument with me. Sabrina was a rubber band that was about to snap at any moment.
“I didn’t say anything,” I replied as I turned Samuel back around and sat him into the crook of my arm once more.
“Your face says it all.” She narrowed her eyes.
“My face?”
She nodded. “I see the judgment.”
I frowned. “There’s no judgment here.” If she only knew what my life was like. What mistakes my past held. She’d realize that the last thing I could ever do was judge someone else. I would be the textbook example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Realizing that Sabrina was in desperate need of some reassurance, I softened my expression as I met her gaze. “Listen, I’m glad to have you on board. I wouldn’t have made that offer if I didn’t mean it. And little man”—I lifted him slightly, causing his body to scrunch even more—“he’s a bonus.” I gave her a wink that I couldn’t help. It was in my DNA. “So you can relax. You wanted freedom, but you have to be willing to reach out and take it.” I gave her a soft but serious smile. One that was reserved for when I wasn’t joking.
Sabrina studied me as she chewed her bottom lip. It was driving me nuts, sitting there, trying not to stare at her mouth. It was taking pure willpower to remain solemn when all I wanted to do was flirt in an effort to expel all of the charged energy I felt when I was around her. There was no denying it, I liked being around this woman. She was different, yet familiar.
“Okay,” she whispered as she settled back into her seat. And for the first time since I’d met her, I saw the tension leave her face and her muscles relax.
Half an hour into the flight, little man was asleep on my lap, and Sabrina had drifted off as well. Jane came by and I waved her down, asking her to get Sabrina a blanket. Sabrina stirred but didn’t wake when Jane slipped it from the bag and draped it over her.
A sense of peace washed over me as I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. It wasn’t until my phone started vibrating in my pocket that I woke up.
My heart sank as the memory of the previous texts rose to the surface. I glanced around, wondering if I could just ignore the message, but I knew better. Frankie Vane wasn’t a man who liked to be ignored. I moved slowly and methodically as I gently laid Samuel into his car seat and buckled him. Thankfully, little man stayed asleep.
Now that I was free, I stood and made my way to the back of the plane. I glanced around, just in case Sabrina had awoken, but she was still asleep. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and stared at the screen. The message wasn’t from the band or Bonnie—like I’d hoped it would be.
It was Frankie.
I stared at the notification, wondering what the hell Katie had done. Draining my bank account and freezing my assets wasn’t enough for her. Now she was taking loans from Frankie and using my name as collateral. My stomach soured as I gripped my phone. I wanted to throw it. I wanted things to be different.
I wanted a freedom that I feared I was never going to have.
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before I opened them and steeled my nerves. I unlocked my screen and tapped on the text bubble.
