I want to tell her I’ll say any ridiculous thing if it means she laughs like that again. If it puts that carefree expression on her face, I’ll do anything.But for now, just letting her know where I still stand with her is enough. I don’t want to push her away again.
The captain comes over the speakers, informing us we’re about to take off. We settle in for the whole safety speech and then off we go.
“So, tell me how your sister is doing,” I say as soon as the initial take-off is over.
Chapter 18
Ainsley
“Larkin is amazing. She’s got the whole life right now. Met the love of her life, Theo, promptly hated him, and then when they were forced together for a case—they’re both social workers—decided they actually loved each other, and that was that. They also adopted Gavin. He was the kid in the case they were working on, and he’s literally the greatest thing to happen in my life. I love that boy more than anything.”
“Hence the shirt.” He nods down to the shirt Gavin gave me for Christmas a few years ago.
“Yep. I think I’ll wear this until it has a million holes in it and is so worn down it’s basically see-through.” His eyes heat when I say it, and I have to clear my throat and focus.
This flight has been nothing like I thought it would be. First, there’s all my clumsiness, then, there was the almost-kiss that I still can’t get out of my head, and then all the talk about how he was forced to grow up and take care of his siblings. It feels like I’m meeting him for the first time, and Ilikehim. A lot.
“So, her and Theo have Gavin. Do they have any other kids?”
“They do. Maddie is two and a little spitfire. I always thought Gavin was the one who was going to give them a run for their money, but he has nothing on his little sister. She’s hilarious and annoys the hell out of Gavin, but he’s the best big brother ever.”
“I remember in high school, she was the biggest extrovert. Always the life of the party. I don’t think I expected her to settle down, honestly,” he says.
“Yeah, none of us did.” I laugh. “But if you met Theo, you’d get it. He’s beyond perfect for her, and he’s just the best person.” Talking about them makes me miss them exponentially more than usual. I’m going to have to see about making a trip to Austin to visit them soon. At the very least, I owe Gavin a video game night when I get back from Vegas.
“Hopefully, they’ll come to town someday and I’ll get to meet them,” Ledger says.
I lose a little of my smile then because I’m not sure that’ll ever happen in the capacity he’s hoping for. I don’t even know if I would want him to meet Larkin’s family as anything more than a guy she went to school with.
He clears his throat, sensing my discomfort. “So, anything you’re looking forward to in Vegas?”
I perk back up, grabbing onto the change of subject like a lifeline.
“This will probably sound lame, but I am so excited about eating. I grew up watching cooking shows—hell, I still watch them—so I know there are a ton of chefs that have restaurants there. I definitely want to hit at least a couple of my favorites.”
“I feel like I only ever eat the catered lunches at the conference or the buffets,” he says shyly.
Gasping, I turn to look at him.
“You haven’t even tried one of the million-and-one amazing restaurants here? That’s… That’s a travesty. I don’t know that we can be friends after knowing that.” I shake my head in mock disappointment.
“Are we friends?” The serious tone of his voice pulls me from a lighthearted attempt at a joke.
I stare into his eyes and really think about the question. If you had asked me five hours ago, the answer would have probably been no. But now? Now, I’m more confused than ever.
Can I be friends with Ledger if that’s all there will ever be? Am I seriously thinking about more when I just shunned him for God knows how long?
If I’m completely honest with myself, if I put the lying about his name aside, Ledger intrigues the hell out of me. Our conversation on this trip alone makes me want to know more.
“Yeah, I think we are,” I say softly.
We spent the rest of the flight talking about the many chefs I’m obsessed with, along with some work stuff. Making sure Ledger feels comfortable with the presentation is my number one job, so I wanted to make sure he was ready.
This is a work trip, after all.
We’re currently waiting as the plane taxis to the gate, and I can practically feel everyone’s excitement on the plane. I’ve never been on a flight where you know people are traveling to have a good time, no matter the reason, and it’s intoxicating.
A sports chant breaks out in the back of the plane, and I turn to Ledger in question.
