“If you want a whiskey, you can just ask, Poppy,” Sammie says to me before turning to the stewardess. “Can I get another?”
“No.” I shake my head at him. “You can’t be drinking alcohol. Your body needs to be in the best condition it possibly can be. So, no alcohol. I’ve also been looking up what kind of diet you should be on. I can go to the store when we get to Kestral Valley and make sure you have all the right foods.” I spent the entire drive to the airport looking up bone marrow donation.
The cabin goes quiet and everyone is staring at me.
“What?” I ask, looking around.
“If he doesn’t marry you, I’ll adopt another son who will,” Mrs. Russo says.
“Mom, seriously?” Sammie grunts.
“What? I like her. I want her as a daughter-in-law. Make it happen, or I will.”
Sammie looks at me. “Ignore her.”
I smile, turning in my seat to face him. “Why? You don’t want to marry me, Sammie? And here I was, planning our big day. I was going to wear a big white dress. We’d get married on the ranch, on horses.”
“I’m not getting on a fucking horse,” Sammie grunts. “And we’re not getting married at a place that makes you sad.”
I blink at him. “I was joking. We’re not getting married at all. I’m not the marrying type.” I want to ask him what he means bythe ranch makes me sad. It’s not a conversation I want to have in front of an audience, though.
“Okay, if not him, what’s the criteria for a husband?” Mrs. Russo asks me.
“Unfortunately, she’s not joking.” Louie sighs. “She really will find some poor guy and adopt him to make you her daughter-in-law.”
“That’s… crazy,” I say. “But also, kind of flattering. Thank you.” I want Sammie’s mother to like me.
“Okay, I’ve been looking into your mother’s old partner.” Mrs. Russo drops the folder she’s been reading through back into the bag at her feet.
“Cane Searlait.” I sigh. He’s still an active sheriff. “You all really believe my mother wasn’t killed by the cartel?”
“I know she wasn’t,” Mrs. Russo tells me.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve worked for Emmanuel for a long time, and he doesn’t lie. Besides, he’s never had a setup in Kestral Valley,” she says.
“There’s also the fact that his organization doesn’t deal in small quantities that would be workable out of a house. They have warehouses, farms, not small cottages,” Louie adds.
I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. Leaning my head back against the seat, I close my eyes and count to ten. I don’t like thinking about my parents. It’s hard.
Someone unbuckles my belt. My eyes open to find Sammie standing in front of me.
“Come with me,” he says, pulling me to my feet.
He leads me to the back of the plane and then opens a door to a bedroom. “You have a bed on this plane?” I ask.
“Mhmm.” Sammie closes the door behind us. “It’s also soundproof in here.”
“I’m not having sex when your mother is right on the other side of the door, Sammie,” I grumble.
“Fine. We won’t have sex. But you’re tired. Lie down for a bit. I can wake you up before we land.”
“I’m not tired,” I insist.
“Why are you sad?” Guiding me over to the bed, he sits down and then pulls me on top of him.
“Why am I sad?” I repeat and shake my head. “I’m fine.”
