Page 49 of Carson

“All right, Ma. I’ll stop by before we leave.” I kiss the top of her head before heading out.

“And don’t forget you promised to call your brother.”

Ugh, the woman doesn’t forget anything.

Soon after I get back to the cabin, a faint knock raps at the door.

I open it, finding Luna standing there with a book in her hands. “I’m sorry. I can’t go, but I wanted you to have this.”

She pushes it into my hands.

“Luna, I’m not going without you.”

“You have to.”

“You know I don’t.” I lean against the door. “I can get you through the flights,” I say gently, knowing that it’s not that she doesn’t want to go. She’s afraid to go.

Dad and Grandpa give me little nods of encouragement. They’ve been sitting outside her van since I announced our trip. I knew they’d have my back when it comes to her.

I thought Cole would too.

Luna tips her head back, looking up at the sky. “It’s almost an eight-hour flight from Chicago to Ireland.”

“And I’ll be right by your side every minute.”

“Carson, you barely know me.”

“I know you want to go to Ireland. I know I also want to go. What more do I need to know?”

“What if I freak out? What if you literally have to sit on me to keep me from jumping out of the plane?”

It makes me laugh. I know I shouldn’t because she really is frightened, but she’s just so darn cute.

“What if you get up in the air and fall in love with the view from the sky? What if during takeoff you realize I’m the person that doesn’t need to force you to do anything? That I don’t need to sit on you … I only need to hold your hand and stay by your side.”

She lowers her head and meets my eyes.

“My mom’s packing us some snacks for the ride.”

She shakes out her hands, trying to release some of her nervous energy. “Oh, god, I think I might throw up.”

“They have barf bags on the plane.” Her eyes narrow on me. She’s not impressed by my joke, so I try something different. I share my own insecurities with her. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous myself.”

“You’re nervous too?”

“Yeah, I’ve never left the country, and …” I look away. “And I’ve never gone anywhere without Cole.”

“We could wait for him to get back from his trip and then go?” she suggests.

For a moment, I think about taking her up on it. I would love Cole to come with us, but obviously he doesn’t want to be around me right now.

I can do this on my own.

“No. I want to do this with you.”

“I don’t want to come between the two of you.”

“You won’t.”