She shook her head. “No, I can sleep once we get to Cali, it shouldn’t be too late.” Then she paused. “Wait, I didn’t ask anything about this flight.”
“It’s an express flight, so no need to worry. The flight should be maybe six or seven hours to San Francisco, sorry I couldn’t get any faster.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, I’m going to be exhausted by the time I get back. Abe, I hate the idea that you lied to me. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not excited, but just bad timing you know.”
I patted her hair gently in apology. She didn’t move away from my touch. If anything, she leaned closer, and it made me smile.
Flight attendants started walking around, making sure the passengers had their seat belts on in preparation for take-off. I helped Brooklyn put hers on, then put on mine. Several minutes later, while the plane was in the air, the food and drinks were brought out.
I wasn’t feeling hungry myself, but I watched Brooklyn eat with delight, smiling at her the whole time. I wondered, not for the first time in the past six years, why on earth I ever let her go.
I can't make the same mistake again, I thought, losing my smile.
“Hey,” Brooklyn asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Do you have a pamphlet or something so I can see where we’re going to be?”
“Do I?” I mused. “I think I did receive one with the invite a while back.”
I went through my coat pockets. I had the invite in a folder in my pocket, and when I pulled it out and looked through it, I found what I was looking for. I handed the pamphlet over to Brooklyn so she could look it over. She looked absolutely delighted, and I imagined what she would look like when we actually got there.
This was the sort of thing I’d wished we’d had more time to do. My parents didn’t cut me off or anything while I was in college, but I was trying not to act like the son of a rich family that I was, so I always felt like I didn’t give Brooklyn all that she deserved while we were dating. I still loved the memories that we made back then, but to have the chance to make more meant the world to me.
Still, my heart was uneasy, because I couldn’t help remembering Maria’s words from earlier. When we’d finished lunch and gone our separate ways, she’d told me again to stay away from Brooklyn. Clearly, though, I couldn’t do it, because not long after that, I sent her a message, and here we were, going out on a date, even if she didn’t know it.
I had some documents I’d brought along. I had some work to do while I was in California. The wine tasting event wasn’t something I was doing purely for the pleasure of it, after all. There were a few people in attendance that I would need to talk to, so it was a convenient prop. I had been working on the deal for a month already, so even with Brooklyn there as a distraction, I could not allow things to go badly.
While I was in the middle of looking over the documents, though, I felt something land on my shoulder. I looked over, surprised, and then amused, to find Brooklyn had nodded off on my shoulder with the pamphlet still held in her hands. I sighed and reached for it so she wouldn’t drop it, then I raised the arm of the seat to get it out of the way and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, holding her closer to me as she slept, leaning back in my own seat so she would be comfortable. There was still a long way to go before we landed.
With my other hand, I held the papers and tried to read them. But soon, I couldn’t even focus because all my attention was on the woman sleeping in my arms. I ducked my head and closed my eyes as I buried my face in her hair, breathing in her scent.
She’s hardly changed, I thought, the feel of satisfaction warm in my chest.
I put the documents away, trying to jostle her as little as possible, then wrapped both my arms around her, laid my head against hers and closed my eyes. I didn’t think I could sleep, but I still felt relaxed.
When was the last time I actually relaxed? I had no idea. Usually, my days consisted of work, work, and more work. When I wasn’t working, I was eating or sleeping, or meeting other people, for a drink or whatever, and still talking about work. Taking care of a family empire wasn’t a simple thing after all.
In that moment with Brooklyn, though, where I could lay back and relax, and not think about work, it was the happiest I remembered being in a long while.
Brooklyn, I am really not going to let you go. The thought was filled with some anxiety, because no matter how much I wanted it, whether or not it would actually happen was still up in the air. I would do what I could, but if she didn’t meet me half way, then there really would be no more between us. She was clearly only in New York temporarily, and once she went back home, meeting up again might become impossible.
Always, I was used to getting the things I wanted, because I didn’t know how to give up, and I didn’t like giving up. Brooklyn was nothing like that, though. If, at the end of e
verything, I really couldn’t win her back…then I would have to watch her walk away from me again, and I wasn’t sure how I would survive it intact a second time.
Chapter Nine
Brooklyn
I blinked my eyes open, and for a moment I wondered where I was. I felt warm and comfy, and I didn’t want to move, but as I looked around, I remembered where I was.
On a plane on the way to California. With Abe.
My eyes widened and I went to move, only to be held back when arms tightened around me, keeping me in place. In a moment, I understood the situation I was in, and felt my face warm up in a blush.
Why the hell am I laying in Abe’s arms!
I held completely still, but on the inside, I was in turmoil. Laying this close to Abe brought back memories I didn’t want to have in my mind right then. I had a clear view of what I was doing with getting close to Abe again. It was so I could forget him, not get closer only for it to hurt worse later. After a long moment, I tried to struggle again so he would let go. I managed to turn around and lifted my head, only to freeze once more when I saw his eyes wide open and staring at me.
A slow smile spread on his face. “Oh, you’re awake. I thought you were just moving around in your sleep again.”