Far From Home

“We’ve got a long flight ahead of us, so feel free to doze off.

I’m probably going to do the same. I usually do by the time we cross over the east coast.”

I nodded, kissed her on the lips, then settled down beside her. With any luck, I’d sleep the whole way there.

It’s really hard to sleep on an airplane while sitting up. It’s especially difficult when the kid sitting behind you decides to kick the seat nonstop. Sam slept through most of it. As for me, I’d probably need a hot shower once we arrived.

When she woke, I forced a smile, hoping she wouldn’t see the weariness in my eyes or hear it in my voice.

“Hey,” she said, her voice groggy.

“Hi yourself.”

“You sleep?” she asked, sitting up before placing the pillow on her lap.

“A lit

tle.”

She didn’t miss a beat. “I’m sorry about that. The worst flight I ever took, I had one guy next to me invading my space by hogging the armrest, then someone behind me insisting I pull my seat forward until I was sandwiched between it and the one in front of me. I was jabbed, squished, and yelled at by entitled jerks the entire time. I swore off flying for a bit, but it didn’t last long once school started.”

I sympathized. “When you put it like that, my short doze doesn’t sound so bad.”

“We’ll be able to sleep once we land. The jet lag will have you behind for a few days, but then things should equalize a

tiny bit.”

“Yeah, until we need to fly back.” I wasn’t sure if two weeks would be enough time. “I’m still amazed you can fly here, then back in one week and not suffer.”

“Oh, I do, I’ve just gotten very good at slogging through it.

But seeing as this is your first time, I expect you’ll be face-first in a pillow once we reach the car.”

“Burrowing under a pile of blankets sounds really good right about now.”

Sam nodded in agreement, then turned her attention to the front of the cabin when the seatbelt light came on. The butterflies in my stomach returned, and when Sam took my hand, I flinched.

“It’s okay,” she soothed. “Just think about how wonderful it will be to get off this thing.”

I smiled again, and this time there was no holding back a long yawn. “Looking forward to that nap.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to sleep after you meet my folks.”

Oh god.

I swallowed hard and did my best to focus on the landscape outside my window. The landing was what I’d come to expect, and once we got our bags, we went in search of Sam’s dad. He was waiting for us outside with the car still running and the wipers on.

“You girls have a good flight?” he asked, slipping back into the car when we did the same.

“Same as always,” Sam replied, smiling as she handed me her pillow.

“How about you, Taylor?” His eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.

“Exhausting, but not terrible. At least we didn’t crash.”

“That is good news.” He released a soft chuckle, one that came straight from his belly, then pulled out of the parking lot.

“You’ll have to forgive your mother, Sam. She insisted on tidying the house one last time. Taylor’s created quite the stir at home.”