She smiled at him, still not looking totally confident. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I frowned, knowing who it was.
Goddamn Mia.
Kyle made sure that we were secure before he turned on the engine. Rebecca grabbed my hand tightly.
“You’re okay,” I told her, kissing her cheek.
She watched us lift off the ground. She kept a tight hold as Kyle flew us over North Reed. She relaxed a little when she saw some of the places where we used to hang out from the air. Rebecca was delighted with the view of the meadow and all the creeks and ponds before we headed away from town to see more sights.
Though Rebecca had traveled some with her family, seeing Guadalupe Mountains National Park from the air took her breath away. You could see all of it, and it made me want to take a road tour of Texas with her where we could just stop wherever we wanted. Kyle pointed out some of the most famous parts of the park, and Rebecca seemed to forget her initial fear completely. She leaned forward to see everything that she could.
Kyle flew us over some more land and pointed down to Big Bend National Park after a little while. Rebecca grinned from ear to ear, and I loved seeing her smile like that.
My phone vibrated again. I frowned and ignored it. I slung my arm over Rebecca’s shoulders and looked down at the rocks and the water below them. This was going great, and I tried to be happy for her, but the look in Rebecca’s eyes told me that she was onto me.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Did you suddenly develop a fear of heights?”
“Not at all, baby. I am an adrenaline junkie. I’ve been parasailing over the ocean, and skydiving as well. This is great.” I added a laugh at the end of my sentence, even though she didn’t seem to believe me. “Look at that giant lake.”
I wasn’t about to admit that my ex was trying to get a hold of me. I was trying to move on, for fucks sake. I had moved on. I didn’t want Rebecca involved in any part of my past, and Mia threatened everything I wanted with Rebecca. I could see the uncertainty in Rebecca’s eyes when she spoke about New York and the women that I dated there, and crazy-ass Mia would only confirm Rebecca’s doubts.
I could tell that she was uncomfortable as Kyle continued the tour, which lasted two hours. I initially thought that it wouldn’t be enough time for us, but now, time dragged for me as I tried to figure out what to do. I needed to get Mia off my ass and convince her that moving on would be best for both of us. Rebecca tried to ask me one more time what I was nervous about as the tour continued, but I snapped that I was fine.
That really silenced her and dimmed her smile. We didn’t speak at all for the rest of the flight. Kyle seemed to pick up on that and headed back before we’d seen everything that I mentioned to him. Once we were back on the ground, I shook his hand and gave him a large tip for the trouble. Rebecca waited a few feet away. Kyle waved to her and told her that it was good to see her again before he gave me a concerned look.
I thanked him again and walked to the car with her beside me. “Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked her.
She looked at me for a moment, stopping by the door. “It was beautiful, Austin. I appreciate what you did, but I wish you had enjoyed yourself, too. What was bothering you up there?”
I sighed. “Nothing, Rebecca. I was fine, but I was thinking about my dad. Why can’t you take what I do for you with grace and appreciate what I have to offer? I’ve worked hard, and my money gives me the chance to see things in a new way. What’s wrong with that? I am enjoying my life.” I opened her door.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “You work all the time. What are you enjoying, Austin? I didn’t see you wanting to run off at Christmas to leave your family and me behind for vacation. That was for a business deal.” There was anger in her voice, and I sensed that she’d been thinking more about this than she wanted to let on.
“Jesus, Rebecca. I let that deal go, and it was huge. I stayed here with Dad, and I have spent a lot of time with you. What do you want from me?” I saw something pass through her eyes before I cupped her face gently, pressing my lips to hers softly.
“I’m sorry. I know you walked away from it, and I appreciate that. I just wish…” Rebecca let her voice drift off and shrugged. “Forget I said anything.” She slipped into the car.
I sighed as I closed the door. I needed a break from this shit for a moment. My phone vibrated again, and I pulled it from my pocket. It was a text from Mia. I unlocked the screen to see a picture of her in a doorway holding a key to the hotel that Preston stayed at while he was in North Reed.
Fuck me. Mia was here? Another text came through telling me that she was in room 78 and wanted to see me Monday afternoon. She’d give up after that if it was what I wanted, but she just needed one more chance.
Austin: What the hell are you doing in North Reed, Mia?
Mia: I was passing through anyway and made an extra stop. I need to see you. Please, Austin?
She added a series of hearts and kissy faces after that, something that used to drive me nuts about Mia.
Austin: Fine. I’ll be there at two, but after this, I am done.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and looked at Rebecca staring at me through the glass. There was a look of disapproval on her face, and I walked around to get into my side of the car. “Sorry. That was a colleague from New York who has been trying to get a hold of me. I just wanted to deal with it once and for all. I didn’t mean for it to interrupt our date.”
“It’s fine, Austin.” I knew Rebecca well, and the way she sank down into her seat told me that there wasn’t all that much to i
nterrupt in the first place.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Rebecca