Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
I looked around at the plush leather seats, the luxurious interior of the plane that could have seated eight, but just had the three of us.
I wondered what it was like to book something like this without thinking twice about it.
Kyle and I were seated next to each other, our seats in the back of the plane facing the cockpit. Braden sat across from us.
They were both massive, sprawling beings — their legs almost too tall even with the expanded leg room we had on this plane. I listened absentmindedly as the two of them joked around with each other, all while being entirely too focused on where Kyle’s arm brushed mine on the arm rest, on where his knee pressed against mine.
And when we took off, my stomach plunged.
Because as the plane soared up into the sky, Kyle covered my hand with his own.
And he didn’t move it.
“So, Madelyn,” Braden said when we were at ten-thousand feet. “Kyle said you grew up together.”
I blinked, hoping Braden didn’t see how intently I was staring at where Kyle’s hand was holding mine before I brought my gaze to him.
“We did,” I said, smiling. “And you two went to college together?”
“Unfortunately,” he said on a sigh. “I had to live with his smelly ass for a couple of those years, too.”
“You’re welcome for all the breakfasts I made you,” Kyle piped in from beside me.
The flight attendant interrupted us long enough to take a drink order.
“You?” I asked, not meaning to sound so incredulous when I added, “Cooking?”
Kyle pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “I’m an excellent cook, I’ll have you know.”
“He’s particularly well-versed in smiley-face pancakes,” Braden chimed in.
I chuckled, shaking my head. “I cannot picture Kyle cooking anything without burning it.”
“I’ve come a long way from the Easy Mac days,” he said, nudging my arm. “I’ll show you. When we get back, I’ll cook for you and Sebastian.”
My smile faded, stomach tightening at how easily he offered that.
I knew it was probably just for show in front of his friend. He had to sell the lie that we were a couple, after all. That was probably why his hand was still holding mine even after the flight attendant gave us our drinks.
He didn’t remove his hold on me, just took the cocktail she offered him in his other hand.
That shouldn’t have made me dizzy, but damn if it didn’t do just that. Because with Kyle’s hand around mine, it didn’t feel the way Marshall’s always had. It didn’t feel like a tether, like a restraint, like a form of control.
It was warm, comfortable, and familiar.
It was sweet with pride, as if I were some sort of catch — like claiming me in that small way in front of his friend made him sit a little taller.
“What was Kyle like when you were growing up?” Braden asked.
I blinked out of my thoughts and back to the moment when I answered. “A brat.”
He laughed at that, and Kyle smirked, not denying it.
“Did he tell you I was his babysitter?” I asked Braden.
“He did, actually,” Braden said. “I’m not surprised. I took that job once he went to college.”
Kyle flipped him off as I laughed.
“So, what do you like to do when you’re not letting this one drag you to a wedding halfway across the country,” Braden asked.
“Oh, I’m in real estate.”
Braden nodded. “That’s cool, but what do you like to do when you’re not working?”
I didn’t miss how Kyle’s eyes slid to me then, how he leaned in like he wanted to know the answer to that question, too.
“Hang out with my son, mostly,” I said. “He’s a curious kid, loves to explore. We spend a lot of time outside.”
“What do you do for you?”
Those words came from Kyle, and I tilted my gaze up to meet his.
I swallowed, wishing I had an answer for him, but I didn’t.
The truth was that Sebastian had become my world when he was born — even more so when I left Marshall. I worked hard to provide for him, and when I wasn’t working, all I wanted to do was spend time helping him learn and grow.
I loved to watch him experience something for the first time. I loved answering his questions and helping him think of even more to ask. I loved when it was just the two of us on a lazy, rainy day, cuddled on the couch and watching Cars for the fifteenth time.
When I didn’t answer, Kyle’s expression shifted, and Braden muttered something about needing to make a call. He moved to the couch toward the front of the plane, and I didn’t have time to analyze the fact that he could make a call from a freaking airplane before Kyle was tilting even more toward me, his ankle crossing over the opposite knee.