The Hero + Vegas = No Regrets

I click Sophia’s lap belt into place and take the seat opposite her on the plane. She’s barely spoken since we left the restaurant. I can see her mind whirring, the pain in her eyes. I want to make it better.

But how?

“This is all so expensive, Worth. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“No repayment required. There’s no way you could get to Cincinnati quickly on Thanksgiving without flying private. I’m only happy I could help.”

“I still don’t know if I can see him.”

I want to reach for her hand, but I don’t want to make her feel any kind of obligation to return my affection. Not now, when she’s confessed to feeling like she’s in my debt.

“You don’t have to see him if you don’t want to. But you can be there for your brothers and your mom.”noveldrama

“Yeah. Maybe. I just don’t want him to die.”

My insides clench. Fuck, I wish I had the power to make time stand still. I can’t bear the thought of her hurting as much as she is.

“He’s in good hands,” I say. “The best.”

“If he’s going to die, I want to have said my piece to him first.”

I leave space for her to tell me what exactly her piece would be, but she doesn’t. She just stares at her lap.

A member of the crew comes over and offers us something to drink. “Coffee,” I say. “For two. And something sweet to eat.”

Sophia offers me a small smile. “Thank you. I didn’t know I wanted exactly that until you said something.”

“You have two brothers, right?” I ask. I want to keep her out of her own head and distract her. I don’t want her to torture herself.

She snaps her eyes up to mine and nods. “Yes. Noah and Oliver.”

“Who’s the oldest?” I’m asking inane questions, but anything to keep her mind off what might be happening in Cincinnati. I hope we make it there in time for her to see her father. We don’t know yet how serious this heart attack was, though I’m sure the doctors are doing everything they can. At least he’s in a hospital.

“Noah,” she replies. “He’s… astute. You know?” She glances up at me and then away.

I nod, even though I don’t know what exactly she’s trying to say. “Sensible?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says, looking out the windows on the opposite side of the plane as we taxi to the runway. “He’s more reserved than Oliver. Oliver—well, you can tell everything he’s thinking just by looking at him.”

I smile at her, trying to encourage her to say more.

“Sounds like the three of you are close,” I say.

She frowns. “I don’t know,” she says, her gaze finally catching on mine. “I’m not sure of anything anymore.”

Another crew member brings two coffees and a bowl of M&M’s.

“You can be sure of me,” I say. She needs to know I’ll be here for her. The more time I spend with Sophia, the more protective, the more possessive, the greedier for her I get.

She lets out a wry laugh. “That’s the ironic thing about my life at the moment. I thought our family was so close, but we’re not. I love my brothers, but I’m not sure I know them. Not really. I don’t know if Noah’s dating anyone, or why Oliver complains endlessly about Cincinnati but never leaves. I don’t know if Noah’s happy. I don’t know what he’s focused on in his life. With either of them. We have a shared history and we’re familiar with each other’s faces. But beyond that?” She shakes her head. “I never realized it until recently. I thought we had this perfect, white-picket-fence family. We were the American dream. Dad worked hard to provide for us, Mom was a homemaker who worked in the library part-time when her kids got older. The only thing we’re missing is a goddamned dog.

“But actually, it’s not like that. We’re not like that. It was all just… make-believe. No, not make-believe, because we weren’t pretending. More like, I took it all at face value. I believed the lie so much it became the truth. But now the veneer is gone. When I look at us—our family, our history—I don’t know what I’m seeing anymore. I was so wrong about so much and now…” Her voice trails off, like she’s run out of words.

I don’t want to pry, but I wish she’d tell me what’s happening.

She sighs. “But you?” She meets my eye. “Somehow, I’ve known you for barely any time at all, but you’re the one I feel I know the best.” She blinks a few times. “It makes no sense. I haven’t known you long, but it feels like I see all of you… like I know all of you.”

“It feels like that for me too,” I say.

“It’s not just the sex,” she says matter-of-factly, and I nod.

“It’s more than that. I know.”

“It feels like I can count on you.”

“You can,” I say. “Always.”

A crew member collects our coffee cups and lets us know we’ll be airborne in a few minutes.

“I’m here for you, Sophia.”

She reaches across the table and threads her fingers through mine just as we begin to take off.