Page 25 of Gooey

“Uh-huh,” she sings sweetly. “What about the plane later, are you flying that?”

“Definitely not,” I snort. “I don’t want the liability of flying anything my parents own.”

Her mouth falls open. “So you own the helicopter?”

“Morris and I share it,” I say with a shrug.

It’s mostly used for this place, so Morris doesn’t use it a lot, even though he has the right too. We bought it together like seven years ago at this point.

“You’re like, stupid rich, you know that?” Winter teases.

“We’re stupid rich,” I correct.

My girl blushes.

“You know, I won’t be offended if you want a prenup before we tie the knot.”

“Not going to happen, sweetheart. If you decide to leave me one day, you’ll be doing it with half my shit. I’m going to take care of you for the rest of my life whether you get tired of me or not.”

“Well,” she huffs. “It’s a good thing I could never get tired of you then, isn’t it?”

“It sure fucking is.”

As soon as Winter and I step onto the private air tarmac, I spot Morris. He looks exactly like I remember. Tall and slim with his perfectly trimmed brown hair, wearing a designer suit and matching black shades. He’s the picture of a cold businessman millionaire, but his smile adds a kind of warmth that can’t be faked.

From here, I can see a small bag in his hands. Clothes from Meghan, I hope. I had asked him to bring her something warm that would fit and I’m glad I did. We’re not even on the East coast yet and her legs are breaking out into little chills. Thankfully, we’ll be hopping right on to the private jet where the temperature is controlled.

Grabbing her hand in mine, I direct my girl over to my brother. The wind is whipping her white hair all around, the locks tickling her neck and making her giggle with delight.

“There he is,” Morris greets, yelling over the sound of nearby planes and traffic. Without warning, he bear hugs me, slapping me hard on the back. “S’been too fucking long, brother.”

He lets me go without another word, pulling Winter into a more gentle, friendly hug. “It’s so good to meet you, Winter. I have clothes for you.”

“Eep,” she squeaks happily. “Thank you! I’m happy to meet you, too.”

Stealing the bag from him, I hand it to my girl and tell her to go into the plane to change. She happily agrees and rushes up the steps, ready to cover her legs, I’m sure.

“Jesus,” Morris says once she’s out of ear-shot. “I can see why you came home. She looks like a mermaid fairy-princess, man.”

Laughing at his description, I shake my head. “You have no fucking idea.”

He grins. “Did she really kiss you right after you saved her?”

“Hasn’t stopped kissing me since,” I boast, unashamed to brag to my little brother. “What about you? Have you found your fairy-princess mermaid yet?”

“Nah,” he replies with a shrug. “Might have found my prince charming, though.”

Surprise makes my eyebrows lift. “Yeah?”

“He’s a yoga instructor at the gym in town,” Morris says, a no-shit blush brightening his cheeks. “Is that… is that okay with you?”

My hands surround his shoulders. “Fuck yes, it’s okay with me. Does everyone else know?”

Letting out a relieved breath, he smiles. “Yeah, I brought him to dinner last week. I’m going to ask him to move into my place soon.”

“That’s great, Morris,” I tell him seriously. “I’m happy for you. Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

He shakes his head. “Rationally, no. I knew you wouldn’t be mad. Irrationally, I was hoping you wouldn’t punch me. Coming out late in life… it’s difficult.”

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