Page 171 of Always Us

We go inside, but I can still hear Pearce talking. “You come near my family again and I’ll make sure you—”

I can’t hear the rest of what he says because Garret’s pulling me away from the door. He doesn’t want Lilly hearing any of that.

We go and sit down on one of the couches. The airport is an open space that has couches and chairs. Some TVs hang down from the ceiling. There are windows all along the back wall where you can see the private planes lined up. Lilly runs off to look out the window while Garret and I remain seated and wait for Pearce. He comes in about a minute later and sits across from us.

“Why was she here?” Garret asks him.

“She wanted to use the Sinclair jet, but the pilot told her she’s not allowed on it. William banned her from using it. She’ll have to fly commercial.”

I laugh, then cover my mouth. “Sorry. I guess it’s not really funny.”

Garret laughs. “Are you kidding? It’s fucking hilarious. Can you imagine Victoria on a regular plane? I’m sure she’ll fly first class, but still. She’s gonna hate it.”

Pearce nods toward the windows. “You two need to go. They’re loading your luggage.” We stand up and Pearce gives Garret a hug. “It was good having you home.” He lets Garret go and gives me a hug. “Come back any time. I miss having you two close by.”

I smile at him. “We miss you, too. Maybe you could come out for spring break.”

“Yes, I’ll try to clear my schedule.” He walks us over to the windows where Lilly is standing, looking out at the planes. “Honey, say goodbye.”

She turns around and hugs me. “Please don’t go.”

I kneel down and hug her back. “We’ll come back soon and see you. And your dad will take you to California, so we’ll see each other a lot.”

My words don’t seem to help. Her eyes are tearing up. She hugs Garret as he picks her up.

He kisses her cheek. “Hey, don’t be sad. You can call me whenever you want, okay?”

She nods. “I love you, Garret.”

“I love you, too.” He hugs her tight once more, then sets her down.

“Have a good New Year’s,” Pearce says.

“Yeah, you too,” Garret says. “Got any plans?”

Pearce picks up Lilly and says to her, “What do you think? Are you going to celebrate New Year’s with me?”

She nods. “Okay.”

He smiles at us. “I guess I have plans.”

Garret laughs. “Those plans will probably involve a tea party.”

Pearce laughs as well. “I imagine they will.” He walks us to the door. “Have a good trip.”

We wave goodbye, then go outside and walk toward the line of planes.

“It’s that one right over there,” Garret says, pointing out his dad’s plane.

“I don’t think I can go on that,” I say as we approach it. “It’s really small.”

Garret holds my hand. “It’s not that small. For a private jet, it’s actually large. You can’t compare it to a commercial jet.”

We get on and take the seats in the back. There are 10 seats and they’re all much larger than the seats on a normal plane. They look comfortable and luxurious, covered in a soft beige leather.

“Have you been on this before?” I ask Garret as I buckle my seatbelt.

He smiles at me. “Jade, I only flew private until I met you.”

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