Page 120 of For Eva

“Oh, come on. Don’t you remember what it’s like to have a newborn?”

His words stopped me in my tracks, and I turned on my heels. “Oh, I remember, Aaron.Verywell. And I’m also reminded every day that those two newbornsweonce had are now ten and fifteen and need their fucking father.”

“Why do you act like I’m not there for them?”

“Because you’re fuckingnot. We’re supposed to have fifty-fifty custody. That’s whatyousaid you wanted. But if you’ve changed your mind, let’s make it official. We can go ahead and set a court date because I’mbeyonddone with you making everything else a priority over those boys.”

“It’s just hard right now.”

“Step the fuck up, Aaron,” I said, pointing my finger at him before yanking open my car door. “I'm over these constantly shifting plans of yours. It makes them feel like shit, and they deserve much better than the father they’ve had for the past year.”

“You know I love them, Eva.”

I folded myself into the SUV. “Then fucking act like it or Iwillcall my attorn—”

“Okay. I don’t want that and neither do you.” Aaron held his hands up. “You’re right. I’ll do better.”

“I hope so.”

I shut my door and started the engine, gripping the steering wheel and taking a few deep breaths to settle the anger Aaron had ignited in me. The attorney wasn’t an impulsive threat, but it also wasn’t something I’d wanted to bring up on my way out of town.

I relaxed my hands and dug my phone out of my purse, quickly bypassing Aaron’s text.

Denise:Get your ass here ASAP. The Veuve is chilling!

I chuckled and scrolled to the next message.

Eric:Can’t wait to see you tonight. Pick you up from Denise’s at 6:30.

My anger subsided as a tingle of nervous excitement caused my skin to pebble. I was at the top of that first hill on a roller coaster, staring down at the ground far below me, ready to take the plunge. Ready to admit to Eric why I’d disappeared all those years ago. Ready to finally tell him that I loved him.

I arrived at the airport with an hour to spare. It was Saturday morning, meaning most travelers had already departed for their weekend jaunts, allowing me to breeze through security. My nerves had killed my appetite, but I knew pretzels would be my only form of sustenance on the plane, so I found a fast-food joint and forced down a breakfast sandwich and a Diet Coke.

As the announcement that my plane would begin boarding soon echoed throughout the terminal, I headed across the walkway to grab as many magazines as I could to distract myself during the flight. I scanned the rows of glossy covers and plucked thick copies ofVanity Fair,Vogue,andHarper’s Bazaaroff the shelf before moving over to the celebrity gossip rags. I grabbed several of them without much consideration since I was sure they all contained the same stories.

The cashier had just finished swiping my card when the call came for first-class passengers, so I scooped up my purchases and hurried toward the gate. I didn’t normally spring for first-class, but it was either that or a middle seat in coach, and Icouldn’t deal with being squished between two people for four hours. Not when I was already on edge.

I settled into the leather seat and wedged all but one of the magazines into the pocket in front of me. I offered a quick smile and nod to the man next to me, then flipped open the magazine on my lap, perusing the table of contents. Nothing particularly shocking like the headlines always promised.Hollywood’s Secret Diets,Twilight Stars’ Real-Life Romance,Eric Stratton’s Mystery Woman…

Wait, what?

“Ma’am?”

WHAT?

“Um, ma’am?”

“WHAT?”

I jerked my head up, startled by my own voice yelling at the flight attendant who was working the first-class cabin.

“I was just wondering if you’d like something to drink before our departure?” Her voice was small as she shrunk back into the aisle, her eyes locked on me like a frightened animal staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

My entire world was going up in flames, and she was asking what I wanted to drink? My eyes darted around the plane, searching for the nearest exit. I had to get out. A fire engulfed me, the smoke stinging my eyes and filling my lungs. I was choking, suffocating.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” The flight attendant’s face was blanketed with concern.

Say something, Eva. Say something.

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