Page 41 of Something Unforgettable

“Hey,” Ev said, a frown on his face. “Don’t get so wrapped up in your shit that you forget he’s with you.”

Xavier blinked. The thought had never crossed his mind. “That’s very specific.”

Ev crossed his arms and scowled. “I told you. I worry.”

Xavier needed to get on the road. “All right. I promise.”

That seemed to appease the boy well enough. He and Micah waved as Xavier got behind the wheel and they took off.

Finnwasn’tsurehe’dmade the right decision. First of all, leaving Pops in that hospital room had felt all kinds of wrong. Not that he didn’t trust his friends, but what if Pops needed him? Or got confused because he wasn’t around? Finn was all he had anymore. He’d tried to hide how anxious he was, especially since Pops had ordered him to go—and he wanted to go, he did—but he knew Ev had picked up on it. He’d given Finn an extra-long hug when they’d said goodbye and reminded him he could call anytime.

Xavier was on the phone coordinating the flight and then checking in with Asher. Finn had heard that name before. Asher was Xavier’s personal assistant and he was in LA right now, dealing with the emergency that Xavier was flying out to fix. Finn picked up bits and pieces. Something bad had happened with Remy Dalton, the actor Ev and Micah liked so much, and it had changed other plans. Plans that Xavier now needed to adjust.

Finn took out his phone and pulled up the search bar. The first result that popped up had a photo of the handsome actor standing somewhere dark with a brick wall behind him, a cigarette between his lips. His salt-and-pepper hair and thick beard set off the bright blue of his eyes. The big, bold headline read: REMY DALTON DATING JACKSON KENNEDY? JACKSON SPILLS THE STEAMY DETAILS IN WILD INTERVIEW!

Remy Dalton was gay? Or bi, maybe? Ev was going to freak out. He skimmed the article, which was much more focused on Remy than it was on Jackson Whatshisname. Finn cringed. Getting outed was horrible enough. He couldn’t imagine having it happen in front of the whole world.

When he looked up from his phone, they had reached the airport—but instead of parking the car, Xavier kept driving. He was still on a call, so Finn couldn’t ask where they were going. He figured it out when they passed a sign for Business Aviation Support. They were flying private. The smaller hangar they stopped in front of was quiet compared with the bustle of the main terminal. Xavier pulled up and got out of the car, walking around it while Finn was still taking off his seatbelt. He opened the door and helped Finn out, then put a hand to the small of his back, steering him toward a plane sitting on the runway with a staircase at the side.

“Our bags?” Finn asked, looking back toward the car.

“Someone will bring them,” Xavier said as he scrolled on his phone, his expression darkening. “Damn it,” he bit out, then jammed the phone into his pocket as a man in a uniform approached them.

“Mr. DeCain, we’re ready to go when you are.”

“Thank you, Bobby,” Xavier said, shaking his hand. “Sorry about the short notice.”

“It’s no problem, Mr. DeCain.”

Xavier took Finn’s hand and led him up the steps. He had to duck a little to get through the door, but Finn didn’t have that problem. Inside, everything was cream-colored leather and warm, brown wood with chrome accents. It looked more like a fancy living room than an airplane. There were long couches down both sides of the cabin and four big leather seats at the back that were more like what he expected an airplane to have. Past that was what looked like a bedroom, though it was hard to see with a sliding door partially blocking the entrance.

Xavier headed for one of the seats at the back, Finn’s hand still in his. Finn felt a little like a child being towed along. He tried to ignore it. Xavier was dealing with a crisis and he didn’t need Finn to distract him.

Xavier got Finn settled in one of the big leather seats, did up his seatbelt, then dropped an absent kiss on the top of his head before walking back to the front of the plane to speak to Bobby.

Finn turned to the window. Someone was walking over with their bags, like Xavier had said. How weird was that? Finn had been in plenty of airports growing up, and dealing with luggage was always the worst part. Xavier hadn’t given it a second thought. It must be nice.

Finn didn’t mind flying, though the smaller planes weren’t his favorite. Still, he’d never been on one quite this nice, so maybe it would be better than he remembered. While he was waiting, the same man who had brought their bags to the plane appeared next to him and asked for his drink order. Xavier was still up at the front. Finn hesitated, then asked for a soda. He needed the caffeine. When the flight attendant returned with his drink, he also handed Finn a safety card and went over what to do in an emergency. It wasn’t all that different from things he’d heard before, but having it explained just to him was a trip. According to the flight attendant—sorry, cabin attendant—Ethan, Xavi was very familiar with the plane and didn’t need the explanation again. Finn couldn’t wrap his head around that.

A few minutes later, the door at the front thumped closed and the sound inside went muffled. They started to move, but it was so smooth that Finn would have missed it if he hadn’t been looking out the window. Xavier returned and settled in the seat next to him.

“Sorry, I should have introduced you to Bobby and Ethan,” he said.

Finn shrugged. That wasn’t necessary, but it was nice of Xavier to consider it. He reached for Xavier as the plane turned and then began to pick up speed.

Xavier laced their fingers together and pressed a kiss to the back of Finn’s hand.

Finn relaxed against the plush leather seat, his head turned so he could watch Xavi. “How long is the flight?”

“About five and a half hours, give or take,” Xavier said, raising his voice to be heard over the thrum of the engines. “We have snacks on board, but there wasn’t time to bring a full meal.” He grimaced. “I should have thought to stop for something.”

Finn appreciated the thought, but he would be fine. Stopping for food would have slowed them down, and Xavier needed to get to LA as soon as possible.

“Don’t worry about me, please. I’ll be fine with a snack.”

Xavier squeezed his hand again and turned to face the front.

Finn’s ears popped twice as they gained altitude, but he was impressed. It had been so smooth, with none of the bouncing and rattling he was used to on commercial flights. Once they leveled out, Xavier released Finn’s hand and pulled out his laptop.

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