Page 54 of The Hero + Vegas = No Regrets

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’renot 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 Iknowall 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.

EIGHTEEN

Sophia

If it hadn’t been for Worth, there’s no way I’d be pulling up outside the hospital three hours after the call from Oliver. Hell, even if it hadn’t been a holiday, it would have taken me three times as long. But Worth waved his magic billionaire wand, and in a flurry of helicopters and private jets, here I am. And I don’t even know if I want to go in.

“Oliver says it was definitely a heart attack,” I say to Worth. “They’ve put a stent in apparently.”

“That sounds positive.”

I nod. “Yeah. I guess… he’s awake already.” Of course I’m relieved Dad’s not dead, but I don’t know if I want to go up and see him.

“That’s good.”

“It is,” I agree.

We sit in silence. Worth doesn’t push. And I don’t know what to say.

I glance out the window at the hospital, knowing both my brothers are inside. With Dad. They don’t seem to have skipped a beat as far as their relationship is concerned. They’re justbusiness as usual, like what he did doesn’t matter. Like they don’t care Dad had a whole other life that didn’t involve us.

“I don’t know if I want to see him.”

Worth squeezes my hand but doesn’t ask me why. “Do you want to see your brothers?”

Then it hits me like someone’s put a fist right through my chest. Are Dad’s other kids there? His otherwife?

Shit.

“I don’t know. I want to go in, then run back to the car if I’m uncomfortable.”

“Well,” Worth says. “Do that. I can come with you and our driver can wait here, or we can both wait here.”

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