Page 26 of My Silver Lining

Good. She was getting under mine, so if she wanted to play dirty, I’d do the same.

I made sure to allow some time to get myself off in the shower this morning before spending the weekend with this sexy as hell, aggravating, pain in my ass.

Yet I was still wound tight. I closed my eyes, and we were both silent through takeoff.

Beverly brought out two bottles of sparkling water and two glasses of champagne, along with a basket full of snacks, including a bowl with popcorn, and a bag of M&M’s for Lulu, along with a giant bag of gummy bears.

My brother, Bridger, had a shit ton of money, and I’d been on private planes and helicopters many times, but that had never included personalized snacks. The Sonnets were definitely next level.

“Bugles are an all-time favorite of mine, too, Rafe,” Beverly said with a big grin on her face.

We both thanked her before she walked away. “See, even Beverly favors my snacks.”

“Fine. I’ll try one Bugle and one Funyun, and you have to try mine, and we’ll see who has better taste.”

“Give me your hand,” I said, holding mine out to her after I took a sip of champagne. “Damn, that’s the good stuff.”

She rolled her eyes and held out her hand after I tore open the bags. I placed a Bugle on each of her fingers, and she did not hide her irritation. She pulled her hand to her mouth and ate one. And then another. “You gave them too much credit. I tried two, and I’m unimpressed. Take these ridiculous Bugle hats off my fingers.”

I leaned down and covered her middle finger with my lips, making sure to go much farther than I needed to. I sucked on the bottom part of her finger before pulling my lips over the crispy goodness and chewing. She stared, acting completely unaffected before glancing over her shoulder to see if Beverly was around.

“That was smooth, lover. But no one is watching right now,” she whispered.

I leaned down and took her ring finger into my mouth and did the same, holding her hand firmly in mine, before doing it one final time. “You never know, Wildcat. We need to be ready.”

She licked her lips and tugged her hand away, taking a sip of her champagne. “For the record, when I referenced my ex, it was because the last time he flew on this plane, he got wasted and vomited everywhere before passing out. He was obnoxious and awful, and when I got off the plane in the Hamptons—because we were celebrating back East—I had Jerry fly Beckett back home. He woke up in California and wasn’t too happy about it.”

That had the corners of my lips turning up. “What an asshole.”

“You have no idea.”

We made small talk for the next twenty minutes, and I tried her food options, and unlike her, I told her she had good taste in snacks because the popcorn mixed with the chocolate was fucking perfection. “The gummy bears are not my favorite. They get stuck in my teeth.”

“Well, that makes it a snack for later,” she teased.

“Do you need anything else?” Beverly asked as she moved beside where I sat in the aisle seat. “Jerry said we will be landing soon.”

“I think we’re good. We’ll tuck the rest of the snacks into our backpacks,” Lulu said, as Beverly cleared away the champagne glasses.

We continued talking until we were on the ground.

“Remember, if you think of any random fact that might come in handy, just text it to me as you think of it, and I’ll do the same. There’s still a lot that Charlotte could ask that we haven’t covered,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“It’s a birthday celebration for your grandfather, right? Do you really think anyone is going to give a shit about what’s happening here?”

She chuckled. “I’ve been the topic of conversation most of my life. I don’t quite fit the mold of the Sonnet family, and thanks to my trainwreck ex, my cousin has taken a deep dive into myfailures. She’s also not super close with Gramps. I think he sniffs a fraud. She acts sugary sweet but is anything but, and I think she resents my relationship with him. So, buckle up, Rafael. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

My God. She acted like we were heading into battle.

We said goodbye to Beverly, and Jerry gave Lulu a big hug as we made our way toward the exit.

“I’m happy for you. You look well,” he said before offering a hand to me. “You’re a very lucky man. She’s the best.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I pinch myself daily.” I leaned forward and wrapped a hand around the side of her neck and kissed her cheek.

“Oh, my. Aren’t they darling? Your parents are going to love him,” Beverly said.

Damn. I was clearly cut out for being a fabulous fake boyfriend.

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