Page 140 of Twisted Trails
“Fuckyes.”
“You’re acting like an addict,” she comments with a grin before taking another sip of her own.
“Maybe I am. Just not sure if it’s the caffeine or the company.”
Itslips out before I can stop it, and her lips part in surprise. For a few breaths, something soft flickers between us, but then she looks away first, setting her can down. “Bathroom’s free if you need it.”
“Right.” I duck past her, the duffel strap biting into my shoulder. “Thanks for letting me come.”
“Always.”
I pause, my hand on the bathroom door. She’s not looking my way, but my damn heart still kicks at the word.
The shower is fucking cold, and I shiver while I scrub the sleep and the nerves off my skin before I brush my teeth under the spray and try to slow my racing thoughts.
Should I have said something more?
Told her I’ve missed her?
By the time I step out in fresh clothes, the bus is chaos.
Piper is at the mini-refrigerator, arguing with Jim over what snacks to bring. Otis is rummaging in his suitcase. Mason has his arms crossed, listening to something Luc is saying, and Dane is in the driver’s seat, shouting for someone to grab the GPS coordinates.
But Alaina is still where I left her, Toulouse climbing over her shoulder now. I murmur a quick “Hey” to everybody before sliding onto the bench across from her. I rest my head against the cool window, which rattles as Dane pulls away from the gravel lot, but I’m not looking at the view.
“What are you listening to?”
Without a word, she reaches out and offers me one earbud. I lean forward and take it, slipping it in to hear the start of Sum 41’s “With Me.”
I glance at her, but she’s already looking out the window again, her beautiful profile framed by the blur of trees rushing past. For a moment, it’s just her and me and this stupid, perfect song we both know way too well.
Luc flops down beside her and casually drapes an arm over her shoulders. Toulouse makes the trek from her to him, while Luc keeps chatting with Mason across the aisle. He’s laughing about something, but I don’t take my eyes off Alaina. She blinks slowly, lashes brushing her cheeks, and her lips part slightly as the next verse kicks in.
Way too soon, I have to give the earbud back as Dane parks the bus in a secured hangar lot, and we file out toward the waiting jet. The heat is already climbing, sun beating down as the jet door opens with a hiss and a set of polished steps unfolds.
Luc whistles low. “Fancy.”
Mason mutters something about champagne and stitches. Piper pretends to swoon as Jim groans and trudges up with his duffel like a war vet heading into battle. Alaina’s hair catches in the breeze as she laughs at something Dane says before she climbs up the steps without a second glance, and I follow. She wanted me here, and if I were holding out for a sign that maybe she’s letting me back in, this might be it.
The interior is all comfort, with cream leather and polished everything. And when we’re in the air, twenty minutes later, two stewardesses are asking us for the fifth time if we’reall set.
Across from me, Piper is already asleep on Dane’s shoulder, her blonde hair falling over her cheek. He’s pretending not to smile each time she shifts and makes one of those soft, contented sounds, and it makes me happy to see. Jim is passed out on the front bench, snoring, but my eyes are across the aisle on Alaina.
She’s leaning into Luc’s side, with Otis and Mason opposite them. Her feet are up in Mason’s lap, and he has one hand holding her ankle. They’re all laughing, loudly, over something I can’t hear. Whatever it is, though, it’s gotAlaina full-body laughing, with her head thrown back, dimples on display, and no trace of pain in her face.
It does dangerous things to my heart.
Dane clears his throat. “You say you love her.” My gaze shifts to him, and he holds it for a second before he’s drawn back to Piper. “But how do you know it’s love?”
I sit with that for a second, then a little longer, because it deserves more than a quick answer.
“My ex-fiancée once got really sick,” I say finally. “It was a bad flu, and I had to take care of her for days. Which I did, obviously, but I remember sitting on the edge of the bed one night, watching her suffer, and thinking,Thank God it’s not me.”
Dane lifts his eyebrows at me.
“But with Alaina…” I shake my head. “Every time I see her in pain, I just wish it were me instead. I’d do anything to take that hurt from her. I’d carry it all if I could.”
Dane turns his eyes to Piper again.
