Page 19 of Rider Forbidden
“Before you drink, I think we should make a toast.”
“Oh kay . . .” I just want my drink.
“I want to call a truce. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I have my own issues for disliking people with money, that I won't go into now, but I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged you before I even met you. I mean, I know I still don't know you, but I know you're a single mother, that you work for a living and work hard, and you seem like a nice person. Sophie likes you, and she’s the nicest person I know so you must be nice. So, let's have this trip to be the fresh start. Can we be friends?”
Can I be friends with him? I have to spend all this time with him I should just do the fresh start thing. But I have a voice niggling me at the back of my mind. I'm attracted to him and he’s exactly the opposite of the type of guy I want to be attracted to - but that’s not a reason to be mean to him. It's not his fault that I find him attractive . . . and hot . . . and sexy and I’ve not been laid in an awfully long time.
I clink my glass with his. “Truce. Let's start over.” I smile at him.
When we board the plane, I'm a lot more relaxed. We have easy conversation, nothing deep, but when I get buckled up in my seat next to him, I start to freak out again. The thought of leaving Eli – I’ll be in another country to him.
He must sense me tense up. “Are you afraid of flying?”
I shake my head “No, not really, although it’s a long time since I’ve been on a plane.”
“Well, what’s the matter then?”
“You'll think it's silly.”
“Try me.”
“I’ve never left Elijah before, it’s been just me and him for . . . well since he was born, and I’ve only ever left him at mums and dads one night a week since I came back, and now I'm going to another country . . . I feel sick . . . I have knots in my stomach at the thought of leaving him.”
“Hey, I’m no judge but when I saw him earlier he looked absolutely fine about you going, and he’ll have a great time with his grandparents - and isn’t he at school anyway this week?”
I nod “Yeah but still, no bedtime story, no fetching and carrying for him at teatime, doing his homework . . .”
“Stop it, you’re trying to torture yourself. You are taking four days out in his life and by the sounds of things, you deserve a little time.” He reaches in his inside pocket and brings out a hip flask. “Here, have a swig of this, it’ll calm you down.”
I gasp “How did you get that through all the checks?”
He laughs “It was empty, I asked them to fill it up at the bar.”
What the hell, I don’t even know what it is, but I grab it and take a swig, scrunching my face up when it hits the back of my throat. “What the hell is that?”
He laughs and takes a swig himself. “Southern comfort. That’ll make you forget all your worries.” He grins at me, and I feel it in parts that I really shouldn’t. It's not the Southern Comfort that’s making me forget all my worries, it's him . . . that smile.
“Thank you for being understanding and nice when I know you probably don’t understand.”
He nods and hands me the flask for another swig just as we’re pulling onto the runway. I’m going to be drunk before we take off at this rate, I'm a bit of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol - especially spirits like this.
“So, you’ve been on your own since you had Elijah? What about his dad?”
I shake my head. “It's a long story.” I don't want him feeling sorry for me.
He motions towards the plane “We have three hours Danish, come on, fill me in - it will be part of our bonding experience.”
I snort. Attractive. “Fair enough, but if I tell you all this personal stuff about me, you have to tell me some personal stuff about you afterwards. It’s all part of the bonding experience.” I smirk.
He nudges my shoulder with his. “Touché . . . you're on - but as soon as the seatbelt light goes off, we’re ordering more drinks.”
Sounds like a plan to me. “So, Eli doesn't have any contact with his dad - he never has had. When I found out I was pregnant, I was barely seeing the guy, he didn't want to know.”
“What an arsehole. So he doesn't even know the little dude?”
I shake my head. “Fuck him, it's his loss.”
He raises his eyebrows. “That’s only the second time I’ve ever heard you swear.”
