Page 83 of Blindsided
The drive back to the car park is quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The sun has begun its descent, casting long shadows across the mountain trail. By the time we reach the cars, twilight has settled over the landscape, turning everything soft and blue.
“We should get back to Wavecrest,” Declan says, taking charge as usual. “Make plans for Alberta.”
“I’ll ride with Kane this time,” I say, not ready to be separated from him just yet.
As we drive through the gathering darkness, Kane’s package sits between us on the console, unopened. He glances at it occasionally but makes no move to unwrap it.
“Not curious?” I ask.
“Terrified,” he admits with a wry smile. “What if it’s something I don’t want to see?”
“Like what? Her collection of creepy dolls? Proof she’s actually an alien?”
He laughs, the sound filling the car with warmth. “You have a weird imagination, Airplane Girl.”
“Just trying to prepare you for all possibilities,” I tease, glad to see some of the tension leave his shoulders.
“Speaking of possibilities,” he says, his tone shifting to something more serious. “About Alberta...”
“Let’s talk about it when we get back to Wavecrest,” I suggest. “When we’ve both had time to think.”
He nods, accepting this. “Fair enough.”
As the lights of Wavecrest come into view, I find myself wondering what I’m going to do. Stay in Ireland? Return to Toronto? Follow Kane to Alberta? Each option feels like stepping into a different life, a different future.
For now, though, I’m content to be here, in this moment, with this complicated man who’s somehow become essential to me in the span of a week. Whatever comes next, at least I’m facing it with my eyes open.
Chapter 30
Kane
The sun is dipping below the horizon as we board the chartered plane that will take us back to the MacGallan estate. I watch Kori hesitate at the stairs, her eyes lingering on the horizon as if she’s still weighing her decision even now.
“Having second thoughts?” I ask, pausing beside her.
She turns to me with a small smile. “Just thinking about how much has changed since I last boarded a plane. Last time, I was running away. Now I’m running toward something.”
I take her hand, still marveling at how naturally our fingers intertwine. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you decided to come.”
“Me too,” she says, and the certainty in her voice eases something tight in my chest.
We settled into this arrangement after hours of discussion back at Wavecrest—Kori would come with us to the MacGallan estate, stay for a few dayswhile we prepared for Alberta, and then... Well, we left that part open. One day at a time, as promised.
The interior of the plane is luxurious in that understated way only old money can achieve—cream leather seats, polished wood accents, a bar stocked with top-shelf liquor. The perks of being a MacGallan, I suppose, though I’m still not entirely comfortable claiming that identity.
Kori slides into the window seat, and I take the one beside her. Across the aisle, Declan and Wren are already deep in conversation about logistics for Alberta, while Rory and Kat have claimed the seats at the back, already pouring drinks.
“Fancy,” Kori murmurs, running her hand along the leather armrest. “I could get used to this.”
“Don’t,” I warn with a half-smile. “It’s a slippery slope. Next thing you know, you’ll be demanding caviar for breakfast and complaining about the help.”
She laughs, the sound warming me from the inside out. “I draw the line at caviar. Disgusting fish eggs.”
The pilot announces our departure, and soon we’re accelerating down the runway, Ireland falling away beneath us. I watch Kori as she gazes out the window, her profile illuminated by the last rays of sunlight. The past few days have softened something in her—the raw pain I first saw on the plane to Dublin has receded, replaced by a quietdetermination that suits her.
“I still haven’t opened it,” I say, nodding toward my carry-on where Ella’s package sits untouched.
Kori turns from the window. “Why not?”
