Page 60 of Marry Me, Right Now

“It’s normal.”

“No, it’s not.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, it really is normal. It happens to everyone now and then. Hopefully not often, or for very long, but I don’t know a single person who hasn’t gone hungry for a few days due to lack of money.” She bit her lip. “Except for you, of course.”

“I had no idea.”

“That’s the thing,” she said, leaning in. “Rich people don’t have a clue how a huge section of the population lives. And when they do hear a few details by accident, they’re horrified, then try to erase it from their minds. There are likely thousands of people across Toronto right now who are skimping on dinner because they have to make it to payday.”

I squeezed her hand again, trying to think of what to say, when the plane lurched to the right, throwing Mia against me.

She screamed, shaking as she clutched me, and I wrapped my arms around her, stroking her hair, murmuring, “It’s just turbulence, baby. You’re okay.”

Marie came running for us, making sure that we were buckled in. “The Captain is so sorry. We hit a rough patch, but should be through it in a minute.” Even though Marie was buckling Mia’s seat belt back on, she left it a bit loose because Mia would not let go of me.

The plane bucked again. “Marie, go strap in, we’re fine.”

She nodded and went to the front, as I held Mia, who was shaking like a leaf. Stroking her hair, I held her tightly. “It’s going to be fine. I’ve been through it when it’s been ten times worse.” The seats rocked a bit, then everything seemed to smooth out.

It felt so perfect holding her like this that I would have been happy to spend the rest of the flight with my arms around her, but she sat up, her face so close to mine. “I’m sorry… I can’t…”

“Breathe. Big, slow breathing.”

She nodded, but she really didn’t seem like she could catch her breath, gasping awkwardly. It was like she had overloaded on fear and the adrenaline rush was making her unable to shake it out. Watching her breathing stutter so hard was completely unnerving.

If a heart isn’t beating with any rhythm, a defibrillator shuts the heart off to reset it. What do you do when there is no rhythm to a person’s breathing?

Pulling her against me, I kissed her roughly, deeply, hopefully literally taking her breath away. She trembled with shock for a second, then melted against me, kissing me with a fire that drove me wild. Her lips parted, her tongue exploring my mouth. Her fingers gripped the back of my hair and I thought I heard the tiniest whimper over the hum of the engines.

I finally pulled her away. “Mia, are you okay? Can you breathe now?”

She nodded, slightly flushed. “Wow. I’ve only panicked like that once before. Your method of fixing me is a lot better than when Rayanne had to throw ice water in my face.”

“Glad to help,” I grinned. “Are you alright? Can I get you anything?”

“Yes, and yes,” she said, giving me a sly smile before kissing me again.

This time was softer, sultry, her fingers caressing my neck and shoulders. Her lips were so silky, as she moved them gently against mine. My hands wandered along her back, wishing I could slide them under her shirt, but not sure where the lines were anymore.

She finally pulled away, giving me a wink. “I’m still blaming that on the turbulence, and you can’t stop me.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” I grinned. I was thrilled that she was so comfortable with me, but wondered how far this would go.

She settled back into her seat, and Marie instantly appeared with more wine. “I’ve switched you to pinot grigio, as too much bubbly champagne can cause hiccups when you’re flying,” she said.

“This is why she is the best,” I said to Mia while giving Marie a wink, “She takes care of what we need when we didn’t even know what we needed.”

The rest of the flight was quite mellow, with the two of us drinking a little more wine, while Marie fed us water and snacks as she saw fit.

After about two hours, the Captain’s voice came over the speaker. “Mr. Stoneburrowes, we’ll be landing in approximately two minutes, so you might like to tell your lovely bride where we are, and look out the window on the left side.”

Mia looked at me excitedly. “Well?”

“We’re staying at Hamilton Harbor, Bermuda. Mother insisted on paying for our honeymoon, but I picked the location.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds super fancy.”

---