Page 21 of Rhys

“It was a freak accident.”Like a one in a million chance.“They were down in Branson, Missouri on a mini vacation. Mom surprised Dad with a helicopter tour.” Vanessa smiled sadly. “They’d been down there a few times before, and he’d always wanted to go. But Mom…” Her voice cracked. “Mom was too scared. Next time, she’d always tell him. Of course, she never followed through. It ended up becoming a running joke between the two of them.”

“How did your dad end up convincing her to go?”

“He didn’t.” She chuckled softly. “It was actually Mom’s idea. She called me one day out of the blue. It was spring semester of my freshman year at the University of Lincoln. God, she was so excited and couldn’t wait to see his face when she told him.”

“What changed her mind?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I suspect it had something to do with a close friend of theirs passing away a few months before. Life is short, and all that maybe. Either way, her mind was made up. She surprised him with the trip that very next weekend. They took the chopper ride on their very last day there.”

“Do they know what caused the crash?”

“A bird.”

“Abird?”

“Red-tailed hawk.” Vanessa nodded. “That’s what the pilot reported during his mayday call. According to the official incident report, the hawk hit the top of the chopper, causing catastrophic damage to the pitch change link. The helicopter began to shake uncontrollably, which caused the rotor and transmission to break apart. They started spinning at such a high rate of speed, the tail broke off and they crashed into the Ozark Mountains.” She blinked quickly against the sudden stinging in her eyes. “They say Mom and Dad both died instantly, along with the pilot. Which I hope, for their sake, is true. Still, I can’t help but imagine how horrifying those last few minutes had to be for them.” A tear did escape then, but she rushed to swipe it away. “Especially my mom.”

“I’m sorry.” Rhys whispered the soft condolence.

“Thanks.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Anyway, that’s the real story about my parents. So what’s next? What else would you like to know?”

He opened his mouth to no doubt continue his interrogation, but a ringing doorbell cut him off at the pass.

“Hold that thought.”

Vanessa watched as he walked across the living room and to the condo’s front door. Reaching behind his back, he pulled the pistol from his waistband and held it down at his side.

“You expecting company?”

Rather than respond right away, Rhys leaned in and checked the tiny peephole. He waited a beat before returning the weapon to his lower back and opening the door. Bending down, he pick something up and then used his booted heel to shut the door behind him.

“Not company.” He held two large pizza boxes with ease. “Food.”

Right on cue, her stomach began to growl. It had been several hours since she’d had anything to eat, and now that the immediate danger had passed and she was in a relatively safe place, her body was more than ready to refuel.

The savory aroma nearly had her moaning as he walked by. “That smells amazing.”

“Thought we could both use some sustenance. And, thanks to the restaurant’s app, I was able to pick the contactless delivery option.” When she didn’t comment, he added, “Figured the fewer people we interact with, the better.”

“Smart.”

Setting the boxed pies down onto the counter, he set them side-by-side before flipping open the lids. From where she sat, Vanessa couldn’t see what kind he’d ordered, but the rolling steam billowing up into the air was all she needed to know.

It’s food and its hot. That’s good enough for me.

“I’ll get us some plates.” Rhys went to one of the upper cabinets behind him and pulled out one for each of them. Not bothering to ask what kind she wanted, he placed two generous slices onto one of the plates before placing it—and a napkin she hadn’t seen him grab—down in front of her.

“I took a guess.”

The comment confused her until she looked down. Momentarily slack jawed, her heart when she saw what kind of pizza he’d ordered.

“Pepperoni, sausage, and banana peppers.” Her eyes met his with a smile. “You remembered.”

Back when they’d been together, they’d once talked about the foods they missed the most from back home. Without a doubt, the one thing Vanessa couldn’t wait to eat again was a pepperoni, sausage, and banana pepper pizza.

“Like I said…” He plated two pieces piled high with various meats. “I guessed.”

The sexy man may have shrugged off the sweet gesture, and she may have decided to let him. But deep down, Vanessa’s heart warmed with the knowledge that he’d held on to their shared memories as tightly as she had.

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