“I am not cold, but thank you for caring.” I was confused.
“No, it’s for a disguise. If Yury has figured out the Hawthorne family is involved, he’ll have people watching. This way, you look like a man.”
“I understand.” I hugged Murphy and Victoria goodbye. “Let’s go, my husband.”
We snuck out the back entrance into a waiting limo. It had been a long day and the stress of it all had caught up with me. I dosed off leaning against the window. An hour and a half later, Cota was tapping on my shoulder.
“I fell asleep. I am so embarrassed.” I fussed with my hair that had come out of the tight bun I always wore. “You must think that rude of me.”
“Not at all and, if I’m being honest, I fell asleep too.” Cota stretched. “Come on, our chariot awaits.”
I hadn’t really thought about it when they said we would meet the plane. I guess I thought it would be a commercial flight, but it was a beautiful private plane. Cota showed me to a seat where I could look out the window. The wedding and traveling had gone late into the night. In fact, it went into the next morning. The pilot spoke to us over a loudspeaker, confirming we were buckled up and that our flight would be a little over three hours.
“You have to watch the sunrise out the window. It’s truly amazing from up in the sky.” Cota took the seat across from mine. “Once we’re up in the air, you can change out of your man clothes if you would be more comfortable.”
“I think I will keep it on a bit longer. It is, after all, my post wedding outfit.” I met eyes with him. “Are you sorry you did this?”
“Not at all, I’m looking forward to getting to know you better and we’re actually helping each other.” He put his seat belt on.
“I thought perhaps there was more to this helping me.” I smiled, looking around the luxury plane. “This way of life is very, very different for me.”
“You’ll get used to it,” he smiled. “First, we’ll get time to relax in private.”
“We are going to some island, yes?”
“Not just some island. We’re going to my brother Sawyer’s very own island. His fiancée will be there some of the time, too.”
“Well then, my husband, tell me more about you.” I leaned back to get comfortable. “I only know you rescue women like a fairy tale.”
“I recently graduated from college with a degree in engineering.” He reclined his seat. “I’m close with my siblings but not as close with my parents.”
“Ah, so this we have in common,” I nodded. “I have not seen my parents in many years, only spoke on the phone.”
“Yep, sounds the same. They love me, I’m sure, they just didn’t really have time for their kids.” He closed his eyes, then reopened them. “Sorry, I was about to fall asleep.”
“We have plenty of time to get to know each other. You rest.”
“You must be very tired as well. We’re up in the air now, let me show you the bedroom where you can relax until we get there.” He undid his seat belt and stood. “I promise, you’ll be glad you rested when we get to Sawyer. He has a lot of energy.”
He showed me around the plane. The bedroom was as fancy as everything else I had seen so far. One thing for sure was that the Hawthorne family liked lavish things. Once he left the room, I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the smooth cool comforter. The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the pilot telling us to buckle up.
ChapterTwenty-Two
COTA
“Hey there, I was just coming to get you. We’ll be landing soon on the mainland but, if you look out the window, you’ll see the island as we pass over it.” I opened the window shade. “The ocean is so beautiful in this area. You’ll love it.”
“I have never been to the ocean. It is as pretty as pictures in the magazine.” She gazed out the window. “Do you swim in this ocean?”
“We can and will swim, snorkel, jet ski...” I paused, thinking of what I said. “I mean, we can do these things if you like.”
“I do not know if I like these things but, when you talk about it, I think it sounds like I will.” She turned from the window to look at me. “Will you teach me these things?”
I was at a loss for words when she turned those amazing eyes on me. All I could think about was how much she had never seen or done. Suddenly, I wanted to be the person that would take her everywhere she wanted to go. We would discover new things together, at least until our time was up and she was safe to be in America.
“I’ll gladly teach you anything you want to learn, but only if you help me with something.”
“What could I possibly help you with?” She stared at me.