2. June
CHAPTER 2
JUNE
I end the kiss, but Ryan doesn’t let me go far. He traps my face between his hands and presses his forehead against mine. “Please, stay with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere…. but I need to speak with Melissa.”
On cue, my phone rings. Ryan releases me, and I quickly return to the living room where I left it.
“It’s her,”I say through the lump in my throat, then I answer it. “Melissa… Ryan just told me. Please tell me you have good news.”
“Nothing yet. We’ve notified the families, and some are coming to the training facility to wait together.”
My heart squeezes so tight I can barely breathe. “I-I’d like to come too.”
“Of course. How’s Ryan?”
I glance at him and find him pacing in the entry foyer, pulling his hair back at the strands with one hand. “He’s freaking out,”I whisper.
“I thought as much.Hedidn’t even let me finish talking.”
My eyes prickle. I’m feeling wretched, but I can’t begin to imaginehisagony. Jake and Lachy are his family.
“How are you?” I ask.
“I’m a mess, but I have faith they’re okay.”
“What exactly happened? How can a plane vanish?”
“The tower lost contact with them after the pilot said he needed to make an emergency landing.” Her voice trembles at the end of the sentence.
I cover my mouth. “Oh God.”
Ryan stops and whips his face to me. “What?”
I shake my head, fighting back my tears. I have to remain strong for him. “Melissa is just filling me in. It’s nothing you don’t already know.”
“We’re hoping they’re just in an area withoutphonecoverage,” Melissa continues.
“Where are they exactly?”
“They were flying over New Mexico.”
I hug my middle, hoping it’ll ease the ache in my stomach. Winston rubs his body against my leg and whines as if sensing my distress.
“There are a lot of remote areas in New Mexico. They must be out of range. That has to be it,” I say.
“Yes, it has to be. So, I’ll see you soon then?”
“Yeah. We’ll leave now.”
Ryan frowns. “Where are we going?”He seems calmer, but his eyes are still red, his cheeks moist from the tears.
“To the training facility to wait for news there.”
He nods. “Good. Could you drive? I don’t think I should.”
My nervesare shot, but out of the two of us, I’m in a better state of mind to get behind the steering wheel.
“Yeah. I can drive.”I step into his personal space and take his hand.Thisclose to him,I have to tilt my head to look into his eyes.“Everything will be okay, Ryan. I promise.”
He squeezes my hand, then laces his fingers with mine. “I believe you, Peaches. Let’s go.”
I’m glad there’s barely any traffic at this hour. I don’t go over the speed limit, but because we’re so close to the training facility, we make it there in record time.
My pulsebeatsat breakneck speed, and as Ryan and Iwalk holding hands toward the meeting room where everyoneis gathered, my heartisabout to leap from my chest.
Heads turn in our direction, and belatedlyIrealize howmeshowingup with Ryan like this looks.For all intents and purposes,I’m dating Jake, eventhoughI never confirmed that. Wendy’s eyes are red and puffy, but her gaze drops to my and Ryan’s linked hands. I don’t pull away from himthough. She can think whatever she wants.
Melissa strides toward us, and before she can say anything, I ask, “Any news?”
“Not yet.”
The vise around my heart tightens, making it harder to breathe. Ryan releases my hand to throw his good arm around my shoulder and pull me closer to him.
No sooner does she speak than someone’s phone rings, and everyone stops talking at once. A tall guy I don’t remember seeing beforeanswersthe phone. His face is solemn as he listens to the call, and the expression lines on his forehead become more obvious.
A moment later, the tension around his mouth lessens. “Thank you.”
Melissa takes a step toward him, holding her phone against her chest. “And?”
He looks at her, and I canread the relief in his eyes.“They’re okay. The plane landed safely.”
Shouts of celebration erupt in the room. Some people get up from their seats, andothers hug. I watch everything in a daze. They’re okay. Ryan turns me around and hugs me tightly, jolting me back to the here and now.
“They’re alive, Peaches,” he whispers against my neck.
I hug him back, pressing my face against his broad chest. His heart is not beating; it’s galloping at full speed. I close my eyes and take a deep breath of his scent, forgetting where I am. I move only when someone taps me on the shoulder. Melissa.
I step away from Ryan, and embarrassment makes my face hot. I sense people staring—I guess one of them is Wendy—but I focus on Melissa and her bright eyes. She’s holding back tears, and that snaps my self-control. I hug her, already crying. But they’re happy tears. My boys are okay, and they’re coming back to me.