Chapter 4
four
Cheri
“Is everything okay?”
I turn toward my seatmate. Concern fills his dark gaze.
“Yes,” I answer and blow out a breath. “Family sucks sometimes, you know?” I tuck some of my hair behind my ear and smile.
I can picture my mother’s horrified expression if she saw me right now.
I need to go to the restroom and fix my appearance.
Good thing my brothers didn’t do a video call, then I’d have a lot more to worry about if they saw my outfit—it’s not even close to the usual princess look that’s required at home.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Sometimes, talking to a stranger helps.
If you need to vent, I’m happy to listen.
We weren’t formally introduced; I’m Harry.
” He holds his hand out to me. I hesitate for a moment before placing my hand in his.
It’s warm, dry, and soft. He squeezes it slightly before letting go with a smile.
Oh yeah, he’s waiting for me to share who I am.
Hmm. The truth is always iffy; depending on where he’s from, he might know my family, and that’s never a good thing.
“I’m Cheri. And I appreciate the offer, but it’s just normal brother/sister stuff.”
Harry tilts his head slightly as if analyzing me. “I’m familiar with that dynamic. My children fight all the time. I’d hoped they’d grow closer when they grew up…” He doesn’t finish his sentence and gets a faraway look.
“I’m sure they still love each other. I love my brothers, they’re just so bossy.” It’s more than I should share; my family is like the Gallants and keeps things as private as possible, but I can’t help feeling he needed reassurance.
“I think you’re right. Just a thought, if they’re bossy it’s probably because they care and want to protect you.”
Harry is right. I know he is, but it doesn’t make it easier to swallow when they are being total jerk-burgers. And it definitely won’t be easy if they show up at the mountain. I’d like to think they were messing with me, but, like Enzo said, they never say what they don’t mean.
This is not at all how I expected today to go when I woke up.
Writing—that’s what I was supposed to do today.
What I should be doing now. I glance at the laptop, and the document is open and waiting on the screen.
Oh Merda. Big as life on the screen is the title Seth’s Baby Girl, Littles of Snowdrop Falls by Cheri Anderson.
Did Harry see that? Slamming the cover down, my face heats again. I swear you’d think I was in menopause with all the hot flashes I’ve had since I got onto this plane.
After tucking the computer into my pack, I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I need to use the restroom. Sorry to bother you,” I say to Harry as he looks up from his tablet. I can’t see the screen, but I pray that he’s not looking up my books. He wouldn’t, would he? Could this day get any worse?
“No problem, Cheri.” He releases his seatbelt and stands to let me pass
I drag my backpack with me and walk down the aisle to the tiny bathroom. Airplane bathrooms terrify me. I’ve had nightmares about being sucked into the air and falling to my death. That’s not dramatic at all.
After locking myself in the bathroom, I moan at my reflection.
The ponytail that was so sleek this morning is loose and barely holding on for dear life.
Dark circles are smudges under my eyes—raccoon much?
Even with my Italian blood, my olive skin appears ghostly under the fluorescent light.
The toilet seems innocent enough, but I know what it’s capable of.
I turn on the water at the sink to help, then brace as I pull down my jeans and sit down.
Even with the water running, it takes a hot minute, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I’m all done and didn’t get sucked out into the sky.
After freshening up, I redo my hair, add a swipe of my cherry-flavored lip gloss, and add some blush so I don’t look quite so washed out.
My reflection approves. I pull Maxy out of my pack and give him a tight squeeze, burying my face in his soft golden-brown fur and inhaling.
He smells like home—lavender and a hint of roses—my two favorite scents.
“Thank you for having my back, Maxy.” He gives me his usual stare, which I know says, “Always.”
“You have to stay hidden for a while longer. When we get to the mountain, I’ll try to give you a tour. I’m sorry you can’t watch out the window.” I know he loves being able to see outside, even if it’s just at clouds.
One more kiss on his face, and I tuck him inside, make sure I didn’t leave anything behind, and head back to my seat.
When I settle into my seat, I put my backpack on the seat next to me and take out my computer.
I click on my file and open it after a glance to make sure Harry isn’t watching.
It’s time to give Gabi and Seth the relief they’ve been waiting for.
I hated to leave them hanging in the middle of the spicy scene, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.
After finishing their love scene, Seth cleans her up, then wraps her in his arms and cuddles her against his muscular chest. I smile at the screen, and a happy sigh escapes me. Cavolo.
Did Harry hear that? Nope, he’s sleeping, thank goodness.
I did not want to have to explain that or have him look at my screen to see what I was writing.
I need to invest in one of those privacy screens.
Since I normally write at home or in the coffee shop, it’s not an issue, but it would be good for times like this.
Re-reading the last couple of paragraphs, I make a few tweaks to the text and then sit back and bask in my character’s cuddle session.
This is one of my favorite parts—aftercare.
I’ve only had sex with one boy. It was during my sophomore year of college.
A frat boy who thought he was the shit. He wasn’t.
And I doubt he’d know what aftercare was if it bit him on the ass.
Book boyfriends are the best—everything we want and nothing we don’t.
I’ve read a few dark romances that got my pulse racing and gave me nightmares.
Nope, I’m a softy, and I don’t watch horror movies, either.
I shudder, remembering the time my brothers took me to see one when I was younger. I had nightmares for weeks.
When the flight attendant announces that we’re preparing to land, I’m surprised the rest of the trip went without incident.
I keep hoping I’ll hear from Jac, but if she got married, she’s probably busy with her new husband.
The girl is in for some surprises if Andrew is like she described.
Dominant, but is he a real Daddy? Time will tell.
We’re going to need major girl time so Jac can spill all the tea.
It’s crazy that just this morning I was wondering whether Daddies were real or unicorns.
How did I miss all the signs from my brothers?
Are other men I know Daddies, too? Hmm. How do they find their Littles?
Are there really BDSM clubs that have Littles’ areas?
Or do they have some kind of Daddy radar that helps them find their Little?
It’s the way it happens in books, but I know better than most that fiction isn’t remotely close to real life.
Once I’ve turned off my phone and laptop, I put them into my backpack and stuff it under the seat in front of me. Then I double-check my seatbelt and try to relax. The flight was okay after I stopped texting with my brothers; too bad it won’t be that easy to get rid of them entirely.
We arrive on time. A couple more hours and I’ll get to see Jac.
Joy bubbles up in my tummy thinking about it.
I barely restrain shouting, “Yay,” when I see that the connecting flight is on time.
Asheville, here I come. There’s plenty of time to find my new gate and board the plane—at least, I hope there is.
I’d rather not have to run through another airport today.
“Is this the end of your trip, Cheri?” Harry asks as we wait for permission to exit the aircraft.
“Uhh, no. I have a connecting flight. How about you?” He seems nice, but I don’t know him. The less he knows, the better.
“This is home for me. I hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly. Don’t let your brothers stress you too much,” he answers, then stands to grab our suitcases from the overhead bin.
“I will or I won’t.” I grin and reach for my carry-on bag. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” He offers me a gentle smile, then backs into the aisle to allow me to pass in front of him—a true gentleman. Maybe he’s the unicorn, I think, and grin again as I wave goodbye to him.
After checking the departures board near my gate, I find my next flight is on time and will board in ten minutes.
It’s on a different concourse—of course—Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta is ridiculously large.
If I ever had a connecting flight in the same terminal as my previous flight, I’d probably faint.
I find my gate with time to spare and take a quick detour to the bathroom.
The last thing I want to do is have to go on the plane again.
Taking my life in my hands once per journey is my maximum.
After taking care of my potty business, I check my reflection.
My T-shirt is a little wrinkled, but not too bad.
My hair still looks okay, but a few tendrils have gotten loose.
I’ll fix them before I take the car to Gallant Mountain.
Opening the zipper on my backpack, I check in with Maxy.
“You doing okay in there? It won’t be much longer.
Then we’ll get to check on our bestie and make sure she’s good.
” He agrees. Since we’re alone in the restroom, I give him a kiss on the head before tucking him back inside and closing the bag.