28. Willa
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
WILLA
T he escalator crests the second floor of the flight terminal while I nervously slide the small gold camera charm back and forth on the chain around my neck.
I hook my other thumb under the strap of my camera backpack, ready to start the trek through the crowd.
You wouldn’t think Wednesday would be a busy day at the airport, but with Christmas this week, I guess it makes sense.
Trevor flew in from San Francisco, so he’s meeting me at the gate.
I don’t know what to expect when I see him.
It’s been a couple of days since I kissed him—since he kissed me back—but neither of us has brought it up over text.
I’m not sure where this leaves us. I know I haven’t been able to get him off my mind, but he might instantly regret everything the moment he lays his eyes on me. There’s no telling how this will go.
When I reach the top, the brightest smile flanked by infuriatingly cute dimples is waiting.
He’s standing with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his computer bag slung across his body.
His olive-green quarter zip sweater complements his auburn hair and brown skin in a way that emphasizes his radiating warmth.
He reaches up to smooth a hand down his fade, and my knees threaten to buckle.
Looks aside, Trevor’s the whole package.
I’ve never let myself appreciate it before now .
“Hey, Gem.” He wraps me in a hug and kisses the top of my head.
Giddiness flutters inside of me at the deep baritone of his voice calling me Gem.
Lightheaded, my body fuses to his, and I fall into the immense safety I feel whenever I’m tucked under his arm.
Suddenly, he goes rigid, and every doubt I had on the escalator washes over me.
“Can I still call you that?” he whispers in my ear. “ Gem ?”
The giggle that bubbles from my throat at my surprise prompts him to step back and search my face with furrowed brows. He’s worried about using the nickname that just had me swooning? “Yeah, Trev. You can still call me Gem .”
The smile stretches back on his face. “Good. I think I’d have a hard time stopping that one. It’s just your name at this point. You hungry?”
I smile and shake my head. “I already ate. I am ready to sit down, though.”
“Well, let’s go then.” He slides my backpack off and slings a strap over his shoulder.
We venture into the crowd toward the gate, my anxiety kicking up a notch.
The noise and bodies bumping into me sets my teeth on edge.
Right when I’m about to move to the outskirts of the walkway, Trevor slips his hand around mine, giving a squeeze that immediately sets me at ease.
He’s not acting any differently than he has been.
Maybe this is a good sign the kiss didn’t ruin everything.
This hand-holding thing is new though. “Almost there,” he says, and when he flashes that smile, I don’t have a care in the world.
He could lead me right into the loudest chaos, and I’d only hear his calming timbre.
It’s only a twenty-minute wait before boarding the nonstop flight to Nebraska.
We’re riding in first class, our seats the only ones in our row, and once we’ve settled, the panic I’ve been pushing down for weeks takes over.
I’m meeting Trevor’s entire family tonight.
We haven’t even discussed what’s going on with us, and we’re about to drop a pregnancy bombshell on them, dealing with whatever the resulting fallout is for the rest of the week.
Every single aspect of this trip is new territory for me.
I’ve never met a man’s parents before, so I’ve certainly never told anyone I’m pregnant with their grandchild seconds later.
“Breathe.” Trevor’s smiling at me when I meet his gaze. “You know you do this thing with your hands when you’re nervous?”
I look down at the intense clutch I have on my fingers and pull them apart, shaking them out for good measure. “I…yeah. Since I was a kid. Used to rub the skin raw.”
“Here, let me help.” He reaches over, wrapping his hand around mine and settling them on the fixed armrest between us. That same calming effect washes over me, and I can’t deny what’s happening. Trevor’s becoming a silent comfort. A subtle demand I can’t outrun anymore. “Better?”
I take a deep breath and smile back. “Yeah, but can we talk about the other day, just to get it out of the way?”
He quirks a brow. “What about it?”
“Well, I kissed you, and then you kissed me, and we haven’t talked about it…”
Trevor smirks, hooking a finger under my chin as he leans in. “You want me to kiss you again, don’t you?” he whispers.
Hell yes . The feeling of his lips on mine has been a dominant scene in the couple of wet dreams I’ve had since Sunday.
I nod, and his eyes flicker with craving as they travel down to my mouth, taking their sweet time finding their way back to mine.
Whatever’s brewing between us feels inappropriate for the front of a bustling airplane. “I think so.”
“Scale of one to ten?”
Ten . But I don’t want to seem too eager. “Uh, maybe an eight,” I say, unable to stop my teeth from sinking into my bottom lip.
His thumb trails over my chin, pulling down slightly until it releases my trapped lip. “Kissing you has been the only thing on my mind since I stopped kissing you. Let me know when it gets to ten…”
“W-what?”
“I said ”—he inches closer—“I won’t kiss you again until I know you want it as much as I do.
” His deep rasp skitters over me as his nose grazes mine, our eyes bolted together.
I’m trapped. All it would take is a few centimeters to get us to our destination.
“Not until you’re aching for it so much”—he wets his lips—“you can’t think of anything else…
” I’ve made up my mind to close the gap right as the speaker crackles above our head.
The jarring static pulls us apart, with the flight attendant who settles in the aisle next to us keeping us from diving back in.
Trevor doesn’t let go of my hand, though.
Sweeping his thumb over mine, he leaves tingling streaks across my skin as we listen to the introduction from the cockpit.
“Do you have a picture of your family on your phone?” I squeak out. The proud smirk on his face doesn’t help the pounding in my chest.
“Yep… Is that what you’re nervous about? Meeting my family?”
Nodding, I drop my eyes to my lap. “I think it might calm my nerves if I can put faces to their names.”
“They’re gonna love you.” He squeezes my hand.
“You keep saying that. Picture?”
As he leans in, the smell of his citrus and clove cologne wraps me in a cozy cocoon as he digs for his phone.
He pulls up a picture taken from Christmastime last year.
“Okay, so these are my parents, Asa and Adele.” He points to a short Black man wearing glasses and a slender Black woman with a silk press brushing her shoulders.
“Then there’s Lainey and Eli. Both students at Omaha University. We call them the twins.”
“Twins run in your family?”
“Adopted, remember?” He blows out a chuckled breath. “But still, no. It’s a long story.”
“It’s a long flight.”
“True… Okay, so about ten years after we were adopted, my parents were contacted by a social worker. My bio mom had just given birth again and gave up her rights immediately. Despite being six months pregnant with Lainey, my parents jumped at the ch ance to start the adoption process. They’re only three months apart, thus twins. ”
“Pseudo-twins. Got it.”
“This is Maya and her husband, Ben.” He points to a tall woman with light brown skin covered in freckles.
Her tight auburn curls fan around her face and down her back.
Standing next to her is a lanky Asian man with short black hair who has a protective grip on a toddler.
Trevor circles around the two little girls hugging in front of them, one redhead, one brunette.
“I guarantee Harper and Hazel—the actual twins—and baby Holland will be running all over the ranch this year.”
His voice tinkles with pure adoration as he shows off his older sister’s family. The smile on his face when I peek up at him pulls at my heart. For all of this being unplanned, I couldn’t have accidentally picked a better person to experience this pregnancy with.
“How else can I help calm your nerves?” His thumb continues those slow swipes over my skin. It’s entrancing. I’ve never felt tranquility like this with any man before. With anyone , really …
I’m surprised by a yawn. Growing an entire person from scratch is the most exhausting thing, and it’s catching up with me.
All I want to do is snuggle into the heat radiating off his body and sleep for the rest of the flight.
It’s irrational, considering first class gives me plenty of room to stretch out.
This wide-ass armrest is in the way too, but he’s warm and smells so damn good, I just want to lean my head on his shoulder.
“Come here, Gem.” Trevor untangles our fingers and tucks me under his arm.
Another yawn slips, and I shake my head. “I can just lean against the window.”
“And let this perfectly good-looking Willa pillow go to waste?” He waves a hand over his body like he’s on display. “Come on. You can sleep, and I can cuddle without you rolling your eyes at me.”
I roll my eyes despite the edges of my mouth turning up, and adjust in the seat, rotating on my hip to rest against him.
A third yawn has me nestling my head into his chest. As his quickened heartbeat slows, I snuggle into him.
His hand stroking my upper arm is a serenity song, sending calming surges through me that lull me into a restful sleep.
By the time we get to Heritage, stars are twinkling in the dusky periwinkle sky.
Snow blankets every surface as we drive down Main Street, the warm glow from shop lights rivaling a holiday winter portrait.
I wish it was light enough for me to snap a picture, just to remember how magical it all looks.
Trevor’s signature music croons quietly through the radio, and I realize I’m humming along with the catchy song. When I notice my hand tapping my leg to the beat, I curl my fingers, staring out the window to hide the grin tugging my lips. Okay , maybe I like Trevor’s music too .
“I see you dancing over there. Admit it, my music’s pretty good.”
“Yeah, maybe twenty-five years ago,” I tease. A few flurries drift past the window as he slows the rental at a stoplight, right next to a single-story brick building that spans the entire block in front of us. “Is that where you went to high school?”
“And middle school.” He blows out a breath, accelerating slowly as he turns the opposite direction.
His fingers drumming on the steering wheel pull my attention away from the window.
Hard lines mar his face, and I have the surprising urge to smooth my fingers over each and every one until he looks at peace again.
I dig my fingernails into my palms instead.
“I’ll show you around town later this week,” he says.
“We’ll be at the ranch in about twenty minutes. ”
The SUV shudders over the gravel as we turn onto a dirt road.
I grip the door handle to keep from jostling, clutching at the queasiness in my stomach with my other hand.
The baby revolted over the food on the plane.
The smell was just…not happening. And the few snacks I packed in my backpack were gone about an hour ago.
I breathe through a fresh wave of nausea.
We’re supposed to be joining Trevor’s family for dinner, so food is on the horizon.
The dense forest gives way to tall trees lining a lengthy, paved drive.
Victorian-style lampposts flank every fourth one.
My mouth drops when we pass under the giant arched entrance gate inscribed with Heritage Ranch Homestead, my gaze fixed on the stately mansion just beyond it.
There’s enough light for me to see the surface area the house takes up, and the closer we get, the wider my eyes grow.
I turn my expression to Trevor, who smirks as he shuts off the car. “So…this is the house.”
“That’s no damn house. You grew up here?”
“Yep. The Jones family were some of the first Black homesteaders here in Heritage. Dad’s ancestors were one of a few Black families who stayed amid harsh farming conditions, while others left for Omaha.
Heritage Homestead started small, but we’ve expanded on the land.
And it’s grown to be one of the most successful ranches in the area. ”
“How successful?” I ask, still staring at the mansion.
He laughs. “Successful enough.”
“Trevor…”
“ Willa …” he mocks back, smiling as he reaches for my hand. “Don’t freak out. It’s not a big deal.”
“Says the one who grew up in a motherfucking mansion! What the hell, Trev? You didn’t think this was information worth sharing when I asked about your family?”
“I didn’t think it would matter.”
“It doesn’t matter . I just don’t want to be caught off guard when I’m trying to impress your family. ”
Cocking his head, he bites the smile on his lips. I can’t believe I’m falling for those dimples right now. “You want to impress my family?”
“Of course I do. I’ve never done this before. I don’t want them to hate me.”
“That’s not possible, Gem.”
“How do you know?”
“Because there’s nothing to hate.” The genuine confusion in his eyes makes me swallow my rebuttal. I don’t think this man has a hating bone in his body. “Besides, you should be more worried about all the hugging.”
“ What hugging?”
With a smirk, he gets out of the car.
“Trevor,” I shriek as he walks around the rental. “What hugging?” There must be a distasteful look on my face because I’m met with a tickled laugh when he opens my door.
“Mom, especially. Oh, Lainey too.”
“You know I’m not a hugger…”
Shrugging, he offers me his hand. “You’re gonna get loved on this week, Willa. Consider this your warning.” He holds on tight, pulling me in close as we walk toward the estate.