Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Me
Hi. I hope your flight went well. Let me know when you land.
I’m a simp for her, and I don’t even care.
Harlow and I have spent every night together since New Year’s, but we knew this trip would force us apart.
In an ideal world, Harlow would be here, at the private resort for Savannah and Theo’s wedding.
We didn’t know until we arrived that Theo’s younger brother, Sullivan—Van, as his family calls him—rented out the entire resort, so it’s a bit funny that there are more staff than guests around.
It also allowed Jack to be comfortable in bringing his own surprise to the wedding—country pop star Tinsley Sinclair.
He even introduced her as his girlfriend, which I’m sure his best friend, and Tinsley’s older brother, Wells Sinclair, must have thoughts on that new development.
Privacy is key for someone like Tinsley, and even Jack strongly prefers to stay out of the spotlight whenever possible.
I don’t want to be in the spotlight either, but I’d choose to be wherever Harlow is if I had the choice, minus, of course, missing Savannah and Theo’s wedding.
Theo and his daughter Gigi are a great addition to our family, and there’s no way I would miss it.
I may be falling head over heels for Harlow, but I am not a moron. I would not want to face the wrath of Bridezilla Savannah. She can be scary on a Tuesday, let alone her wedding day.
So far, she has been surprisingly calm, though, and hopefully that continues.
It may also be Cami’s influence. She led a yoga session this morning on the beach, and I was so impressed with how calm Sav was, and that our dad tried yoga for the first time in his life.
She’s still Savannah, though, so anything is possible, and I’m choosing to sit next to one of my other two sisters when I have the choice.
We have an hour before the rehearsal dinner, and I just slipped to my villa to shower … and hopefully connect with Harlow.
Vivian and Savannah are friends with Harlow through their book club—which led to the best plot twist of my life in Savannah’s kitchen almost four months ago.
Harlow was invited to the wedding, but it was all so last minute, and unfortunately, Harlow was already scheduled to speak at the Annual Forensic Psychology Symposium in San Diego months ago.
Despite the scheduling conflict, Harlow was looking forward to this event because not only would she get to speak on a panel with her good friend, Aisha, but she also had other professional colleagues she was looking forward to seeing.
But an unexpected development with a case in Phoenix led to a request for Harlow to consult, and it was all very time-sensitive, so of course, she said yes.
She always says yes to helping if she is able, even if it means giving up something she wanted for personal reasons, like being in the same city as Aisha for once.
I stare at my phone, trying to will her to respond. She should have already landed, and I don’t want to bug her; I just want to hear that she made it to Phoenix safely.
As much as I try not to dwell on it, I know the nature of her job is dangerous, and I find myself worrying about more than just her overall well-being—I worry about her safety.
Vivian told me that’s part of being with someone in this field, but I have to trust that they are competent, intelligent, and they also want to get back to us just as much as we want them to.
The vibrating of my phone makes me sit up straight.
Harlow
Hi, sorry for the delay. Our takeoff ended up being late, and then we hit turbulence. It was not a great flight, more like a flight from hell. Maybe I’ll drive back to TN!
Me
Are you ok?
Me
Glad you made it safely, sorry to hear about your flight though.
Harlow
Yeah. Maybe I was just spoiled last month flying private.
Me
I can make that happen again. Just say the word.
The bubbles pop up, then disappear without coming back. But then her name and face light up my screen. We were out to dinner the other week, and she looked so beautiful with the candlelight dancing off her skin. I asked her to smile so I could take a photo and set it to my contact photo for her.
She’s always beautiful when she smiles, but that specific smile? It feels like mine.
She … she feels like mine.
I wish she could be here, but we seem to have bad luck when it comes to my siblings’ weddings. First, we missed the opportunity at Vivian’s wedding, even though we were both there, and now she was invited to Savannah’s, but isn’t here.
If Jack and Tinsley don’t work out, maybe Finn can meet someone, and I will finally get to dance with Harlow at a wedding. What’s that saying—third time’s a charm?
“Hey,” I answer before I get lost in my thoughts.
“Hi, Ryan. I thought it might be more efficient to just call you while I walk to where the local agent is picking me up. Whew, what a flight!” Harlow huffs into the phone, and I can hear the announcements of the airport in the background.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I am. The pilot did his best, but we hit some storms somewhere over Oklahoma City.” She chuckles before adding, “And I may or may not have held the hand of my seat mate that was a very sweet elderly man who was not a fan of flying.”
“Oh, do I need to be worried?”
She laughs and I feel my shoulders lower.
She’s okay.
“I think you are safe, Ryan. Once he learned I was a doctor, we had an overwhelming personal conversation about his medical history, including but not limited to him showing me a spot on his foot—yes, his foot, on an airplane—that his doctor said was an age spot, but Wallace was convinced it was cancerous.”
I chuckle at the image. “Did you tell ol’ Wally that you aren’t a dermatologist or an oncologist?”
“Oh, trust me, I tried. But honestly, then it got worse when he heard FBI because he is convinced his neighbor’s grandson is running an internet scam.”
“Maybe he is.”
“It’s entirely possible, but I gave him the number for his local field office in Phoenix to file a report.” She sighs.
She sounds tired. We haven’t seen each other in thirty-six hours, and maybe she’s struggling to sleep, just like how I tossed and turned all night.
“I see my contact, though, so I should let you go. Is everything going well there?”
I grin at the idea of her learning about Tinsley Sinclair being here, but I know this is not the time. She’s getting into the zone, and she can rant and rave at me for keeping this from her later.
“Everything is great, and even Savannah is having a good time, which means everything is going incredibly well.”
“Good. They deserve it. I can text you later whenever I get to my hotel, but I’m not sure what time it will be, and with the time difference—”
“Lo? Just text me when you can, okay?” I interrupt.
“Okay,” she softly replies.
“Please be safe, and I’ll talk to you soon, alright? Now, go be the badass I know you are.”
She laughs at that. “I’ll do my best.” Which means she’ll be phenomenal. “I’ll speak with you later, Ryan. Tell everyone hello for me.”
I hum to acknowledge her request. “Looking forward to it, Lo.”
And counting down the minutes until she’s back in my arms again.