Chapter 13 #2
The jet rumbled forward, slow at first, rolling onto the runway. Engines roared, the cabin pressing back as speed built beneath us. Hazel shifted, her tiny fingers curling against the blanket, and Violet sucked in a breath, waiting for the inevitable.
The nose lifted. The shift in altitude pressed against my head.
Hazel sucked on her dummy, unbothered.
Violet exhaled so hard it almost counted as a laugh.
I smirked. “Told you there was nothing to worry about.”
She shot me a look, but didn’t argue. Just sagged back into her seat, her grip on the armrest finally loosening.
“Can I get you anything to start?” the flight attendant asked once we’d finally leveled out. “Drinks, food?”
I tapped my fingers against my knee. “You got coffee?”
“Of course.”
“Black, two sugars. And—” I glanced at Violet. “She’ll have tea. Something ridiculous like chamomile.”
Violet turned her head so slowly it was almost impressive. “I can order for myself, thanks.”
I grinned and waited.
“Chamomile, please,” she said to the flight attendant, ignoring me.
I smirked as the attendant nodded and stepped away.
Violet shook her head. “I regret every decision that led to sitting next to you.”
I stretched my arms overhead, rolling out my shoulders. “So, what’s the plan? You gonna hover over Hazel the whole flight, or do I get a turn at playing responsible parent?”
“I don’t hover.”
I considered her. “You don’t sit still either.”
Her jaw twitched like she wanted to argue, but she said nothing.
I smirked. “That’s what I thought.”
She sighed. “You do realize you don’t have to fill every moment with noise, right?”
“Carter, this is conversation.” I gestured between us. “Two people. Talking. Perfectly normal human behavior.”
She arched a brow. “No, it’s you trying to get a rise out of me so you don’t have to sit with your own thoughts.”
That was… uncomfortably accurate.
The flight attendant returned and handed us our drinks. I knocked back a mouthful of coffee, burning the roof of my mouth.
“And here I thought we were bonding,” I muttered.
“I think we’ve bonded enough.”
I hummed, amused. “You think?”
She turned toward me properly for the first time since we sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “We live together, I manage your schedule, and I take care of your daughter. I think if we bond any further, we’ll have to start filing joint taxes.”
I choked on my coffee.
Violet pressed her lips together, fighting a smile.
I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, forcing a grin. “Christ, you’re quick,” I muttered, my voice hoarse. “Warn a bloke before you throw something like that at him.”
She shrugged, casual, like she hadn’t just sent my brain into a tailspin. “Not my fault you’re easy to catch off guard.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.” I leaned back against the seat, my heart racing harder than it should have. Like I hadn’t spent a solid five seconds wondering why the thought of being tied to her hadn’t sent me running.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Silence settled for a beat. A moment of rare, actual ease.
Then Hazel stirred.
Violet’s body reacted before her mind could, spine straightening, hands twitching. Ready to jump in, fix it, stop the inevitable.
I caught her wrist before she could move. “Wait.”
Her brows pulled together. “Griffin—”
“She’s not crying.”
Hazel made a small noise, shifting against the blanket, then settled again.
I smirked. “See? We made it past takeoff without disaster. Told you there was nothing to worry about.”
She sagged back into the seat. “She’s too tired to fight sleep.”
“Like someone else I know.”
She glared at me. “Not happening.”
“Give it twenty minutes.” I grinned, tapping a finger against her armrest. “You know, if you really wanted to fight off sleep, you’d have picked coffee.”
Violet’s gaze darted down to her cup. Her eyes widened and then she scowled.
I leaned in, lowering my voice. “You went with the sleepy-time tea, Princess. Rookie mistake.”
Her fingers tightened around the cup.
“I wasn’t thinking about it,” she muttered, mostly to herself.
“Clearly.” I tipped my coffee toward her in mock sympathy. “Amateur move, really.”
She sighed, jaw clenching. “I hate that you caught that before I did.”
I grinned. “Don’t feel bad. You’re running on fumes. You set yourself up for this one.”
Or she’d been too tired to question it.
She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile this time.
She fought off yet another yawn and failed spectacularly.
“You should sleep.”
She blinked at me like I’d suggested she jump out of the plane. “I’m fine.”
“You’re exhausted.”
She shot me a glare. “You’re one to talk. You’re racing in one of the hardest races of the season in a few days.”
“And I’ll sleep at the hotel.”
“You should sleep now.”
“Can’t. Someone has to watch Hazel.”
“I’m watching Hazel.”
“You’re barely keeping your eyes open, Carter.”
Hazel made a small noise from the bassinet and Violet’s entire body locked up.
I knocked my foot against hers. “Relax. She’s fine.”
“I am relaxed.”
“Your shoulders are up by your ears.”
She shot me a look but didn’t argue. She cradled her tea between her palms, staring at it in a daze.
“You gonna actually drink that or just hold it hostage?”
“I’m thinking.”
“About?”
“How much I regret agreeing to this trip.”
I smirked. “We haven’t even left UK airspace yet.”
“Exactly.”