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“When was the last time you talked to your family?”
“I spoke to my grandmother a few days ago. She said things have calmed down and is trying to convince me to come home. My sisters have sent a few texts. I haven’t opened any of them.”
“They’re probably worried about you. What happened had to have been a lot for everyone, and now they’ve had time to think about the situation without it being blurred by the loss of your brother. Maybe just check the messages and text them back to let them know you’re okay.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” I whisper, not pushing any more because I know it won’t help, not in this situation.
His hand slides up my arm before crossing over my chest, then his fingers wrap around my jaw, and he turns my face until our eyes lock.
“Thank you.” The sincerity in his eyes and the emotion behind those two words cause my nose to sting.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper, and he presses his forehead to the side of mine before lifting his lips to the spot it had been resting.
“Are you ready to get back to Vegas?”
“Do you mean am I ready to get back in the helicopter?”
“Yeah.” I hear the smile in his voice, and I relax into him.
“Do you think we could walk from here?”
“We could try. It might take us a while.”
“How long?”
“A couple of days.”
“Darn.” I sigh, and he laughs. “I guess we should go in the helicopter then.”
“It would probably be smart.” He loosens his hold on me, then wraps his arm around my waist and turns us in the direction of Billy, who hops out of the cockpit when he sees us coming in his direction. I look over at where the table was and notice it’s gone; there’s no evidence we were ever here.
“Thank you for lunch, Billy. It was amazing,” I tell him when he gets close.
“You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Are you two ready to head back?”
“Yeah,” Roman says, leading me to the back door and opening it before Billy can.
“All right.” He stops behind Roman and waits for us both to get inside before he closes the door behind us.
“Let me do that.” Roman squats in front of me when I start to buckle myself in.
“Thank you,” I tell him when he’s done, and he lifts his eyes to mine and touches my cheek before getting into his seat and buckling in. When the blades start up, I latch onto his hand and start to squeeze my eyes closed, but stop when his fingers tighten around mine, grabbing my attention.
“Keep your eyes open, Elora, or you’ll miss the best part,” he says quietly, and I bite my lip as we lift off the ground. My stomach drops, and my heart pounds, but I keep my eyes open as we fly over the Grand Canyon and the dam that feeds water into Vegas.
When we get back to the city, I take in the sites with Roman’s hand wrapped tight around mine. The view is spectacular from up here, but it’s not what makes me memorize the moment. It’s being with him with my eyes wide open, living life to the fullest.
18
ROMAN
36.1716° N, 115.1391° W
Waking in a panic, my heart racing, the trace of the nightmare I had about Elora meshes with reality when I don’t feel her pressed up against me like she has been every single morning since we left Oregon. I sit up and look toward the bathroom door that is open with the light off inside.
“Elora,” I call, already knowing she’s not going to answer. Still, my insides twist when silence greets me.
