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My brows raised. “Oh, why not? Where are we going?”
“I don’t ruin surprises, but I do take hugs.” I groaned playfully and gave him one. “Enjoy your break, Nadia. You deserve it.”
“Thank you, Laurence.”
Paul walked over and gave me a dazzling smile that warmed me all over. While I enjoyed having my family around, I wanted our time alone. We never seemed to have enough of it together, and every time we were alone left me longing for more.
“Guess who tried to ruin her surprise?” Laurence told Paul.
“Nadia,” Paul scolded teasingly. “She’s out of control.”
“She is,” Laurence joked.
I laughed. “Oh, come on, I deserve a hint at least?”
Paul lifted his arm. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
I went into his embrace and squeezed his waist, accepting his kiss.
“See you soon, Laurence.” He shook his hand.
“Have fun,” Laurence said and returned to the car.
“We’re leaving in five minutes.” We climbed onboard with the pilot, who left for the cockpit. We belted into our seats, and a few minutes later, taxied down the runway.
Paul reached a hand behind me and massaged my neck. “You need rest, Nadia. When we can move around, go back and sleep.”
“I’m not tired.” I yawned, and he kissed the side of my head.
“You are. You didn’t sleep well.”
It was more because I didn’t know what to expect from the deposition. Now I know it’s awful. I felt bone-deep exhaustion. There was no other word for it. Brenda grilled me and not only was it confusing to have so many questions rapidly fired at me, but it was difficult to limit my answers to simply answering her questions. But I learned as I went. In some instances, the more succinct I was, the less evidence she gained. I was fairly certain it was adrenaline that had kept me going.
But now? With Paul with me? I felt that mixture of exhaustion and peace.
It hadn’t been easy, I was sure, for Paul either. He’d shown such thoughtfulness and kindness in bringing my parents to NYC for the few days prior to the deposition. They hadn’t exactly gone easy on him, but he’d been chivalrous throughout.
“Thank you so much, Paul. I know you’re not used to having family around.”
He kissed the pucker between my brows. “Look at you, already trying to find something else to worry about.”
“I’m not, I just…I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I am, Nadia. I’d never do something if I wasn’t absolutely certain. Now, go to sleep. And that’s an order. We will be flying for a while.”
“Oh, how many hours?”
“A hundred,” he deadpanned.
I poked his chest, and we both laughed. “Fine, don’t tell me.” I stood. “Are you going to join me?”
“Soon. Just reviewing a few things for work to stay on track.”
I sighed and walked back to the bedroom. Taking off my clothes, I showered, then put on a robe. When I returned to the room, a quiche and salad were left for me in the small dinette. I turned on the television before I sat down and ate.
The on-screen headline read: “Trevor Livingston’s arrest.”
I grimaced, but left it on.
