Page 13 of Protective Phlox

Her bottom lip trembled, but she straightened her back and rolled out her shoulders. “Yeah, it will do for now. Thanks for taking some of the hit.”

I tipped her chin up and was so tempted to kiss her, but instead, I ran my thumb over her bottom lip. “Look, we have a lot to talk about, and I’m sure to argue about, but we both want what’s best for Cutter. I don’t doubt your intentions. Don’t doubt mine, and we will get this sorted.”

Stepping back, I held out my hand for her. It took a minute, but she finally slipped hers into mine.

God help me. I was a fool because I still loved her.

Chapter

Six

SAVANNAH

Cutter hadn’t spoken to me since we left the consulate, and it was crushing me. Less than a day and all of my fears about Nathan showing up were coming true. Cutter was sitting on Nathan’s lap as he helped him play mahjong, the two of them laughing and talking like they were old pals. I wasn’t jealous of them getting to know one another, but I was terrified that Nathan would use it as a weapon against me even though he said he wouldn’t.

Nathan had a way of yanking you into his orbit and making you feel in awe of him. I could see it in Cutter’s eyes. He was meeting his father and riding on a fancy private jet, flying across the world. On top of that, he was sitting at the table like one of the big guys. It’s not like Nathan and I had ever had a conversation about how we’d want to raise children. Did he plan on telling Cutter what he did? Would drugs, gangs, and guns be a regular thing? My head ached. How the hell did I stay relevant in my son’s life?

I looked away as Goran leaned over the table and gave Cutter a high-five, his laughter filling the plane. I couldn’t help but smile at his happiness. This was all I ever wanted for him, but to possibly lose him by force or because he chose to have nothing to do with me felt like a knife to the heart.

It was dark outside. The only thing I could see was the blinking light on the wing of the plane. Maybe this was all a nightmare, and I’d wake up tomorrow busy making plans to move back to Washington and talking to Cutter about what sports he wanted to play and enrolling him in the academy I’d found. Closing my eyes, I wiped away the stupid tears that were driven by pointless emotions and not logic.

Instead, I focused on what was important. Cutter was safe, or as safe as he would ever be again. Nothing meant more to me than that.

I decided to do what I did best and made a list. I needed to quit my job—that was going to be a really fun conversation. Then there was selling my house—I’d rented it out, but that was proving to be a pain. I needed to figure out what was next for me because sitting around the house or cleaning every day was not my thing. I’d go stir-crazy. Maybe Nathan would take pity on me and make me his secretary like he’d teased me about when we first met. What a fun cliché that would be. Then he could fuck his secretary at work and go home to his princess, a win-win for him.

The plane suddenly jerked and shook, and my eyes snapped open. There was a crackle over the speaker, and the captain spoke.

“My apologies, but we have hit some turbulence. I will try to pull above it, but please fasten your seatbelts and hang on to any drinks.”

The plane began to shake harder, tossing us from side to side in our seats before dropping suddenly. It might have only been dropping a few inches or a foot, but it felt like we were plummeting to the ground.

Cutter came running down the aisle, tears streaming down his face. “Mom, I’m scared,” he said, his adorable lip pushed out as he hopped up on the seat beside me and wrapped his arms around my neck.

“We’re going to be fine, Bud. This is called turbulence.” I glanced up at Nathan, who sat down across from me, his dark eyes giving nothing away about what he was thinking. “I need you to sit in the seat beside me like a big boy, and I’ll get you buckled in.”

“But I’m scared.”

“I know, and I’ll let you in on a secret. I am, too. But you sitting beside me, holding my hand, will make me feel so much better.” The turbulence didn’t scare me. What Nathan planned…that was a whole other story.

“Okay,” Cutter said softly and let go of my neck to sit down. I grabbed the buckle and locked him in place before taking his hand in mine.

“Do you know what causes the shaking?” He shook his head no.

“It’s called at•mo•spher•ic pressure,” I said, sounding it out for him. I could see his natural curiosity taking over as his nose crinkled up.

“What’s that?”

“It can be caused by jet streams, air from around mountains, thunderstorms nearby, or even hot and cold air fronts.”

He tapped his chin as he thought. “So, like the air is fighting around us?”

I smiled wide. “Yes, but it doesn’t want anything to do with us. Want to know why the plane suddenly drops,” I asked, and as if on command, the plane did just that, and we all gripped our seats.

Cutter’s eyes filled with tears. I leaned over and held him as I kissed the top of his head. He loved learning more than anything else, so I needed to keep his mind busy.

“You’re going to love this,” I said, but I didn’t sit back or let him go. “It’s like we’re flying along minding our own business, and then we fly right into a giant bubble that has no air. Because there is no air, the plane drops, and then as soon as we are clear of our airless bubble, we soar again.”

“How can a bubble not have air,” he asked as the shaking got more violent, and I held him tighter.