Page 41 of Forever my Love

ChapterThirteen

Hailey had never been on an airplane before. She would have been nervous, but she kept replaying the special conversation she’d had the day before while helping Harper do her hair for her date with Nick.

She was going to be an aunt. Harper and Nick were having a baby.

Her sister was going to be a mom. As excited as she was for her sister, one question weighed heavily on her.

Where did that leave her?

Sure, things were going great with Reece. But she knew that the moment Fred was caught, she would be returning to the cabin. Alone.

Reece had only invited her to stay with him because she was in danger. Would he want her to stay longer? That was doubtful.

There was no question that he was enjoying her sleeping with him each night in his bed. She enjoyed being with him more than anything else in the world. When they lay together, her dreams were filled with the life they could make together. But since she’d never dated anyone before, she figured she was jumping too far ahead, pushing things in the relationship further than his intensions.

They’d only been sleeping together for a few nights at this point. Their first official date was going to be that night in Vegas.

Her mind returned to the flight when the plane bumped slightly. When she’d told Reece she’d never been on an airplane before, he’d taken her hand and assured her it was going to be fun. The moment they sat down, she realized something was different.

First, they’d been seated before anyone else. Second, their seats were in the front of the plane.

It dawned on her when the steward handed her a mimosa after Reece had asked for two drinks.

“Are we in first class?” she asked him in a whisper.

Reece smiled. “Yes,” he whispered back. “Do you like it?”

She glanced around. “Yes, but I have nothing to compare it to.”

“Well, for starters, you won’t get these back there.” He held up his glass and waited for her to hold up her own. Then he tapped the glasses together. “We’ll get breakfast too before everyone else. We board first and have bigger seats.”

She nodded. “Okay, so far so good.”

The rest of the flight, he filled her in on what he had planned for their trip. She thought he kept talking to keep her from being nervous. It worked.

When they landed, she was so relaxed and excited for the next step in their journey, she didn’t even flinch when the plane bumped to a stop.

From there, they made their way out of the airport. She was thankful they’d only packed small suitcases so they didn’t have to wait to get their luggage.

After stepping out of the airport into the warm desert air, they walked down to where a black car was waiting for them. The driver put their luggage into the back of the SUV, and Reece helped her onto the cool leather seats.

She watched out the window as they made their way onto the Strip and headed towards their hotel.

The last time she and Harper had been in Vegas, they’d stayed at a homeless shelter for a few nights before Harper had gotten a job and they’d moved into a motel far outside of the city. Hailey had wanted to get a job, but they hadn’t stayed long enough for her to find one.

When they pulled in front of the Aria hotel, she felt her heart kick with excitement. She had never stayed somewhere so nice before.

“Wow,” she said more than two dozen times as they checked in and were shown to the elevators.

“You keep saying that.” Reece chuckled as he took her hand in his.

“It’s a little overwhelming,” she said with a sigh as the elevator doors shut. “I mean, I don’t know where to look. There’s so much to take in.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Remind me to take you to Rome and the Vatican someday.” He kissed the top of her head.

“You’ve been?” she asked, feeling her heart jump. She’d read a book long ago about Rome and the city within. She’d studied the pictures for hours and hours.

“When I was in high school, our folks took us,” he answered. “You haven’t been outside the States?”