by Deanna Chase
Once they got to Eureka, Rhys turned down highway 101, and before she knew it, he was making the turn that sent them out to the regional airport. Hanna turned to Rhys. “Is this a Pretty Woman moment? Should I have worn a ball gown for the opera in San Francisco or something?”
He snorted his amusement. “Do I look like an opera-type guy?”
“No,” she admitted. “That seems more like Chad’s thing.”
He glanced over at her. “Do you wish you’d gone out with him instead?”
“Nope. Just trying to figure out what we’re doing at the airport.”
“You won’t have to wait much longer, Miss Pelsh.” He pulled the Jeep to a stop in the closest parking spot near an oversized hanger, and then jumped out to rush around and get her door for her.
“Thank you.” She accepted his hand and felt like a princess as he helped her out of the vehicle. “You really know how to spoil a girl.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, gorgeous.” He slipped his arm around her, and together they walked slowly into the hanger.
“Hello, Mr. Silver,” a man in a work shirt and jeans said. “The plane is just outside. A safety check has been done, and it’s fueled up for your evening flight. You can take off as soon as you’re ready.”
“Thanks, John.” Rhys glanced down at Hanna. “Come on. John is going to cart us out there.” He tugged her over to a waiting golf cart, and the pair of them climbed into the back seat.
“This is unexpected,” Hanna said with a nervous chuckle. She’d already figured out that Rhys was taking her on some sort of flight, but the plane they were headed for was really small. On the side it read Skyhawk and the tail had a Cessna logo. She didn’t know much about planes, but she was pretty sure most of the people around the area used that type of plane when they were learning to fly.
“Are you nervous?” Rhys asked her.
“A little?” Saying she had butterflies would be putting it mildly. She felt more like crickets were jumping around in her stomach. She’d never been in a small personal aircraft before. “Is John our pilot?”
Rhys’s grin widened. “Nope.”
John stopped the golf cart next to the plane. “Enjoy your flight.”
“Thanks. We will,” Rhys said and helped Hanna onto her feet. He opened the door for her. “All aboard.”
“You…” She stared at the front passenger seat of the small plane and swallowed hard. “You want me to sit there?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re the pilot?” Her voice cracked with nerves on the word pilot.
“You got it.” He tucked her into the plane, closed the door, and ran around to the other side. Once he was in his seat, he strapped himself in and handed her a headset. “Buckle up and put this on.”
Hanna sat there, frozen for a moment, trying to process this new information. “You learned to fly? When?”
“Over the last year. Don’t worry. I have my pilot’s license and have logged a lot of hours. You’re in safe hands.” He patted her knee. “But if you’re too nervous we don’t have to—”
“I’m good,” Hanna blurted, excitement taking over. She was going up in a plane with Rhys. Talk about an adventure. Now that the shock had worn off, she was more than ready. “Let’s go. Show me what you’ve got, Rhys. Impress me.”
He grinned at her. “Well, we won’t be doing any aerial tricks tonight, but I was hoping to let you catch the sunset over the Pacific. Will that do?”
“Absolutely. Let’s do this.” Hanna scanned the instruments in front of her on the dash. “But you don’t need me to do anything, right? I mean, you’ve got this?”
“I’ve got this.” He squeezed her knee lightly. “Just relax and enjoy the ride.”
“Relax? Hell, I’m excited.” Hanna leaned toward the window, peering out.
Rhys just laughed. “That’s my girl.”
Then he started the engine, and the propellers began to spin. Before she knew it, they were rolling down the runway and the plane took flight. Hanna felt her stomach drop with the sensation as they rose in the air. But she loved every bit of it. There was nothing better than the bird’s-eye view of the northern California coast. There were mountains to the north and east of the them, the valley to the south, and the ocean to the west.
Rhys flew in a wide circle, making sure Hanna had a chance to take in everything she wanted to see, and then he turned the plane due west and headed toward the beach.
“It’s just gorgeous, Rhys,” Hanna said into the headset. “I don’t think I can get enough of this.”
“Want to head out over the ocean?” he asked.
Her answer was instantaneous. “Yes.”
He chuckled again. “You got it.”
The view was incredible, and Hanna couldn’t resist pulling her phone out of her pocket to take a few pictures of the sun sinking into the Pacific. She felt free and alive and ridiculously happy that Rhys had known she’d love going up in the tiny plane. It really was the perfect date.
Hanna spent the rest of the flight glued to the window, taking pictures and marveling at the world below them. And then all too soon, he turned the plane around and started to head for the airport.
“Do we have to go back?” Hanna asked wistfully. “I love it up here.”
“Sorry, love. We need to get back before we lose the light. I don’t want to get caught up here in the dark.”
“Okay. But I want to do this again… soon.”
“You’re on.”
If Rhys hadn’t indicated that he’d just recently gotten his pilot’s license the year before, she’d have never guessed he hadn’t had it for years. Everything about the flight was perfect—the take-off, the flying, and even the landing. And by the time they exited the plane, she decided she’d fallen just a little more in love with him. Not that she’d thought that was even possible, but her heart had swelled with love and admiration.
“You’re incredible, you know that?” she said as he led her back to the Jeep.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
Hanna leaned against the Jeep and pulled him in close to her. “Rhys?”
“Yes?”
“This was wonderful. Thank you.” Then she tilted her head and kissed him.
Chapter Twelve
Hanna tasted of honey and fire and everything he’d ever wanted. The heady combination of feeling her lips against his and the adrenaline rush of the evening flight was enough to make him want to haul her off to the nearest hotel and show her just how much she meant to him. But even as he pressed his body to hers, he knew they had things to say first. After taking his time loving her with his lips, he pulled back.
“Ready for dinner?” he asked.
“I’m ready for something,” she said breathlessly. “I’m just not sure it’s food.”
That amused him, and he smiled down at her as he brushed his fingers along her jawline. “Maybe not right here in the parking lot.”
She glanced around as if just noticing where they were. “Right. Maybe we should get some food, since I’m clearly delirious with hunger.”
“Is that the excuse you’re going with?”
“It’s as good as any,” she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Can’t argue with that.” He opened her door and waited until she was safely in the passenger side.
Once he was in the Jeep and buckled up, he got them back on the road, headed toward her favorite sushi place in Eureka.
Rhys pulled his Jeep into Hanna’s driveway and killed the engine. Hanna had been full of commentary about the flight and her skydiving adventure all through dinner, but once they’d gotten back on the road, she quieted and appeared to be lost in thought. It was getting late, and he decided she’d just needed to wind down.
“Do you want to come in for coffee?” she asked.
Yes. He definitely wanted to follow her inside, but he was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t be leaving until the morning, and he really d
idn’t want to mess this up. He’d spent years denying them both this relationship, and now that he’d decided to give it a try, he didn’t want anything to ruin it. And that meant some honesty first. “How about we talk on that porch swing of yours?”
She raised one eyebrow, suspicion in her dark gaze. “You’re not going to give me the talk again, are you?” There was fire in her eyes and a challenge in her voice that made Rhys itch to pull her into his arms. But then she drew in a breath and added, “Because if this date was always going to end with the same song, I don’t need to hear it. I can just get out of this Jeep and we can go back to acting like we have over the last year, as if we don’t know every little thing about each other and haven’t been dancing around this thing between us for ten years.”
Rhys zeroed in on ‘know every little thing about each other.’ He rolled the words over in his mind, knowing the statement wasn’t true. They didn’t know everything about each other. Not anymore anyway.
Hanna let out a heavy sigh and jerked the door open. “Thanks for the plane ride, Rhys.” Her feet were on the ground and she was moving faster than she should considering her ankle was still a little weak, and Rhys knew he’d pissed her off. He hadn’t been quick enough to reassure her he wasn’t going to bail again.
He was out of the Jeep and by her side as she was trying and failing to shove her key in the lock. “Hey, Han. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
She turned to him, her eyes full of fury. “I don’t believe you.”
Rhys took a step back, just as shocked as if she’d punched him.
They stared at each other for a couple of beats, neither of them blinking. Rhys needed her to see that he was there, that he wasn’t running this time. He knew she didn’t trust him. Not yet. But she would.
“Damn,” Hanna said, breaking away first. She hung her head and whispered, “What do you want from me, Rhys? I don’t understand.”
He took her hand in his and gently tugged her over to the porch swing. Once he sat down, he pulled her into his lap, cradling her against his chest. “I want you, love. I always have. But there’s a reason why I’ve been pushing you away. I think it’s time you heard it.”
She tilted her head just enough so that she could look into his eyes. But she didn’t say anything; she just waited.
Damn, he thought. It was going to be a hell of a lot harder to tell her his truth while staring her in the eye, but he knew she deserved it. And she deserved to know it all. “Remember that day we were at the hospital and we ran into Healer Snow?”
“Sure.”
“And you said something that I didn’t know, something that made me question all of my assumptions about what I deserved in this life.”
Her expression turned confused. “What didn’t you know?”
He lifted his palm and cupped her cheek. “You told me you carry the same autoimmune gene that your sister had that caused her illness. I never knew that.”
“You didn’t?” She seemed shocked. “It wasn’t a secret.”
“When did you find out?” he asked her.
“I dunno. When I was in college I guess?” Her eyes widened, and she let out a low snicker. “I think it was when you were dating that annoying girl from Arcata. You know, the one who spoke with the fake British accent and acted like royalty?”
“She did live in the U.K. for four years. And she was distantly related to the queen if I recall,” Rhys said, not sure why he was defending the chick who’d cheated on him with her brother’s best friend.
“Please. She was no more related to the queen than I am,” Hanna said with a snort. “In fact, her last name, the one she claimed tied her to the royal family, was from a stepfather.”
Rhys laughed. “Yeah, okay. She was annoying. I’ll give you that.”
“Right. It also meant we weren’t exactly spending a lot of time together. Morgan and I couldn’t have been more different.” She shook her head. “What were you thinking?”
Rhys let his fingers slide down her neck, and he kissed her softly on the lips before pulling back and smiling at her. “I was thinking temporary.”
She blinked at him. “Temporary? That’s not very kind.”
“I never promised her anything, Hanna. I never promised any of them anything. And when they started to want more than casual dating, I ended it. I had to.”
“Why?” She tilted her head and looked at him so intently he was certain she was looking right into his soul.
“Because, love. I have the same gene that my dad and my grandfather had.”
The words hung in the air between them while he let her absorb what he’d just said. They both knew that meant that he was a walking time bomb. The gene that ran in his family most often presented as a sudden heart attack. Usually a massive one that left little room for recovery.
Her expression went from total surprise, to shock, and then anger. “Dammit!” She jumped up off his lap and started to pace the porch. “All of this time, you knew, and you didn’t tell me?”
Rhys draped his arm over the back of the swing and said, “I didn’t know for sure, but I suspected. I found out for sure right before Christmas about fifteen months ago.”
“Right before you told me we were better as friends.” Her words weren’t a question.
He answered anyway. “That’s right. I couldn’t risk it. In my mind, I was certain I only had a few years left on this earth. How could I in good conscience stay with you, knowing that I’d leave you, knowing I’d cause that bone-deep pain that never goes away? I watched my mom suffer. I didn’t want to do that to you or any children we were blessed to have.”
“Children?” she said with a small squeak.
He grinned at her. “Yeah, children.”
“Whoa.” She walked back over to the swing and sat down, but she didn’t reach for him.
Rhys cursed himself. He’d said too much, too soon.
“I just need to know, Rhys,” she said, turning to him. “Why the change of mind? Why now?”
He couldn’t stand it. He needed to be touching her. As a cool evening breeze picked up, he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his body. After giving her a soft kiss on the temple he said, “Because I learned that despite your genetic history, you’re fearless. You’ve never let it stop you from doing anything, while I’ve been living only half a life. I figured if you could be brave, so could I. I’m done fighting it, Hanna. I want you and I love you. Always have. If you’re still willing to give me a chance, I’m here, ready to see this through no matter what happens.”
Tears filled her eyes, making them shiny as she tried to blink them back.
“Oh, Hanna.” He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as he caressed her back. “It’s all right. I’m sorry, honey. I should’ve told you sooner. I just didn’t want to worry you.”
She buried her face into his neck and made a muffled sound as she tried to talk.
“What’s that?” he asked gently.
“You’re a giant jerk,” she said on a sob, but she still clung to him.
“I know.”
“And I hate you,” she added.
“I’m not surprised.”
A chuckle reverberated through her chest, and she finally pulled back to look him in the eye again. Her eyes were sparkling with those unshed tears when she said, “You’re an idiot.”
“Why?” he asked curiously. “Because I wanted to protect you?”
“No. Because you failed to realize that I’ve been waiting for you this entire time and that as long as you were single, I was still going to wait. Isn’t that pathetic?”
He shook his head, feeling that warmth in his chest again. “I think it’s pretty romantic, actually.”
“Romantic?” she scoffed. “More like insane. You should’ve wanted me to be happy, not a hot mess.”
“I’ve always wanted you to be happy, Hanna. And if that meant someone else, I would’ve learned to live with it.”
“Unless it
was Chad. Then you probably would’ve kicked his ass.”
That made him laugh. “Maybe. Chad just… he’s too pretty and not nearly daring enough for you.”
“You got that right, Mr. Silver.” She slid off his lap and tugged him up to his feet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “It’s no secret that you’re the one who holds my heart.”
“That’s good. Because if it was a secret, I’d probably be too dense to figure it out.” He tugged her even closer until their bodies were melded together.
She nodded, making her gorgeous dark curls bounce. “I believe every word of that. Fortunately, I’m not that good of an actress.”
“Hanna?”
“Yes, Rhys?”
“Tell me you forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Not really. I understand.” She tightened her hold on him. That old familiar pain was back in her eyes, reminding him of why he’d been so cautious in the first place. “But if you keep something like that from me again, we’re going to throw down. Got it?”
“Got it.” He dipped his head and kissed her. His heart ached with so much emotion he had to fight back tears. “I love you, Han.”
“I love you, too.” Her eyes were watery as she said the words and started to tug him toward the front door. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”
Rhys planted his feet and shook his head, ignoring his very loud libido that was screaming for him to follow his woman into her pretty little cottage. “I can’t, Hanna. Not tonight.”
“Why?” She tilted her head to the side and studied him like he had three heads.
He nearly laughed at the thought. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, “I laid a lot on you tonight. I want you to have a chance to process it all before we take this to the next level.”