Page 12 of At First Smile
The terrified flight attendant practically gulps, “Yes, Mr. Iverson.”
Something about the way he says “my wife” causes an unexpected clench in my vagina. I am very muchnothis wife. The only thing I am to him is some random woman who bought his breakfast and sat next to him on a plane. We both know it. The little case of mistaken identity is probably just a ploy Rowan is using to… I don’t know but I’m not correcting the little ruse.
I never had a desire to be possessed or claimed by anyone. Lord knows Alex, my ex-boyfriend, had a possessive streak and a desire to know where I was at all times, which led directly to his becoming the ex in his descriptor. Although, the warning bells that had sounded with Alex are dead silent with this man.
Adjusting Rowan’s ball cap on my head, I greedily scan his muscular back – visible in his fitted Henley – while he fills out paperwork at the rental car counter. What would it be like to be possessed by this man? To have those strong arms folded around me at night. To allow his hands to trail down my body, heating and claiming every inch. To feel him move inside me, taking and giving all at the same time.
Heat crawls up my neck at the though. Five hours ago, Rowan was just a sexy lumberjack I offered to buy breakfast for. Now, he feels like something more. I’m not sure if it’s the shared trauma of our near-death experience or the oversharing we seem to do so easily with one another, but he feels real. Like a tangible dream I’d not realized I’d dreamt coming to life. And I can’t stop wondering… Was he about to kiss me? And if he was, why hasn’t he kissed me yet?
My phone buzzes. Slipping it out of my jacket’s pocket, JoJo’s name flashes on the screen.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Are you okay? I’ve been flight stalking you on the airline app, and it says you had an emergency landing. Where are you? Are you okay?” Panic grips JoJo’s tone.
“I’m okay.” I force a smile on my face.
Even if someone can’t see you, they can hear your smile. Just another Aunt Bea-ism instilled from a very young age. You’d be surprised how often smiling on difficult phone calls calms the other person. I’ve had a lot of practice with the obligatory weekly chat with my mother. “You’re getting marriedagain.”Smile.“It’s totally fine you’re not flying out for my graduation.”Smile.“Oh, sorry I’m not coming back for Christmas.”Smile.
With a real smile – not the one reserved for my mother – I explain to JoJo what happened. Her frequent gasps of “oh my god” validate my “I was almost in a fricking plane crash” bewilderment.
“Thank the sweet baby Jesus you’re okay.” A relieved sigh rolls out of JoJo. “I don’t have the bandwidth to find a new best friend. You were hard enough to train,” she teases.
“Love you, too.” I snort.
“Will you be on a flight later tonight? I can pick you up. What time will you get in?”
“Tomorrow around eight p.m.”
“Tomorrow!” Her shrill response pricks my ears. “They almost killmybest friend, and now they can’t fly you home to me until tomorrow?”
“Don’t go rage posting about the airline,” I tut. “They offered a flight, but we decided to take a break from flying after our near-death experience. We’re staying here today. I’ll explore what Michigan has to offer for my social. You know, blind girl takes on the Midwest. We’ll drive to Detroit to catch our flight tomorrow afternoon.”
“We? Our? We’ll?!” Each word louder.
Shit.I cringe knowing exactly what I’ve done.
“Last time I checkedyouare not a member of the British Royal Family, so that can’t be the use of the Royal We. Penelope Anne Meadows, are youwithsomeone?”
“Can we include this in the things we wait to discuss on our drive back from LAX?” I worry my lower lip, watching Rowan accept a key ring from the rental car attendant.
“As if. What’s his full name? I need to internet stalk him to ensure he’s not a serial killer or a hipster with a man bun.”
I resist the urge to cover my face with my hand. My West Coast bestie elevates internet stalking to an art form. With just a grainy cell phone picture taken in a dark club she found the guy she’d made out with one Halloween. In a not-so-happy ending, turned out he was married with three kids. Ending aside, JoJo has skills which she never ceases to use on behalf of her people.
And I’m her people. And she’s mine. Since freshman year – thanks to the randomness of the college roommate lottery – she joined Trina in the sisters from other misters bestie brigade.
Snorting, I roll my eyes. “His name is Rowan Iverson.”
“Rowan Iverson?” she almost gasps. “That is ahotguy name if I ever heard one.”
“Yep.” I bite back my oversized grin.
“Lady, how good looking are we talking?”
“Devastatingly,” I breathe, taking in Rowan’s tall figure sauntering my way.
“Well, if you end up at a hotel with only one room and one bed, just remember to use a condom… and tell meeverything.”
