Page 272 of Better When Shared
“We’ll fly out to see him every week until he moves,” Kiaan said, wisely changing the subject as he traced patterns on the back of my hand. “I’ve already arranged it with the pilot. It’s only a three-hour flight.”
I shook my head, still not entirely comfortable with how casually he threw money around. “That’s ridiculous, Kiaan. The carbon footprint alone—”
“Is offset by my investments in renewable energy,” he finished smoothly. “And the alternative is you being miserable for three weeks, which is unacceptable. Besides, Ryker misses us too. You saw his face on FaceTime last night.”
I had. The longing in Ryker’s eyes had been unmistakable, even through the pixelated connection. He’d looked exhausted after his shift, but he’d stayed up late just to see our faces, to hear our voices. The memory made my chest ache.
“It’s still excessive,” I argued, though with less conviction. “Normal people would just, I don’t know, pine dramatically and send care packages.”
“We’re not normal people,” Kiaan said, leaning closer, his lips brushing my ear. “We’re three people stupidly in love with each other, figuring out how to make this work. And if my ridiculous wealth can make that easier, why not use it?”
When he put it that way, it was hard to argue.
“Here we are!” Hui announced as Justine returned with a silver tray of elaborate finger foods. “Perfect timing. We begin our descent soon, yes?”
“That’s right, ma’am,” Justine confirmed. “We’ll be landing in Denver in approximately twenty minutes.”
Twenty minutes. My heart stuttered. Twenty minutes until I’d see Ryker again, feel his arms around me, breathe in the scent of his skin. I picked up a canapé to please my grandmother, but my appetite had vanished, replaced by butterflies that seemed determined to escape through my ribcage.
“Your hands are sweating,” Kiaan observed, his voice warm with affection.
“Shut up,” I muttered, though there was no heat behind it. “I’m not used to this... missing someone so much it physically hurts. It’s inconvenient and distracting and I hate it.”
“No, you don’t.” His knowing smile made me want to kiss him and smack him in equal measure.
“No, I don’t,” I admitted. “But it’s still inconvenient.”
The plane began its descent, the gentle shift in pressure making my ears pop. I stared out the window again, watching as the sprawling city of Denver came into view. Somewhere down there, Ryker was waiting. The thought made my heart race.
“He’s waiting for us,” Kiaan said, echoing my thoughts with uncanny precision. “Probably pacing nervously, checking his watch every thirty seconds.”
I smiled despite myself. “Definitely making Aimee crazy with his fidgeting.”
“Absolutely.”
When the wheels touched down on the private airstrip, I gripped Kiaan’s hand so tightly my knuckles turned white. He didn’t complain, just stroked his thumb over my skin in soothing circles.
“Breathe, Skylar,” my grandmother instructed from across the aisle, her voice gentler than before. “Your anxiety is radiating off you like heat from a furnace.”
I took a deep breath, then another, forcing air into lungs that seemed determined to malfunction.
The plane taxied to a stop, and through the window, I spotted them immediately—Ryker’s tall figure unmistakable even at adistance, Aimee beside him, bouncing on her toes with excited energy. My heart lurched in my chest, a physical reaction to his presence that no amount of coding or climbing or sailing had prepared me for.
“There they are,” I whispered, unnecessary but unable to help myself.
Kiaan pressed a kiss to my temple. “Let’s not keep our boy waiting.”
We deplaned with Hui leading the way, her small figure somehow commanding despite her stature. I followed, Kiaan’s hand at the small of my back, steadying me as my legs threatened to give out. The moment my feet hit the tarmac, Ryker’s eyes found mine, and everything else faded to background noise.
He moved toward us with long strides, crossing the distance in seconds. I broke away from Kiaan, running the last few steps into Ryker’s open arms. He caught me, lifting me off my feet as his mouth found mine in a kiss that contained every ounce of longing we’d accumulated in our days apart.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he murmured against my lips, his arms tightening around me as if he could somehow pull me inside his skin.
“Language, please,” Hui called from behind us. “We are in public.”
Ryker’s laugh vibrated through me as he set me back on my feet, though he kept one arm wrapped firmly around my waist. “Sorry, Mrs. Shen.”
“Hui,” she corrected, approaching with regal bearing. “You must call me Hui. And you must be Aimee.” She extended a hand to Ryker’s sister, who looked delighted by the whole scene. “I’ve only just found your podcast, and it is fascinating. I have many questions about your episode on power dynamics in the bedroom.”
