“Oh, I’m sorry about your mom.”

“Yeah, cancer is a fucking bitch, but I’ll get him there.”

“I hope y’all make it.”

“Me too,” she said, and then she shut the book. “Do you have any siblings?”

Mekena nodded. “An older sister, but we don’t talk.”

Brie made a face. “That’s too bad. I couldn’t imagine not talking to Rod. Siblings fight, but in the end, they’re blood and you have to love them.”

Mekena shrugged, and while she thought Brie was cool, she didn’t want to share her drama with her sister. Brie may be right, and in the end, it might turn out like that, but right at that moment, Mekena couldn’t even look at her sister. She had caused too much pain, not only to Markus and Mekena but to her parents too. So instead, she smiled and said, “Yeah, maybe.”

Squinting her eyes, Brie pinched her brow before reaching down to put her book in her bag and grabbing a pill bottle. “Hate to be a drag, but I get myself so worked up about flying, I get headaches and I feel one coming on.”

“Oh, no,” Mekena said before reaching down for her neck pillow. When she reached out to hand it to Brie, she was already popping her pills before washing them down with water. “Wanna use this?”

“God bless you,” she said with a nod, taking it and wrapping it around her neck. “Dinner later?”

“I’d love that.”

“Good night,” she said, closing her eyes, and Mekena smiled before leaning back in her seat, looking out the window into the clouds.

She wasn’t sure where they were on the map, but it didn’t matter. As she studied the heavens, her mind wandered to Skylar and if she was okay. It was the first time in a while she had worried for her sister’s well-being. Seeing how much Brie loved her brother reminded Mekena of how much, at one time, she had loved Skylar. So much had changed, so much hurt and pain. Now, Mekena hardly thought of her in a good light. Not even now as she looked out into the sky, the sun shining bright, could she muster up anything but resentment for her sister. She was still angry, still mad at what she had done.

It was unforgivable in her opinion, but then she remembered Markus saying that one day they would need to forgive her. The problem was Mekena had no clue how. How did you forgive someone for ruining a relationship with someone you truly loved? She didn’t know. Yeah, she had Markus now and they were beyond happy, excited for their futures, but was she supposed to just let Skylar off? Was she supposed to just let go of what her sister did and be civil?

Like she had been doing with Markus’s parents?

That was hard enough, and she was trying. For Markus. She could tell he really had missed them and that he loved them. Boy, did they dote on him too. When Markus and Mekena had gone to church with his parents the previous Sunday, they walked around like they were the head cocks in the hen house, showing Markus off as they gushed about him being a star hockey player. He, of course, ate it up, but Mekena didn’t trust it. She felt like they were using him because of who he was and how it made them look good. She knew that was shitty of her, but she didn’t trust them, even though she was trying.

She just prayed they didn’t hurt him again. Because she wasn’t going anywhere, and she was pretty sure they were aware of that. They even introduced her as their future daughter-in-law, which was nice. Maybe they were trying and she was just overreacting. Maybe she just didn’t trust anyone nowadays. She was living on a prayer and holding on to Markus with the hope that everything would work out.

“Psst.”

Mekena jumped at the noise and looked around, unsure where the sound was coming from. Brie was knocked out, so she knew it wasn’t her, but no one was looking at her. Coach was reading, the camera crew was sleeping, and the trainers were watching video on their laptops. Confused, she looked to the front of the plane, and then she heard it once more.

“Psst, Mekena.”

Her eyes widened before she looked between the seats, where she assumed the noise was coming from. She was met by a pair of dark caramel eyes that she knew and loved very much. “Markus?”

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“What are you doing?”

Flabbergasted, she made a face. “Reading. What are you doing?”

“Hanging with the boys. I don’t want to get in trouble, but I’ve got to tell you something,” he whispered, and she shook her head, in awe of the stupidity of this moment. They were adults. No, they couldn’t sit with each other, but surely they could talk.

“Why would we get in trouble?”

“’Cause the seat belt sign is on.”

She looked up and glared. “Markus! Go back to your seat,” she mock-yelled and he grinned.

“I gotta tell you something!”

“What?” she stressed, her eyes as big as saucers, annoyance rolling off her in waves. He drove her batty.

“It’s important.”

“Okay, what?”

A goofy grin stole over his face as his eyes softened and he held her gaze. “You give me butterflies when I think about you.”

Gone was her annoyance as a grin overtook her face, and then he disappeared, leaving her with that sweet little statement and all the feels a girl could get. He was good for that, though. The corniness and sappiness that only Markus Reeves could get away with and make a girl swoon. Because of that, her earlier thought would always ring true. They would be fine because they had each other. No matter what came: his family, hers, Skylar, distance, or anything else, they’d have each other.

Always.

“So I think it’s weird that Libby expected Mekena to work for her when y’all came into town.”

Markus laughed as he looked over to where Avery was wrapped up from behind by Jace as they walked together on the beach. Ashlyn was sitting on Markus’s shoulders, eating ice cream as they walked, enjoying the waves and sun. The Assassins’ road trip was going great, with them winning four of the five games they played. The Panthers were the last stop, and winning against his best friend would probably be the highlight of his career. Not that he was telling Jace that.

“Yeah, I think Mekena offered, though. The girls Libby has been hiring haven’t been working out.”

“Because Libby chases them off,” Avery laughed and Markus nodded.