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There was a short pause on her end. “Why?”
“Something happened. Amara’s dad was in an accident at work. It’s…bad.”
Riley gasped. “Oh God. Is she okay? Where is she? Let me talk to her!”
I switched the phone to speaker. “She’s beside me. Go ahead.”
“Mar?” Riley was already crying. “What can I do, babe?”
“Riles,” she sobbed. “My dad…”
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry.”
“We’re on our way to LAX now, Riley,” I informed her. “If I can’t get us out on a flight soon, I’ll charter something for us. I just wanted to let you know so you didn’t worry about her.”
“Fuck, Cash. Take care of my bestie. I’ll call Lin and see about getting us a flight tonight. We’ll meet you at her dad’s house.”
“Riles, you can’t! You have that big presentation with your mom tomorrow.” Amara tried to reason through her tears. “This is important for you.”
“You are more important than anything!” Riley cried. “I’ll see you as soon as I can, Mar. I’ll bring you some clothes. Okay?”
“But Riles, Lin—”
“Take care of her, Cash!” Riley commanded and hung up.
Tossing the phone into the cupholder, I grabbed Amara’s hand and kissed the back of it. “It’s going to be okay, baby. I’ve got you.”
Less than a minute later, my phone started blowing up with incoming texts. I didn’t look to see who it was. By the ringtone, I knew the caller, and she could fuck off for all I cared. My first priority was Amara. Everyone else on the planet didn’t matter. Not even Gigi’s guilt trips could faze me right then.
I found a place to park in the long-term parking lot. In the airport, I found an airline with a flight out to Tulsa that left in an hour, but there were two stops. Meaning we wouldn’t get to Tulsa until late that night. Muttering a curse, I pulled Amara into a chair with me and swiped my thumb over Emmie’s contact information.
“What can I do for you, Cash?” my manager answered distractedly.
“I need you to charter me a plane out to Tulsa. Now.”
There was a small pause on her end before she exploded. “What the fuck is going on?”
Amara seemed to be in shock now, lost in her own head. I pressed a kiss to her temple and told Emmie everything I knew.
“Fuck. Okay. I’ll take care of it. Wait for my call.”
She hung up, and I pulled Amara onto my lap. She pressed her head to my chest, her arms hugging my neck like I was her lifeline. I pressed my lips to the top of her head and inhaled deeply. My chest was aching for her. Every tear, every small hiccup-like sob, broke me a little more.
Less than fifteen minutes later, Emmie was calling me back. I got the details from her and was already walking through the airport with Amara tucked into my side. “Take care of that girl, Cash. I’ll do what I can from this end.”
I didn’t need her or Riley to tell me to take care of Amara. She was everything I cared about, and I wasn’t about to let her go through this alone.
--
It wasn’t until we were in the air that Amara seemed to snap out of the daze she had fallen into. We were on the long couch, the clouds all around us, with Amara’s head in my lap as I stroked my fingers through her hair, when she gasped and jerked upright.
“Where are we?”
I pushed the hair back from her face, stroking my thumb over her jaw. “We’re on our way to Tulsa.”
Her eyes darted around the main cabin, a frown tucked between her brows. “But this is a private jet.”
“There were no immediate flights that would have gotten us there soon enough, so I had Emmie charter this for us.” I pulled her onto my lap and tucked her head under my chin. “We should be there in a few hours. Just rest until we land, baby. I’ve got you.”
