“No,” his mother agrees. “She’s a young woman whose life has just changed permanently. Whether she wanted it to or not.”
I put my hands in my lap to hide the slight shake. I’m not one for attention. His mother might be right. I’m not cut out for this. “Come back with us,” his mother says suddenly.
I blink. “What?” Did I hear her correctly?
“To our country, to the estate, both of you.” She looks at me, and I almost think I see concern in her eyes. “Let us help you navigate this. Show you what life would actually be like. Before you make any decisions you can’t undo.”
They want to see if I can handle it. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. The estate. His world. A place I’m not sure I belong, but I never really do. I couldn’t fit in with my mother on the best of days.
“It’s not the worst idea,” his father encourages. “Give you both some breathing room. Time to figure things out.”
“Okay,” Wells says.
I turn to him. “What?”
“We’ll come. Both of us.” He takes my hand, his eyes locked on mine. “I want you to see it. The estate, the life, all of it. Then you can decide.”
“Wells—”
“You said you were out for an adventure.” That’s a hell of an adventure. He leans closer, his voice dropping. “I’m not going back without you.”
I stare at him, panic rising in my throat. “You can’t say that.”
“I just did.” He shrugs as if it’s nothing. I swear his mother is panicking, but she manages to keep her face neutral.
“You can’t just... this is crazy. We barely know each other, and you’re talking about... about...”
“About what?” he asks, soft but relentless. “Tell me.”
I don’t know, but it feels like there should be lots of things talked about before such a big commitment.
I shake my head, pressing back into my chair. This is too much, and I can feel myself shutting down. It’s been a long time since that’s happened to me.
“Caldwell.” His mother calls for his attention. “Calm down.”
He doesn’t look at her. He only looks at me, his eyes dark and intense, watching me like I’m the only thing in the world.
“Come with me,” he says again. “Please.”
“Okay,” I agree. How can I not? I’m not ready to let him go, and I also can’t ask him to walk away from his responsibilities. His whole life is in Solaria. If I want to be a part of it, I’ll need to go there and see for myself how it is.
He cups the back of my neck with his hand and kisses me hard, not caring that his parents are at the table with us.
Honestly, I don’t either. His mother already doesn’t care for me. Could it really get worse?
Chapter Fourteen
CALDWELL
My hold is firm on Mable’s hand, maybe too firm. I lift her hand and kiss her delicate fingers before setting it back in my lap, loosening my hold, but not much. She fights a knowing smile.
The car pulls onto the private tarmac, and I feel Mable go still beside me. I follow her gaze to the plane waiting on the runway. She’s seen wealth before, but this is different. This is generational and institutional and excessive in ways that can’t be hidden.
“Holy shit,” she breathes.
I squeeze her hand. “It’s just a plane.”
“That’s not a plane. That’s Air Force One’s cousin.”
