I jumped back, barely making it away in time.
CHAPTER 29
EMBER
Ithought I got over the nervous stage, but it all came rushing back like it never left.
“Ember, I promise it’s going to be okay,” Cassie comforted me, trying to keep my emotions at bay. She was the best one-woman support system I ever had besides my Aunt Patty. Cassie went out of her way to pack our suitcases and deep clean our space, so we would have a nice and tidy home to come back to. On top of that, she ensured Rhema and I were well fed before our flight.
Amara informed me that she would be out of town for a couple of weeks, so her husband was the only point of contact for the time being. At the last minute, I called and asked Nehemiah if he was sure I couldn’t bring one more person with me besides Rhema. Nehemiah and Amara were both adamant about protecting their client’s privacy. So, when he told me, “No,” it was an answer I was expecting to hear, but it didn’t hurt to ask.
I purchased a new camera so Rhema and I could preserve our private jet experience, and I wanted to capture every moment for Cassie too. I didn’t want to risk my phone’s storage getting full in the middle of me taking a picture or recording a video, which was the reason I invested in the high-tech device.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Girl, I thought you stopped with all that daydreaming stuff,” Cassie joked, snapping me back to reality. “I thought maybe the pregnancy had cured all that.”
“Cass, let me be. Sometimes, daydreaming is the only thing that keeps me sane.”
She laughed. “I know. I’m just playin’. You can zone out all you want, for as long as you want, friend.”
I playfully swatted Cassie’s leg. “It’s almost time,” I stated, checking the time on my phone.
“It is. I think we packed everything that you’ll need for your trip. Oh yeah.” She tapped her index finger on her chin. “Did you put your bottle of prenatal pills in your purse?”
“Yeah, I have them. That was one of the first things I secured in my bag,” I told her, serious about doing my part in making sure their baby was healthy.
I had forty-five minutes left before the driver came to get Rhema and me and take us to the airport. After inhaling deeply, I wobbled around, checking to see if I was forgetting anything. Rhema came out of her bedroom as she put on her backpack. I still hadn’t told her about the jet or where we were going. All she knew was that we were going on a trip, and she was ecstatic because this would be her first trip ever, and mine too.
An alert came through, informing me that the driver was pulling up. Cassie and Rhema wheeled and carried our luggage and bags onto the elevator, and then went down to the lobby. There was a vehicle parked in front of the entrance by the time we made it down. We stepped outside and approached the driver who stood outside waiting for us. He introduced himself and began to load the trunk with our belongings immediately after.
I noticed Cassie discreetly trying to snap a picture of the license plate number. I laughed hysterically to myself.
“Girl, what are you doing?” I whispered, nudging her arm.
“Ember, what does it look like I’m doing? You ain’t heard about these crazy people who be kidnapping pregnant women and stealing their babies?” she asked dramatically, in a serious tone.
I snickered, but Cassie stared at me with a stone-faced expression.
“Fo’real,” she muttered as the driver put my smaller bag on the back seat. “We can’t be trusting everybody. But just in case, I got his plate number, and I know who to go after if anything happens.”
“Okay, my girl is a certified hero too.” I was cheesing so hard, but I felt where Cassie was coming from. For some reason, though, I didn’t feel like Rhema or my life was in danger, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be cautious.
“Sir, take care of my babies, you hear me?” Cassie told the driver after hugging Rhema and me.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. They’ve hired the best driver to transport your ‘babies,’” he reassured professionally with a hint of humor.
“Alright, they betta had hired the best, because I already snapped a picture of you for good measure,” Cassie disclosed before giving us another hug and closing the back door.
The attractive, middle-aged Black driver shook his head and smiled as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Sorry about my friend,” I apologized. “As you see, she cares about our well-being.” I wasn’t sorry for Cassie’s protective nature; I was more concerned about her secretly snapping pictures of the man without his knowledge.
“No need to apologize, Miss. She seems like a good friend, which is something that’s hard to come by these days.”
“You’re right about that,” I agreed as we all buckled our seatbelts.
He nodded, started the engine, and carefully eased into traffic.
About fifty minutes later, we pulled up to a private airstrip that I didn’t know existed. Private jets in every imaginable color were parked, and all of them looked freshly washed. I quickly pulled out my camera and pressed record. Rhema was staring out the window in awe. I pointed the camera at her, capturing her reaction.
