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“I expect yo
u to return the favor someday.”
“By going to a wedding with you as your pretend girlfriend?” Odds were he’d never need her to do any such thing and they both knew it.
“Something like that.”
“We’ve been cleared for takeoff,” the captain said over the intercom speaker.
“Oh!” McKenzie gasped and grabbed hold of Ryder’s arm. Talking with him, she’d kept that they’d taxied away from the hangar and out onto the airstrip at bay.
They were literally preparing for takeoff.
As in about to leave the ground and zoom through the air as if gravity wasn’t a thing to be concerned about.
McKenzie worried about gravity. A lot.
“You okay?”
“Do I look okay?” she bit out, knowing her fingers were digging into his arm but not able to pry them loose. Something about holding onto him made her feel safer.
“Not particularly.”
She closed her eyes, knowing any moment the plane was going to start moving again. When it did it wasn’t going to slow down for a long, long time.
Five hours. That’s all. Just five hours, then she’d be in Nashville and back on the ground.
Help, her mind screamed. Get her off the plane. Pronto. She couldn’t do this.
She had to. She’d done it before and landed just fine. She’d do it again. For Reva and the rest of her family.
But, oh, how she wanted to get off the plane.
“McKenzie?”
“Mmm?” she managed, wondering just how thick her throat had swelled because getting air in and out was impossible.
Why couldn’t she have just told them all that she couldn’t get off work? She hadn’t really had to go to Reva’s wedding? Her cousin could have gotten a different bridesmaid, could have had her big day without having McKenzie there.
“Open your eyes.”
Her mind registered that Ryder had leaned closer, but she didn’t do as he’d ordered. Ordered because that’s what his words had been, a command.
“McKenzie.” His tone was softer, coaxing even, this time. “Open your eyes.”
She did so, meeting his gaze, and forcing herself not to look away.
“You’re afraid of flying?”
“What gave you that idea?” she ground out between clenched teeth.
He grinned, then surprised her by prying her fingers from their death grip on his arm and lacing their hands. “You forgot to tell me you were afraid of flying.”
She hadn’t forgotten. She’d just hoped she’d be able to hide her fear. She hadn’t flown in over two years and had hoped her phobia wouldn’t rear its ugly head to the point she wouldn’t be able to control it. Wasn’t that what the tablet she’d taken was supposed to help with?
“Too bad I didn’t forget to make my flight.”
Ryder had the audacity to laugh. “Now, now. You wouldn’t want to miss your cousin’s wedding.”
