about to say something risky. "You could always stay at Del Rey for as long as you need."
My eyes dance up to her face, trying to gauge how serious she is. Del Rey is a dream land, and I've stayed there plenty of times with Zara. And if I wanted an escape, there is no place better. It's a secluded island without much contact with the real world. If I wanted to be far from my mother, it would be a great option.
There's one problem. Del Rey is where Nash Wilde now lives. And I can't be around Nash, not that much.
"You wouldn't have to worry about anyone bothering you. Nash works out there, but he works so much you'd never see him. You'd practically have the island to yourself. Except for Nash and the staff, you'd be alone."
Fuck, it’s tempting. It could be the fresh start I need to get away from my mother and make a real plan for my future. Or maybe never come back at all.
But can I stand being around Mr. Perfect, even if I never see him? Because I can't tell Zara how Nash scares me. She’s told me how he was with her, and I can’t quite describe how that makes me feel. That I want to be as far from him as possible, but also can’t seem to avoid the pull of curiosity.
Some nights I lie awake thinking about him losing control on me, and as much as I know he and I would never make a good pair because we're both too hot-headed and reckless, I still crave the chance to find out.
But I couldn't do that to her. It’s crossing a line best friends don’t cross. She may have chosen Alistair, but I know a part of her still belongs to Nash. And seeing how he has never moved on, I’m assuming a part of him still belongs to her too.
2
"Don't you two have a baby to take care of now?" I grumble, coming out of my office and crossing the helipad toward the hangar.
Zara gives me a harsh glare. "She's with Astrid. Your dad just wants to help." He's already in the hangar. I can see him looking over the new model that came in from the shop two days ago. It still needs work, but my palms are already sweating with the way he's scrutinizing it. This is my model, and he doesn't need to be looking at it yet.
She grabs my arm, and I flinch. "He's being supportive. Don't start with him."
"He's breathing down my fucking neck." It comes out too harsh. But the more I try to get out of her grasp to get him the fuck out of my hangar, the tighter she squeezes.
"Nash," she says with a warning. "You have a lot going on. It's too much for one person."
"I thought you liked him being retired. Take him home." I point angrily at my father now sitting in the cockpit, looking at everything.
"You need help out here. You can't work yourself to death." She puts herself in front of me, and I know what she's doing. I'm wound up, and if I go in there, he and I are going to fight. She’s simply defusing the bomb before it goes off.
"I have help." I gesture to the new staff moving around the hangar and the new office building set up next to it.
"Those are employees. He's worried you're carrying all of this stress alone. This acquisition is a lot to handle. Let him help."
"Is this why you came? As a buffer?"
She scowls at me, and I pinch her on the hip to make her swat me away. Old habits die hard, and even though things between her and I are dead, I still love to fuck with her. I want her to think I'm still in control, at least a little bit.
In a pair of cut-off shorts and a loose-fitting white top, Zara still looks like the lost girl who started coming to the island all those years ago. She’s an outsider, even now, and fuck if I know why she chose to spend her life around a couple of rich assholes like us. She’s changed my dad, but he can still be the same cold prick with me.
Lord knows I haven’t changed.
"Actually, no. I have a favor to ask."
This stops me in my tracks, and I turn to look at her with an eyebrow peaked. "I'm not babysitting."