In Name Only (Pine Falls #2) - Jennifer Peel Page 0,31

and flying toward what was sure to be an uncomfortable weekend. Made worse by the fact that I had to pretend I was a happy newlywed who wasn’t vomiting almost every day.

Brock narrowed his eyes, not believing me.

I didn’t try to convince him. I turned and trudged up the stairs.

The jet could carry over ten people and had a few different seating areas. A group of four chairs sat around a table. John was already sitting there with his laptop open. I knew Brock would join him. Sheridan was cozied up on the leather couch, hugging a navy throw pillow with the Holland Industries logo on it. It resembled a flame—appropriate since it was a gas and oil company.

Sheridan patted the seat next to her. “Sit by me, Dani darling.”

I scooted down the length of the plane, past John, who flashed me a toothy smile. I kept my face straight and passed on to sit next to my mother-in-law, who couldn’t have beamed any brighter at me. Guiltily, I sat next to her.

She patted my leg. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”

Her happiness ate at me, yet also made me want to reciprocate. “Me too,” I mostly lied. I really had longed for a day like this. Not necessarily in a private jet with every amenity you could wish for, including a small galley, big-screen TV, and even Wi-Fi. You could honestly smell how expensive the leather seats were. Regardless, I had wished for a day when Sheridan called me daughter and loved me like I were her own. And here I was, living out that wish, and I couldn’t enjoy it because it wasn’t real. I wasn’t really her son’s wife. I was merely the mother of her grandchild, who she had no idea existed.

“I had dinner catered. It’s being kept warm in the galley. We can eat whenever you’d like.”

I was thinking never. I could already smell the baked chicken and broccoli, and it was making me have to take shallow breaths. If I could take the B6 and doxylamine, I would, but it would be too suspicious, and Sheridan was obviously looking at this like a girls’ night. It would be rude for me to sleep through it.

“I’m good for now, but please don’t let me keep you from eating.”

She squeezed my leg. “I’m in no rush.”

That was good news.

The captain informed us over the intercom that we were ready to take off and should expect a four-hour flight. That meant we would be arriving in Arlington around eleven their time, and we still had to drive into DC. We were staying at some ridiculously priced hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the engagement party would happen on Saturday night. John and Sheridan would be in the neighboring suite, so there was no getting two rooms. That was fine by me. It was the only silver lining of the trip—my husband and I had to share a bed.

The plane taxied out of the hangar, and before I knew it, we were in the air.

Brock and John were already knee-deep in business, talking about the fluctuating prices of natural gas, by the time we were cruising above the clouds.

Sheridan rolled her eyes at them. “Let’s ignore them.”

“Fine by me.” I grinned.

She laughed this soft, melodic laugh. She embodied class and kindness. It made me wonder how she’d ended up with John. I supposed I could ask her.

“Tell me, how did you meet John?”

John didn’t even flinch when I mentioned his name, he was so focused on numbers and forecasts.

Her eyes lit up before she let out a sigh. “That is quite the story.”

“You don’t have to share it with me.” I recognized some hesitation on her part.

“No. No. We don’t have secrets in this family.”

I clasped my hands in front of my midsection, as if to protect the biggest family secret of all.

Sheridan waved her hand at all the luxury that surrounded us. “It’s only that this is a far cry from how I thought my story would go.”

I tilted my head. “Really.”

“Oh yes. I was brought up in much different circumstances from the ones I live in now. Who would have ever thought a small-town waitress would end up living like this?”

“Where did you grow up?”

“Some dirt town in the middle of Kansas. My parents hardly had two nickels to rub together. I worked all through high school waiting tables just to help my family make ends meet. But I didn’t mind. I loved my parents. They had