Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,100

down on the runway and the plane bounced as if made of mere plastic, I felt at ease and even more in love with Hayden than I thought possible.

My parents’ driver met us on the tarmac and led us to a black town car. He had a new job, but dropped everything to be there for me. “Welcome home, Ms. Montgomery.” He held the back door open so Hayden and I could slide into the backseat.

“Morning, Max. Thanks for the pickup.”

From the curious way Hayden eyed six-foot Max, clad in a dark suit and sunglasses, this was something totally new for him. I guess, outside my old life, most people didn’t have drivers and housekeepers and planes and vineyards.

As soon as we settled into the black leather seat, I snuggled into Hayden’s side needing a long nap. It wasn’t the short flight that knocked me out. More like the knowledge the plane could’ve gone down at any time and my life would’ve been over.

Hayden pressed his lips to the top of my head. “You do know most people skip school and go to the beach, right?”

I nodded. “We’re not most people.”

He smiled into my hair. “That we’re not. So…this is Austin?”

I nodded.

“What do we have planned?”

I shrugged. What I needed to do could be taken care of at any time. My first hurdle was the plane.

“Can I meet your parents?”

I jerked away so quickly, I deserved Hayden’s startled look.

He inched closer and cupped my cheeks between his hands. He leaned in so our noses touched. “I want you to take me to where they’re buried. They are buried, aren’t they?”

God. I hadn’t even considered stopping by the cemetery. That seemed like a massive step for my first trip back. A step I wasn’t ready for.

“I think I should introduce myself.” He gave me a heartfelt smile. “You know, explain my intentions. Ask for their blessings.”

A small smile tugged at my lips because I knew he meant it. He meant everything he said.

But visiting the cemetery was a big deal. A really big deal.

I inhaled a deep breath, considering the fact that Hayden sat beside me with his strong yet gentle hands on my cheeks.

Loving me.

Protecting me.

When he was with me, I could do anything. “Okay,” I whispered.

He rubbed his nose to mine. “Okay.”

HAYDEN

We pulled to a stop in the middle of the vast cemetery. I waited for Alex to say something, make a move, step out. Anything. But she just stared out the window at the endless rows of gravestones, adorned with flower-filled urns, spread as far as the eye could see.

Maybe I’d pushed too hard. Maybe visiting the cemetery wasn’t at all what she had in mind for our trip. I reached over and linked our fingers, giving her hand a little squeeze.

With her eyes engrossed in what lay outside the window, she sighed. “Ready?”

“Only if you are.”

She didn’t respond, just pushed open the door. Before stepping out, she twisted toward me. “You know, you’re pretty swell.”

My chest tightened. Because me being there, was exactly what she needed. And I really liked being needed.

We stepped out into the seventy-degree air, the swaying trees creating the only sounds for miles. I wondered if Alex had visited after the funeral because she maneuvered around the different sized stones like she’d taken the same path many times before.

The bell in the church tower rang eleven times. On its final chime, Alex stopped and looked down at a polished gray stone with her parents’ names engraved in the front.

My body stilled. My eyes locked on the statue carved into the side and top of the stone. A kneeling white angel with its head and arms draped over the top crying in despair.

Talk about irony.

Releasing my hand, Alex dropped to her knees. She reached out and touched the smooth stone, tracing the letters of her parents’ names with her fingertip.

“Do you want me to give you some time?”

She didn’t look up, just shook her head.

My heart ached as I watched her glide her finger along the grooves over and over again. It was as if she hadn’t believed they were gone until she saw their names etched in the stone.

I knew that feeling of denial. And I saw my mother die.

Alex didn’t speak. I assumed she was speaking to her parents in her head. Probably apologizing for what she felt was her hand in their deaths. I wished she realized her parents didn’t have to fly that day. Even if it had been her