Page 88 of Never and Always
As we walked toward it, Piper was unfazed. She was used to this. Flying on private jets and helicopters wasn’t new to her. I frowned. It was just another reminder that she didn’t belong in a small mountain town.
She hurried up the steps and ducked into the plane. I had a second to admire her ass in her skirt. She hadn’t taken the time to change before we left.
Wow. Large cream leather seats contrasted with dark, sleek wood. I should have known Ro’s jet would be pure class.
“Please get settled.” A smiling female flight attendant nodded at us. She wore a trim navy-blue dress, her blonde hair pulled back in a neat bun. “Once we’re airborne, I can get you some refreshments. It’ll be a two-hour flight to Chicago.”
“Thanks.” I sat in one of the plush leather seats beside Piper.
“You didn’t need to come. I’ll be fine.”
“Be quiet.” I settled back in the seat.
Her gaze met mine. Her blue eyes were sad, worried.
I slid an arm around her and pulled her close. When she leaned into me, I felt things loosen inside me. It made me feel like I’d won a damn prize to have a woman like Piper lean on me.
“Just switch off for a bit, okay?”
She nodded.
Soon we were in the air. I wasn’t surprised when she fell asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I hadn’t let her get much sleep last night.
The flight attendant returned, and smiled at the sleeping Piper. “Can I get you something?”
“Coffee. Black. Thanks.”
Piper made a little noise and nuzzled my shoulder. She had no armor on right now. I looked at her lashes lying against her cheeks.
Fuck, I was falling in deep for this woman.
She was going to break my heart when she left.
Piper’s heelsclicked rapidly on the floor as we hurried into the Good Samaritan Hospital.
“Big city.” I grabbed her arm. “Slow down, or you’ll break a leg and end up a patient in here yourself.”
We’d landed at a private terminal at Midway Airport. A car had been waiting for us. Piper had fidgeted the entire drive. I knew she was desperate to see her grandmother and mom.
She reluctantly slowed down.
“Breathe,” I ordered.
She shot me an annoyed look, but dragged in a breath. Then I tugged her close and kissed her. It took a moment, but I felt her muscles relax. I broke the kiss and took her hand in mine.
We checked at the nurses’ desk and found out which room Hazel Ellis was in.
Piper hurried to the door.
A woman in a chair beside the bed looked up. “Piper,” she cried, pushing to her feet.
“Mom.” Piper hugged her mother.
Although the woman was a couple of inches shorter than Piper, they looked the same. Staring at Penelope Ellis gave me a good idea of what Piper would look like in a few decades. With her long, silver-streaked blonde hair and good bone structure, she was still gorgeous.
“Doll, you didn’t have to come all this way,” a quieter voice said. It was a little frail, but I heard the thread of steel in it.
Piper turned to the small woman in the bed.
