Since we weren’t going to hijack a yacht in Spain, I didn’t care where we went. The sooner, the better was what worked for Lexie. She had a big photoshoot in a week she needed to be back for, and then Ryder had one someplace I’d never heard of.
It wasn’t easy trying to get Pen’s boss, Christiano, to give me the information on what hotel they were staying at, but I assured him I wouldn’t do anything that would make Pen deviate away from her job. I knew he didn’t know me, but what did he think I’d do. Pen had never given him a reason to think she wouldn’t be one thousand percent professional. That was unless he thought she was doing the lead singer of the band. Still, Pen seeing me was no cause for concern, and after about thirty minutes, Christiano gave me the address of the hotel they’d be staying at tonight. He even threw in tickets with backstage passes.
“I can’t believe we’re going to Amsterdam,” I said a little too loudly, going by the looks I got from the rest of the people on the plane. “Have you ever been?”
Lexie’s brows furrowed as she thought about it. I wished I had the problem of not remembering all the places I’d gone. I’d never traveled since Brock’s going to medical school took precedence over everything else.
“Actually, I don’t think I have. I’ve been to quite a few countries around the Netherlands, but never there.” She leaned her seat back and closed her eyes. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to try and get a little shut-eye before we land. Ryder and I haven’t been apart for more than a day in three years, and he kept me up way past my bedtime.” One eye opened as she smirked at me and then promptly closed.
“I understand.” If I had a man, I’d have done the same thing. “I was up too late trying to plot out my next book but didn’t get much accomplished. I was too excited to surprise Pen.”
The corner of Lexie’s mouth kicked up. “She’s going to be so surprised.”
Hopefully, in a good way because I wasn’t going to wait any longer to meet this Walker guy who was taking all of my best friend’s time.
“She is. We’re lucky we’re to show up tonight since they won’t be heading to the next venue until tomorrow afternoon.”
Curling up onto my side, I closed my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. I wasn’t sure if I’d be successful with how excited I was, but one minute I was thinking about the look that would surely be on Pen’s face when she saw us, and the next, I was woken up by the captain of the plane saying we’d be landing in forty minutes.
Lexie stretched beside me and let out a long yawn. “I can’t believe I slept the whole time. I’m sorry if you were bored. I thought it would only be for a couple of hours.”
“Seems like your husband wore you out more than you knew.” We both laughed like schoolgirls. “I slept the entire time as well, but even if I hadn’t, I could have been plotting or reading. I’m rarely bored. More often than not, I feel anti-social. I’m happy staying at home, ordering and having everything delivered to me, and catching up on reading books or TV when I’m not writing. It’s when I finally do something else that I realize what I’m missing out on not doing more with my days. That’s why I started to do that yoga class down on the beach. I thought it might help clear my mind and get me to socialize more. At least I’m doing more than sitting in front of my computer all day. Does that make any sense?”
“Perfectly. Ryder, Delilah, and I live in our own little world for the most part. We don’t do much that’s not work-related, but that’s fine with us since work takes us all over the world. We’re happy being at home enjoying our house, the pool, and the beach. We worked hard to get to where we are now. What’s the point in life if you can’t enjoy what you’ve attained?”
“There’s isn’t. You should enjoy what you have because your family and house are both beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she laid her hand on my arm and looked at me softly. “You’ll meet someone one day who will make you his world. Just don’t make the same mistake I did?”
Mistake? I had no idea what she was talking about. “What’s that?”
“When I first met Ryder, well, not the first time, but after some time apart and we saw each other again, I lied to myself about what he meant to me. Raine tried to make me see reason, but I was having none of it. I didn’t think I could hold Ryder’s attention for long with him constantly traveling and being around beautiful women. Trust me when I say it doesn’t matter the age or distance; if a man makes you happy and wants to be with you, you try to make it work. It’s better than being miserable and alone.”
“I had no idea. You’re so beautiful and confident, and the way Ryder looks at you.”
“That’s the thing, though. Doubt can make you blind to what’s right in front of you. Raine told me over, and over again, she could see how much Ryder was into me, but I didn’t see it, and once I did…” She let out a sad sigh. “I thought he was with someone else. To make matters worse, it was with a person he knew I didn’t like. It felt like such a betrayal, but if I’d been thinking with a clear head, I would have known Ryder would never do that.”
“So, you’re saying that I need to be more confident in myself and to listen to those around me? Easier said than done.”
“I know it is. I was damaged from having multiple men cheat on me, and that made it hard for me to trust even though Ryder never once did anything to make me think he’d betray me. I know you’ve been burned by your ex, but don’t make the next man pay for your ex’s mistakes.”
Again, easier said than done, but it was good advice. I shouldn’t put all the baggage I had onto someone else because of what Brock had done.
“Well, if I ever met a guy I’m interested in, I’ll do that or at least try.”
“What would you do if the guy from the boat showed up on your doorstep tomorrow? Would you be with him?”
I sputtered, making Lexie’s sultry laugh fill the compartment. Everyone was looking at us, but we didn’t care.
“That’s a leap. I’d probably wonder how in the hell he found me, but I wouldn’t be opposed to...I barely know the guy.”
Lexie turned to look at me. “We can never know a person unless we give them a chance. Think about when we met. We didn’t know each other, but there was an instant connection. We built on that connection, and now it’s like we’ve known each other forever.”
She was right. How was I ever going to meet a man if I never gave him a chance? If by some miracle, Remy did walk into my life, I needed to give him a chance. I already knew there was an insane physical attraction between us. Plus, I liked talking to him the little I had when I was in Spain. There was something about him that made it easy for me to open up to him, and that had to mean something. I didn’t go about telling everyone I met my life story.
A thought came to me, and I felt the blood drain from my face. “Please don’t tell me you somehow tracked him down, and he’s going to surprise me in Amsterdam. I’m not sure I’ll be able to take it.”
“Oh my God, you should see your face. At least now I know you do not like surprises. Good to know.” Her face cracked into a large grin.