“Do you know how many germs are in this petri dish?” He glances around at the other passengers on the plane. “Don’t put your hands near your mouth, sweetie.”
Paul rolls his eyes. “You are a germaphobe.”
Sebastian looks at him and says, “Yes, and?”
I laugh and rest my head back against the seat as we approach the airport, racing over the water below. I close my eyes as the wheels of the plane skid along the runway, keeping them shut until we eventually come to a stop on the tarmac.
“Luc, I’m going to need my hand this weekend,” Bas says, and I release my grip on it. He shakes it out in front of him and mouths, Ow.
“Sorry.” I give him apologetic eyes. “You know how much I love landing.”
“Or taking off, or turbulence of any kind,” he teases.
I nod once. “Correct.”
When the pilot gives the okay to exit the plane, Paul stands up, but Grady gets up from his seat directly in front of us and holds his hand out. “Wait a minute,” he says to Paul, who sits back down. Grady says something to the steward, who then stands at the back of the first class seats while we gather our bags from the overhead bin, and I’m reminded of the biggest change since we were here last.
I fumble through my purse for my sunglasses and throw them on, keeping my eyes on the back of Grady’s shoulders as we exit the plane and walk into the busy airport. I doubt anyone would recognize me without Sam, but the thought is still unnerving. I put my hand on my stomach and the baby moves beneath it, kicking and rolling a knee or a shoulder, and she bumps my hand up and down.
When we get to the baggage claim, someone shouts at us from nearby, startling me, and I curse under my breath. A camera-toting man approaches us, but I do my best to ignore him. A few passersby glance up at him, but most are too busy to care why he would want a picture.
“Come on,” Grady says to us. “Let’s go to the car. I’ll come back in and get your bags.”
“When’s the baby due, Lucy?” the man asks, like he knows me.
“None of your business,” Sebastian snaps, and Paul quietly scolds him as we hurry toward the exit.
When we get outside, Grady leads us to a waiting SUV with tinted windows, and I quickly climb into the back seat, eager to disappear behind them. Sebastian and Paul climb in after me.
“Can you please turn up the air?” I ask the driver.
“You okay?” Bas asks, gauging me.
“Yeah.” I rest my hands on my tummy and look over at him. “If you say I’m out of shape, I’m going to hit you.”
“I wouldn’t dare say that to a pregnant woman. Especially not one evading the paparazzi.”
“Honestly, Lucy, you can’t even tell you’re pregnant from the back,” Paul says, winking at me.
I lay my head back against the seat rest and pat Sebastian’s knee. “Please don’t tell me you’re taking us on another tour of Manhattan, because I don’t think I can keep up this time.”
“Unfortunately, no. The only thing we have time for this trip is work.” He checks his phone. “I need to call the studio and confirm our arrival time.”
“What time does it start?” Paul asks.
“Six. But I want to get there earlier.”
* * *
Sebastian walks into my hotel room and smiles at me. “Just like an angel.”
“Can you help me?” I ask, handing him my necklace.
“Sure.” He takes it from me and clasps it behind my neck. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” I say, staring at myself in the mirror, grateful that my dress still fits almost as well as it did six weeks ago when Sebastian picked it out. There’s just a little less room in the middle, but otherwise it’s still just as comfortable. I straighten my gold bar necklace over the V neckline and adjust the soft white material that flows over my growing stomach all the way down to my strappy blush-colored stilettos. “Is my hair okay?” I ask, looking at Sebastian, who’s standing behind me.
“It looks gorgeous,” he says, spinning me around by my shoulders to see the layers of loose waves that are cascading down my exposed back.
I reach for the delicate gold bracelet on my wrist that Sam gave me when I was seventeen and sigh.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, dropping his head to the side. “You look serene and beautiful. You’re ready for this.”
“I don’t feel ready. Not without Sam. He should be here. I should have asked him to come. I know he would have.”
“Yes, he would have. But I’m here,” he offers. “And I know I’m not Sam, but I’ll support you any way that I can today.”
“I know you will.” I smile softly at him in his snug black suit. “You look very handsome.”
“Thank you.” He smiles and holds his elbow out for me. “Shall we?”
I wrap my hand around his arm and he escorts me to the waiting car downstairs.
I check my phone for the umpteenth time while we sit in unmoving traffic between towering buildings that block what’s left of the afternoon sun, hoping for a missed call or text from Sam.
“Still nothing?” Bas asks.
I shake my head and call him…again. But it just rings and rings, until it goes to his voicemail.
Hey, this is Sam. Leave a message.
“Hey, it’s me. We’re headed to the show. I just wanted to talk to you. I love you, Sam…I miss you. Bye.”
“Lucy, maybe when we go home you should go see him. I think it’s been long enough, don’t you?”
“I guess I’ll know when I talk to him,” I say, fidgeting with the sparkly engagement ring on my left hand.
Sebastian looks at his watch. “Is there any faster way than this?” he asks the driver, who shakes his head.
“Relax, Bas. It’s only four thirty,” Paul says to him. “The show doesn’t start for an hour and a half.”
“Which at this rate is what time we’ll show up. That’s unacceptable,” he says with wide eyes. He looks at the traffic map on his phone and starts suggesting alternate routes to the driver, who I’m pretty sure is ignoring him now.
Bas exhales an exasperated breath through his nostrils, and it makes me laugh.
“I’m so glad I provide you so much amusement,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Bas, I love you. Have I told you that lately?”
“No, actually, you haven’t. But it’s nice to hear,” he says, shrugging a shoulder. “Finally!” he shouts, when we start moving again.
Nearly an hour later, we arrive at our location, and Sebastian practically leaps from the car. I wait for Grady to open my door and he holds my hand while I get out. “You look great, Lucy. You sure you don’t need me to come in?” he asks, leading me around the SUV.
I pause and look at his kind face above his thick muscular neck. “Thanks, but that’s okay. I think it would just cause unnecessary attention.”
“Okay, well I’ll be right outside.”
“Oh, Grady, you don’t have to wait. Really, I’m fine.”
“Sam hired me to keep you safe, Lucy, which makes you my top priority. I’ll be right outside,” he reiterates.