Stephan(67)

Chapter Sixteen





Jade





Stephan had booked flights for us to the Gold Coast for a week after our disaster in Newcastle and I was hoping for better in Labrador the Gold Coast. Derick was coming with us to the Gold Coast and I was happy. Stephan and Derick were close and I knew neither wanted to live far from each other.

I’d never been on a plane before and was super nervous. Derick wasn’t making it any better.

“Sis, planes are safe, well unless you get a crazy on it who wants to kill everyone, but what are the chances of that?”

“Oh my God, I’m going to die, my luck sucks.” I turned and walked toward an airport exit.

Derick laughed and followed. “This flight is only a couple of hours. If we crash Stephan would look out for you. He’d even put the oxygen mask on you first, though you’re supposed to do yourself first. They always show you—”

Stephan whacked his brother behind the head. “Shut it, idiot.” He turned to me pulling me close. “Don’t listen to him, little bit, he’s just being an arse.”

I still wasn’t convinced and planted my feet into the airport carpet. They called first class again for our flight and I frantically looked around.

Stephan sighed and almost picked me up to drag me to the gate. “I’m not driving over twelve hours, so get out your ticket now, Jade.”

At the use of my name I knew Stephan meant business. Groaning, I shuffled my feet and gave my tickets to the flight attendant. She scanned it, and glancing behind me I saw Brand, Royce, David, Owen, Rex, and the two new guys, but I couldn’t remember their names.

I walked through the checkpoint with Stephan and Derick following behind me. Our seats were at the front and a lot bigger and spacious than I thought. Glancing behind me I groaned and for once was grateful to Stephan for his money. The seats behind were smaller and I stood and looked further back to see in the very back they were crammed in like sardines.

I sat back in my seat and grabbed Stephan’s hand. “Thank you.”

Stephan brought our joined hands up and kissed mine. “For what?”

“This. Everything. I appreciate what you do for me. I want you to know. So thank you. I’m super glad right now I’m not sitting back there with all the other sardines crammed in the plane.”

I debated for a moment if I should tell him I love him, but I didn’t want him to think I loved him for his money. I didn’t. As much as I would hate it I’d still love him if we were stuck back with all the squished people flying.

Stephan leaned over and kissed me helping do my seatbelt. “I love you too.”

I hadn’t said those words but if Stephan thought that’s what I said I’d let him.

The flight attendant came and stood at the front of the plane and explained the safety plans. I watched terrified, scared to miss anything. I barely felt the plane moving I was so focused on the pretty blonde.

When the flight attendant was done the pilot came over the intercom. I clenched Stephan’s hand tight as the plane picked up speed while my other hand had a death grip on the chair arm. The whole plane seemed to shake as it lifted off the ground and I thought for a moment that I was going to die.

“I love you,” I croaked out before I sank my face into Stephan’s shoulder. I did something I hadn’t done in many years, if ever, I prayed. “Dear God, let me live. Please let me live. Please, God.” My ears popped and closed my eyes.

Stephan’s hand came and rubbed my back soothing me. “I know you do.”

Hey, the wanker. He didn’t. I’d never told him. Lifting my head I glared at him. “Really? I’m scared to death and blurt out I love you and you came back with that?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know.”

I let his hand go and leaned back in my own chair. “I haven’t told you before and I know it was a shitty time to say it but how do you know?”

He shrugged again, which totally pissed me off. “If you didn’t love me you’d never have come back to me. You’d never put up with me, you would have run.”

I opened my mouth but he put his hand up.

“You’ve been through a lot in your life, Jade. I knew as soon as you turned eighteen if you didn’t love me you would have gone back to your old neighborhood and friends and left me. I’m sure your friends or Jess’s mother would have happily taken you in. You stuck around though.”

I sat there gawking at him. How had he figured it out before me? As he spoke, everything he said clicked into place.

“You could have gotten a restraining order on me from day one. You know how to do them, you have three others on friends of your mother. Even when you had one on me you didn’t change schools or go back to your old school and friends, which would have been a lot easier. You wouldn’t have acted so hurt with everything that happened if you didn’t love me. You even love my family. That’s why you were so hesitant to forgive my mum and brother.”