12. Taylor
"Ninety-five percent of decisions take place in your subconscious mind." ~ Tim Rhodes
This cannot be happening.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth,I instructed myself as I walked down the corridor, hand in hand, with Harper, and tried to stave off a panic attack.
With each step I took, my stomach rolled with nausea. The entire airport felt like it was spinning. I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up or pass out. If it was the first, the contents of my stomach were going to have a difficult time making it past my heart, which was lodged in my throat.
I did not like surprises, and this one blindsided me completely. Kyle was Remi. Remi was Kyle. What were the chances of a random guy I met at the Chicago airport being Kane's best friend and Ruby's brother?
One in a million?
One in a billion?
No, it had to be one in a trillion.
When I saw him, my first thought was that he'd come to find me. Even though that would have been stalker behavior, I had to admit, I'd had an inner swoon. But that thought was quickly dispelled when I saw the sheer shock on his face at seeing me again.
That shock tripled when he learned who I was, which was how I knew he had been as clueless as I was about our true identities. From everything I'd heard about Remi, he was the epitome of a stand-up guy; he always did the right thing…actually, now that I thought about it, what I knew about Remi tracked with everything I knew about Kyle, too. But that being said, if Remi had known who I was, he would have never crossed that line with me. I was the mother of his childhood best friend's daughter.
"Are you okay, Mommy?" Harper asked.
I glanced down at her and saw worry brimming in her eyes.
"Of course, Peanut. I'm great!" I rushed to assure her.
"Then why are you squeezing my hand so tight, and why are we walking so fast?"
"Oh, sorry!" I immediately loosened my He-Man grip and slowed my pace. "I just missed you so much and am so excited to get home."
Both statements were true; they just didn't happen to be the catalyst for my behavior.
I could hear Kyle/Remi's heavy footsteps behind me. Or maybe that was just in my imagination, since there were dozens of other people walking around us. But I felt like it was him, like I could hear him specifically above everyone else. From the first time I looked into his eyes, I felt in tune with him in ways I'd never experienced before. It was as if we were operating on a frequency all our own. That phenomenon had been highly unnerving before his Scooby Doo mask had been taken off and I'd found out his true identity; now it was even more so.
On our way to baggage claim, Harper filled me in on everything that was going on in Mrs. Garcia's first-grade class. I had never been more grateful for my little Chatty Cathy; her nonstop talking gave me time to try and compose myself and come up with a game plan, something I desperately needed.
When Ruby introduced us, I panicked. The last thing I wanted was for her or Kane to start asking questions about how we knew each other. If I hadn't interrupted him, Remi would have told them that we met before, that we knew each other. He may not have revealed that it was in the biblical sense, but I couldn't take that chance. My greatest fear was that one look in my eyes and Kane would know something happened between us—between me and his best friend. Between me and his fiancée's brother.
That could not happen. What happened between me and Remi needed to fall under the what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas law, except in our case, it would be what-happens-in-Chicago-stays-in-Chicago.
When we reached the luggage carousel, my internal panic attack was still in full force. I stopped and tried to regulate my breathing and listen to Harper, who was still talking a mile a minute. Behind me, I could hear Ruby asking her brother questions, and I couldn't help but eavesdrop.
"Do you have any luggage?"
"Nope. Just my carry-on."
It was so strange to hear his very deep—very familiar voice—and know that it belonged to Remi, not Kyle. My brain was having a difficult time reconciling that distinction.
"So, are you okay…about Misty?" Ruby asked. "I mean, you don't have to talk about it, but I just?—"
"I'm great, actually. I haven't really thought about it much because, um, well, I met someone."
Oh no. Please, please, please, do not do this, I begged internally.
"Oh, so you were seeing someone else?" Ruby sounded totally shocked at the thought that her brother would cheat.
"No. I met her right after Misty broke things off."
"When did Misty break things off?'
"Last night," Remi explained calmly.
How was he so blasé about this conversation? Each word he spoke made me feel like I was going to crawl out of my skin.
"Last night?" Ruby repeated slowly.
"Yep."
"Where?"
"At the bar in the airport."
"That's crazy," Kane observed, and rightly so.
Remi chuckled a little as he agreed, "You have no idea."
I was so busy wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole that I completely forgot why we were all gathered at baggage claim. I was reminded that we were, in fact, waiting for my luggage when I felt Remi's arm brush mine as he reached past me and lifted my suitcase off the metal conveyor belt.
"Oh." I started to grab it from his hand, but he held on tightly. Our faces were a mere inch apart, just like they'd been when he was on top of me.
"I've got it," he stated firmly.
The low, gravelly tone of authority sent a rush of familiar awareness rippling through me. I could feel my cheeks flushing as I released the handle and took a step back. If this was a battle of wills, which, make no mistake, it absolutely was, I just cried uncle. Defeat was not something I regularly experienced, and I was not a fan.
"Wait, how did you know that was Taylor's luggage?" Ruby asked, her gaze bouncing between me and her brother like she was watching a match at Wimbledon.
"I, um, I pointed at it." The words rushed out of me in an attempt to cover Remi's obvious tell that we did, in fact, know each other.
Her brow furrowed. "You did?"
"Yep." That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
Ruby and Kane both looked at Remi for confirmation.
He nodded. "She did."
I exhaled a breath of relief that he'd played along.
"Here, I can take that." Kane held out his hand toward Remi.
"I got it," Remi insisted.
The two men shared a look that lasted a few seconds too long for my liking, but then Harper saved the day with rapid-fire questions about the wedding, her dress, and what the food was going to be while the five of us made our way to the parking garage.
As we all ascended the staircase, Kane fell back and walked with me. Harper, Ruby, and Remi were a few steps ahead. His voice was quiet as we made our way up behind the trio. "I brought the truck because I didn't know Remi was going to be here. It's going to be a tight squeeze."
I knew why he was telling me that information. He was worried that I would be uncomfortable being seated so close to Remi. Which I would be, just not for the reason he was worried about.
"It's okay. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Kane's expression was a mix of concern and confusion. "I can ask Ruby to sit in the back; she won't mind."
I wasn't going to make his bride-to-be sit in the back seat. It was already a strange enough situation with me being in the wedding.
"No, I'm fine. Really. You've talked about him so much, I feel like I know him."
"Yeah, I caught that," Kane remarked as we reached the top of the stairs, where Ruby got his attention.
"Where are we parked?" she asked as she walked up beside him.
I wanted to ask what he meant by ‘Yeah, I caught that.'
What had he caught?
But before I could ask, Kane strode in front of me, leading the way to the truck. Harper fell in line between them, and Kyle/Remi dropped back so that he was walking beside me.
"Nice cover. Do you think they bought it?" he asked in a whisper.
"Don't," I said under my breath.
"Don't what, Ana?"
"Just don't."
I picked up my pace to join Kane, Ruby, and Harper, but Remi stayed behind us. I didn't need eyes in the back of my head; I could feel him staring at my ass, and I could feel him smiling. It was clear that he found this situation very amusing. That made one of us.