16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixtee n

Indy — Now

I was 35,000 feet in the air.

If I jumped out of this plane with only the clothes on my back, my odds of survival were drastically low. But I doubted they were any lower than my odds of completing this flight without getting blood on my hands.

Whether it would be my own or that of the passenger beside me was undecided.

Nolan shifted in his seat, his knee bumping mine for the hundredth time. Logically, I knew it couldn’t be that many. But I’d been with him for ten hours—more time than since we’d parted ways at eighteen—and everything was elevated. I’d anticipated the drive to the airport to be the worst of it, but being crammed beside him on a five-hour flight had taken the cake.

His knee nudged mine again and I crossed my legs, angling myself away from him.

Ignoring the pressure of his gaze, I focused on the movie playing a few seats ahead of me. With music drifting through my headphones, and Hayden Panettiere krumping on the screen, I found a sliver of peace.

Nolan must’ve sensed that, as hardly two seconds later, he reached for Genny’s carrier. I tightened my grip on it, refusing to let him lift it off my lap. He’d eyed it curiously our entire trip, and I was surprised he’d waited this long without stealing a peek.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, I pulled out my earbuds. “Stop it,” I murmured. “This is mine—not yours.”

“What is it?” he asked, having the nerve to groan when I tightened my grip on the handle. “You’ve been clutching that thing the entire trip. I just want to see what it is.”

“It’s a rat.”

“A rat that meows?”

“Yes. And you can’t see it.”

He chuckled, eyeing me in a way that had me squirming beneath my skin. “You should know that just makes me want to see even more.”

I clenched my jaw. I was fighting the inevitable. “Fine.” I handed him the carrier. I had no reason to hide Genny from Nolan. She meant nothing to him. “Fair warning: she might look cute, but trust me, she’s a little demon. She’ll probably claw you.”

He gave me a sly smile. “She takes after her owner?”

I rolled my eyes, silently praying she would do me a solid and attack Nolan. Just one little scratch on that pretty face. “Well, hello,” he crooned as he unzipped the top flap and peered inside. “Aren’t you quite the beauty?”

Something in my chest warmed, and I smiled to myself as he continued murmuring sweet nothings to Genny, buttering her up. “Okay, that’s enough.” I wasn’t about to push my luck. “I’ll take her back now.”

He gave me an incredulous look, shifting the carrier just out of my reach. “Relax. I’m not going to kill your cat.” Ignoring my protests, he reached inside and pulled her out. “Alright, let’s get a look at you—”

His words stopped short as he clutched Genny in a single hand, silently staring at her. “Indy . . .” His voice was a low rumble. “What have you done to Eugene?”

I pressed my lips together, surprised by the laugh building within me. “Her name is Genny—”

“Her?” His eyes widened, as though to get a better look at the cat in his hands. Her coat was shiny and black, her frame long and healthy. She had one eye and wore a bow with a gem in the center. “No. This is Eugene, and he’s a boy. He wears pirate eye patches—not purple bows!”

“Yeah, well, apparently not.” I laughed then, unable to contain it as he realized the cat we once shared together was indeed a girl and not a boy. After realizing that, I’d changed her name from Eugene to Genny. “I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when Eugene popped out five kittens on my bathroom floor.”

Nolan laughed hard, loud enough for people to glance our way. “I can’t believe you’re a chick.” He cradled her to his chest, like there was no love lost between them despite the years apart. “I didn’t realize you still had our cat.”

I stiffened, the momentary bubble of bliss popped. “Just because we left each other didn’t mean Genny deserved to be left too.” My face heated and I picked at my nails, wishing I could suck the words back in. I hadn’t meant to sound so accusatory, and it wouldn’t help us move on.

I opened my mouth to apologize, just as he said, “Thank you for not leaving her behind.” My vision blurred, and I kept my gaze on my lap, not wanting him to see the annoying moisture there. If he saw it, he gave no clue, teasing, “Hate to say it, but it looks like I’m still her favorite.”

I let out a low laugh, shaking my head as Genny curled up on his lap—the little traitor. It didn’t matter if I’d loved and spoiled her for years; she’d always had a soft spot for Nolan. “I’m not surprised. You’re everyone’s favorite.”

He hummed. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Don’t even try and pretend that’s not the truth.” I didn’t care if it was a stroke to his ego. “Most dads wouldn’t be so quick to pawn their daughters off to their ex-husbands, while mine all but threw me at you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he loved you more than he does me.”

“You seem to have forgotten all the times he chased me out of your bedroom,” he fired back, and I smiled to myself, smug. I might regret the past, but at least I had a memory or two of Nolan stumbling out of my window when Dad realized he’d snuck in after my curfew. “And don’t go blaming your dad for my being here. You could’ve told me no.”

“No, I couldn’t,” I scoffed. “Not with you being all sunshine and good times. I might as well be stealing candy from babies.”

“Ah yes, I’ll be sure to hide my niece from you. She’ll yank your hair out if you try to steal her candy.”

He’d said it as a joke, but my laugh died on my lips as I registered what he’d revealed. “You—you have a niece?”

He dipped his chin, looking at me like he was surprised I hadn’t known that. “Brooks has a daughter. A wife too.”

“Oh. Cool.” I’d known Brooks had gotten married, but I hadn’t realized he’d started a family too. There was so much I’d missed over the years, so many things I’d only heard through the grapevine. A curious piece of me wanted to ask Nolan more, have him catch me up on what I’d missed, but I resisted.

The less I knew, the better. The easier it would be to leave and never come back.

Uncomfortable with the silence, I went to slip my earbuds back in, but Nolan set his hand on my wrist, stopping me. “Indy . . .” His voice was a murmur, or at least it sounded like it with my pulse pounding in my ears. “I know you’re not thrilled I’m here, but thanks for letting me tag along. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a game. I’m excited.”

My throat swelled, but I had no idea if it was due to guilt or Nolan touching me. Swallowing hard, I feigned a smile. “Yeah, well, don’t think I let you come for the hell of it. Consider this a part of our deal—I’m fully expecting you to tell my dad how I was nothing but the best to you.”

He chuckled under his breath, dropping his hold on my wrist. “So how are we going to do this?”

“Do what?”

He smoothed his hand down Genny’s back, all of his attention back on her. “Split custody of Eugene.”

I sputtered a laugh. “She’s my cat. I’m not sharing her with you.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. You gave her to me.”

“No. We were married. She was both of ours—”

“Exactly.” His blue eyes flickered with amusement. “She was ours, and since we’re still married, I’m entitled to some quality time with Eugene.”

My mouth hung open. Was he kidding or not? I used to be able to see through the many masks Nolan adorned, but I wasn’t privy to his secrets anymore. “What about when we get divorced?” I asked, playing along.

“Split her fifty-fifty.” He shrugged. “What’s that one Bible story? The one where two women both claim a baby is theirs, so the king orders them to split their time with the baby?”

“That’s not how the story goes, you asshole.” I laughed and swooped Genny out of his lap, thankful to see glorious clumps of cat hair littering Nolan’s jeans. “It was a test, but he ordered them to cut the baby in half. And you’re out of your mind if you think I’m cutting her in half.”

Nolan let out a deep laugh, holding his hands up. “Okay, okay—I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was how the story went.” But the grin he wore told me he wasn’t sorry at all. “You can’t really blame me for not knowing. I was more focused on how long you and I could sneak off from Sunday school before getting caught.”

My cheeks flamed, and I despised the fire coursing beneath my skin. We’d always gotten caught, but that hadn’t stopped us. Getting caught was half the fun of breaking the rules. It had been a long time since I’d felt that way. Felt so wrapped up in something I was willing to risk it all.

But that was a dangerous way to live.

I was relieved Nolan and I had shared a few laughs, eased some of the tension between us, but I needed to remember why I was doing this. I didn’t agree to this deal with him in hopes of becoming friends, not truly at least. I was here to make peace and move on. To right my wrongs, and finally be free of the weight of my past. I couldn’t afford to take risks or break the rules—I’d given up too much. I couldn’t let myself lose sight of the end goal.

I needed to make sure Nolan remembered it too.