It had taken some coordination, but they had apparently managed to get everyone to the airport without picking up a tail along the way. Merrick and Mook would be traveling with them in Ramon’s plane, and the rest of Cain’s crew was already en route.
“Mama!” Hannah yelled, clapping her hands. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s inside waiting on you, sweetie. Are you ready to take a trip?” Emma hurried down the short flight of steps so she could pick the little girl up and hug and kiss her before giving her son the same treatment.
The greatest gift, aside from getting Cain back in her life, was having Hayden not flinch when she touched him. He had actually initiated some of the contact in the last few days, and Emma had to fight the urge to sob every time he did.
“Do we get to find out where we’re going, or is this a game of twenty questions?” Hayden put his arm around her waist and followed her back to the plane. He was joking, and at the moment they could have just been flying around the city and back. She knew he didn’t care, that it was just nice to all be in the same place at the same time.
“What, you don’t like surprises?” Emma said, trying to keep a straight face. “I’m sure the burden of being taken out of school will be worth your while when we get there.”
“You don’t know, do you?”
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”
He arched his brow, resembling Cain so much it took Emma’s breath away. “Oh, all right. Cain knows how good I am at keeping secrets, so no, I have no idea.” She laughed as she bumped hips with him and cocked her head in the direction of the plane. “Go on. She’s been looking forward to you getting here.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
That was new too, and it made Emma sigh.
“You’re very welcome.” She kissed his forehead before sending him on his way. “Let’s go get you strapped in, Miss Hannah.”
The crew closed the door behind her and continued their preflight checklist.
In the back of the plane Cain sat in one of the leather chairs, trying to get as comfortable as possible for the two-hour flight. Dr. Elton wasn’t thrilled that she was getting on a plane or leaving his care, but he understood her dilemma. He’d felt a little better when Emma told him Cain had arranged for medical care once they arrived at their destination.
“Hey, pal, how’s it going?” Cain asked Hayden as he stepped closer. They took turns looking each other over, making sure the forced separation, which had been much longer than Cain would have liked, had done no harm.
For Hayden, the too-few trips to the hospital were as much about making himself feel better as they were about visiting Cain. His mother was such a huge part of his life that the thought of losing her made him ill. “I’m better now. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, Hayden. I want you to stop worrying. I’m going to be fine. There isn’t any reason for you to think about this anymore. We’re going away so I can finish healing. Then I’m coming back to take care of this just like I always do.” She waved him closer and whispered the last part. “Only now I don’t have to do it alone.”
“You don’t think she’ll leave again, do you?” he asked.
“I wanted to talk to you before now, but haven’t had the chance.” With the hand of her uninjured side, Cain waved to her chest. Just behind their son she could see that Emma was having a hard time keeping Hannah in her seat, the little girl obviously wanting to be with her and Hayden. “Are you all right with everything that’s happened? Your mother being back in my life also means she’s back in yours, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you aside.”
“I’m just glad you’re happy. I talked to her a lot when she came home from the hospital every night to have dinner with us. You were right that night we went out before you got shot. She’s my safe haven, and I’m glad to have one again. I was so mad at her I didn’t realize how much I missed her.”
He needed some contact with Cain, but was afraid to hurt her so he put his hand in hers. “That doesn’t mean I want our relationship to change, but I do want a chance to get to know her better. No matter what, Emma’s my mom, and I’m glad she is.”
“You’re the best kid I could have hoped for, Hayden.” Cain pulled him forward and put her arm around him.
“Just wait till you get to know Hannah. That kid is a riot.” He kissed Cain’s cheek and looked back at the little girl. “You should be glad I’m not the jealous type, or this could get ugly.”
“Mama, please. I wanna see Mom and Haygen. Please.” The little girl kept looking back at the two talking. “Please.”
“Mom did a really good job when it came to telling her about us,” Cain said. “Hannah’s going to be fun to have around.”
Hayden went to the little girl and picked her up, causing Emma to shake her head. Having Hannah exposed to the rest of the Casey clan was going to spoil the little girl rotten. In only a short time she’d come to love being with Hayden, who often carried her around the house, showing her family treasures and telling her the same stories about their family that Cain had told him through the years. The adventures of the Casey clan were much better than any book, and Hayden seemed to love retelling the tales as much as he liked hearing them.
“You want to tell Mom hi before we take off?” he asked Hannah.
She nodded and pressed her forehead to Hayden’s, glad to have a brother who understood what she needed. “How’s your owie, Mom?” Hannah asked when she took a seat on Cain’s lap. “You stay with us now?”
The engines kicked on, and Emma urged them all into their seats before they took off. To keep the peace Cain moved so that they could all sit together for at least a little while. As the navigator came out to tell them they were getting ready to start their taxi to the end of the runway, someone started pounding on the door of the plane.
