Inferno Part 3

~141~ Trip Home

Ellie's POV

"Ever been on a plane before, Raya?" Jake asks once we get through security.

"No, but I threw up on a public bus once."

Jake raises his eyebrows and looks at me. "So, let's ask the flight attendants for a motion-sick bag....."

We get on the plane and find our seats. "Want the window seat?" He asks her.

"Sure," she says as she climbs in. I sit next to her, and Jake sits next to me. "We gonna fight over this arm rest the whole flight?" Jake asks.

"There'll be no fighting, you'll just give it to me."

"How do ya figure that?"

"You let me get burned, and Taylor is gonna be super-duper mad."

"How's the arm rest gonna help that?" He asks, buckling his lap belt and putting his carry-on under the seat.

"Cause then I'll tell him you tried to get me to be an adult, and I was just being stubborn."

"Let me guess. If not, you'll tell him that your getting burned was somehow my fault?"

"You've got it"

He nods as he puts on his headphones. "Take the stupid arm rest."

I grin as I settle in, and wait for takeoff. Jake is already watching the complimentary TV the plane provides, when Raya gently taps my arm. I look at her, and she leans in. "He looks really scary. Did I make a huge mistake?"

I squeeze her hand and smile at her. "Jake and Sarah are going to change your life. Give them a chance to do it."

She nods as she turns her attention out the window. I can tell by Jake's posture that he didn't have the volume up very loud. When I glance at him, he gives me a look. He heard her, and he's just as nervous as Raya is.

When we land and make it out of the terminal, my guy is waiting for me with a dozen roses and a huge smile on his face. Nolan is standing next to him with chocolates.

"What's all this?" I ask as I fall into Taylor's arms and ignore the searing pain that his hug is sending me.

"Baby girl, look at you," he says when he notices how blistered I really am.

"Since Jake gave me the armrest on the flight back, I'll take full responsibility. I crispified myself."

Taylor hides a smirk. "And if he wouldn't have given you the arm rest, you would've blamed him?"

"It's scary how much you know me!"

Taylor rolls his eyes and kisses me again. "I sure love you."

"Hello? Where's our flowers and chocolates?" Jake grumbles.

I ignore the pouting man and go over to Nolan, hugging him tight. "I've missed your face," I say as I kiss him.

"Missed you too."

Taylor looks at Raya and smiles. "Hi Raya, I'm Taylor. We've all been crazy anxious to meet you."

Raya returns the smile "Do you eat children for protein too?"

"Huh?"

She shakes her head and smirks. "Never mind. You had to have been there."

Taylor looks at me, trying to figure out what the heck went on in California.

"I thought you said Ethan was adopted," Raya says to Jake.

"He is."

"So is he your biological son? I thought you just had two kids."