Page 69 of The Wedding Situation Romance

Quinn

“So much for paradise,”I say as the plane jets downward in the sky. It’s turbulent as heck, and while everyone else on the plane seems calm, I can’t help thinking I’m never going to see land again.

“That might be the first pessimistic thing I have ever heard you say,” Reid tells me with a smile. And I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to keep it light hearted. Trying to keep me from panicking. Trying to keep my mind off the fact that there is a full blown thunderstorm outside the small round windows and our little plane is being tossed around like a football during the Super Bowl.

“It’s hard to be optimistic when you’re thousands of feet from land and might die any moment,” I say, swallowing the bile that jets up from my stomach with every bump.

“We aren’t going to die,” Reid says. “It’s just a little turbulence, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” I shriek. “It feels like we’re four-wheeling through sand dunes. The only difference is if we flip over, it’s lights out,”I say. Maybe I’m being dramatic. But honestly, I don’t think so. I’ve seen movies like this, and they never end well. They always end in flames and explosions.

“Orlando is a skilled pilot,” Reid reassures me as he leans back in his own seat. “I trust him with my life.”

“I guess that’s a good thing since our lives are literally in his hands,” I say, and Reid just smiles again, leaning over to kiss me. And if I wasn’t so terrified right now, I might actually consider the gesture sweet.

Luckily, twenty minutes later we are on the ground. It was a bumpy landing, don’t get me wrong, but we made it, both us and the Little Plane That Could intact.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Reid asks as we make our way to the car waiting for us.

“No, it was awful,” I say, and he just laughs. That is until we route his phone to take us home and realize that every road in every direction is red.

“Damn,” he mutters. And damn is right. As fun as the trip was, there was a delay at the airport, and we weren’t able to take off until nearly 10pm. At this point, I am tired to the bone and ready to be home. But from the looks of it, we aren’t going anywhere fast.

“Well, this sucks,” he says.

“I’m hungry,” I complain.

“I am too,” he says.

Then I smile for the first time since we got on the plane. “I have an idea,” I say.

“Oh?” he asks as we creep along through traffic.

“Yes. Turn right here,” I say.

“Right where?” Reid asks.

“Right here! Now!” I tell him, and Reid yanks the wheel hard.

“Where are we going?” he asks, looking around the run-down neighborhood skeptically.

“You’ll see,” I answer with a smile and my stomach audibly growling in anticipation.

“I do see. I see one of the rougher areas of Manhattan that I’d rather not be in at one in the morning,” I say.

“It’ll be okay, I promise,” I insist. “It’s older, yes, but it’s mostly families down here. Just keep going through the next light and then make a left at the one after that.”

“You are insane,” he shakes his head. Maybe. But I also know what I’m doing.

“Listen,” I tell him as he reluctantly follows my instructions. “If I can follow you on a little plane in a huge rainstorm, you can follow me through New York. Especially when the destination is going to blow your mind.”

Reid’s face tells me he very much doesn’t believe me, but at the same time, he doesn’t say anything. He just follows my lead. And I follow my stomach.

A moment later, I point at a brick building. The windows are lit and there’s two neon signs in the doorway. One says OPEN and the other says PIZZA.

“Are you serious right now?” he asks as he pulls the car over. “No offense, Quinn, but this is janky as hell.”

“I told you to trust me,” I say, taking my seatbelt off. And before he can say another word, I get out of the car, forcing him to follow me.