Page 86 of Good Girls Don't Kiss and Tell (Rock Canyon, Idaho 7)

He jerked his head. “Yeah, no, I’m good.”

The flight attendant gave her safety demonstration, and the plane started to roll. Gracie watched Eric grip the armrests and bit her cheek to keep from smiling.

“Are you afraid of flying?”

“No, I just hate taking off. And landing.”

This time, Gracie did laugh, even as she slid her hand into his. “Don’t worry. Just squeeze my hand if you get scared.”

“I’m not a child.”

“That’s not why I’m offering. Everyone is scared of something. You shouldn’t be embarrassed of it.”

Eric didn’t say anything else, but as the plane lifted off the ground, Eric’s grip tightened on her hand. Gracie’s stomach flipped as the plane hit a pocket of air and dropped. She wasn’t scared of flying, but she wasn’t a fan of turbulence either.

“If you’re so nervous about taking off and landing, then why did we choose the two-stop option? We could have gone to Boise and just had the one stop in Denver.”

Eric turned his head, and she realized his eyes were closed.

“Because I didn’t want to pay for parking.”

Gracie burst out laughing. “You would rather be petrified than pay thirty dollars?”

“I am not petrified. If I were petrified, I wouldn’t be able to talk.”

Gracie grinned wickedly and leaned over, brushing her lips over his. “I’ve got a few ideas on how to get you to relax.”

“There is no way I’m fitting in a tiny airplane bathroom.”

Realizing he thought she was talking about sex, she giggled. “Actually, I was thinking we could just make out.”

He gave her a quick, hard kiss and whispered, “As much as I love doing that, I’m not really in the mood. I’d rather just talk.”

Gracie’s jaw dropped, and she was glad he couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks. She would never have expected Eric to turn her down just to talk.

He really is scared.

“Okay, what should we talk about?” she asked.

“Tell me about what’s going on with Pip.”

Gracie’s heart lifted. “I talked to Margaret, and the court hearing is set for the eighth. We’re hoping that none of her children show up and argue, since they haven’t seemed eager to help take care of her, but you never know.”

He opened his eyes and kissed her forehead. “You’re going to make a great mom.”

Gracie’s eyes filled with tears. “I know. And I love her. Of course, being a single mom is going to make dating more complicated.”

“Not if you’re with the right guy. He’s going to want you and her and all the baggage that comes with it.”

Gracie’s breath caught, and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask if he was the one. If he wanted all this and her.

But she was a coward.

“Thanks.” She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “I still have to find a bigger place. She can sleep with me or in the Pack ’n Play for now, but eventually, she needs her own room.”

“You still have time to look.”

She was relieved he hadn’t offered to let them move in, because that would have been an awkward plane ride. Although she could picture it, which should have made her run for the hills, but it didn’t. She imagined Eric and her arguing over décor and him teaching Pip about cars. The three of them hitting all the Rock Canyon activities, like the Fourth of July parade, the Harvest Festival, the tree-lighting ceremony. Being an actual family.