Page 25 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Dear god, am I blushing?

Helix

Nicolette’s father called while we were on the way home from the park last Friday night.

I only heard one side of the conversation, but her entire demeanor was different while talking to this particular member of her family.

She was relaxed and smiling, the way one should be when talking to someone they love—and who loves them.

Her pop was apparently excited about her upcoming visit and wanted us to come the day before the engagement party. After she got off the phone with him, she tentatively brought it up, and I told her it was no problem.

So we left work early this Friday afternoon and headed to the airport.

Nicolette has been hounding me all week about getting my information so she could book our flights, but I assured her I had it handled.

Then she kept asking how much the tickets cost so she could reimburse me…

until we arrived at the private hangar for the Hale family.

It houses both our private plane and the company one.

Today we’re taking the family jet, a Dassault Falcon 8X.

We’re seated near the front of the plane in two reclining, cream-colored chairs that sit side by side. “I can’t believe how quiet it is,” Nicolette says, staring out the window at the clouds below us.

“Advanced soundproofing,” I explain. “It’s one of the quietest cabins available.”

Her eyes shift toward mine. “I can’t believe you got your family’s plane to fly us to New Jersey. I was planning to buy both our tickets.”

“I’m aware,” I say wryly. “You’ve only mentioned it four hundred times.”

“Oh shut it,” she retorts, smacking my arm. We’re both still in our work clothes, and she brushes at her loose-fitting black pants. “I was planning to change at the airport, but would it be okay if I change before we get there?”

“Of course.” Then I ask, “Why don’t you just change for dinner at your parents’ house?”

Her eyes round as if I’ve said the most ridiculous thing ever. “I can’t show up wrinkled. My mother would comment.”

Yeah, fuck her mother. What kind of bullshit is this where a kid can’t show up at her parents’ house in less than pristine condition?

Hell, my family’s net worth is in the eleven digit range, and I could show up at either of my parents’ houses looking like a hobo, and no one would say a thing.

It’s not like tonight is some formal event. We’re just having dinner at their home.

“I showed you the sleeping quarters earlier. You can change back there,” I tell her, angling my thumb toward the rear of the plane. When she rises, I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Nicolette, wear your hair down tonight.”

It’s a demand as much as a request, and she inhales deeply and stares into my eyes for a long moment before nodding.

Nicolette mentioned her mother not liking her hair down during our first not-date, so I’m basically daring the woman to say something in front of me. I’ll shut her ass down real quick.

As soon as she’s gone, my phone rings, and I see it’s Phoenix FaceTiming me. “Hey,” I say when I answer.

“How’s my favorite twin?” he asks with a grin.

“All good. How about you?”

“If I was any better, vitamins would be taking me.”

I laugh. “What’s up?”

“I was calling to see if you wanted to go to the first Dragons game with me. Dad got us a suite.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m excited to watch them play, especially now that I’ve met Jordie. Is Reecie excited?”

“Thrilled. I got her the cutest little jersey, and she’s been wearing it around the house.” His eyes narrow and search the screen. “Are you on the Falcon?”

Shit.

“Yeah, just a weekend trip,” I answer vaguely.

“Cool. Business or pleasure?”

What I wouldn’t do for some pleasure with the woman who’s probably half-naked at the back of this plane right now. But I don’t say that.

“It’s… pleasure, I guess. Like I said, it’s just for a couple days.”

“Where you headed?”

“Uh, New Jersey.”

“What’s in…” He stops, his eyes turning shrewd. “Ohhhh, New Jersey, as in where Dr. Bell is from?” The teasing, musical tone of his voice annoys me.

“It’s not like that,” I huff. “I’m helping her out with a toxic family situation.”

“Helping how?”

I sigh and drag my hand down my face. It’s always been difficult for me to lie to my brother, so I reply with a mumbled, “I’m pretending to be her boyfriend for the weekend. Like I said, it’s just to help her out.”

I stare into the very smirky face that’s a replica of mine, except Phoenix perpetually rocks a bit of scruff where I’m usually clean-shaven. With a spark in his blue eyes, he looks like a kid on Christmas morning receiving this little tidbit of information.

“I bet you’re going to help her out. I saw how you looked at her that day of the photo shoot.”

Should have known I couldn’t get anything past my twin. Lowering my voice, I say, “She’s attractive, okay? That doesn’t mean anything is going to happen. I actually have some self-control and don’t find it necessary to stick my dick in every good-looking woman I come across.”

“You came across her already? Damn, dude.” As I mentally kick myself for walking right into that one, Phoenix leans forward and whispers, “Like on her ass or her tits? Ooh, or did you forget a condom and have to pull out and jizz on her stomach?”

“I never forget a condom,” I snap. “I don’t trust anyone enough for that shit, and I’m not getting trapped in a relationship because of a baby.”

His smile dims a little. “Not every pregnancy ends with a relationship, Helix.”

I feel a bit like an ass and soften my tone.

“I know, brother. If I ended up with a kid like Reece, I’d count myself as the luckiest bastard in the world.

You know I think she’s amazing. If I could have kids without a woman in the picture, my house would be full of them.

I just…” My lips press together so hard they ache.

“I understand. After what happened, you have every right to be skittish. Speaking of that, have you heard anything recently?”

I subconsciously rub the scar on my shoulder and mutter, “No, nothing.”

He’s quiet for a moment, and I know he’s worrying about me, though he’s fully aware I don’t like talking about what happened to me five years ago. Luckily, he shifts away from that topic.

“You know if you want kids, you can adopt or get a surrogate, right?”

Allowing a grin to crack my face, I ask, “Can I adopt Reece?”

My twin smears a hand down his face. “Don’t ask me that right now. I’m so exhausted, I might be tempted. We had dinner with Dad and Rebecca last night, and their housekeeper slipped Reece some candy. She was completely wired until almost midnight.”

That’s when I notice the dark circles beneath his eyes. “I’ll come pick her up when I get home Sunday. She can stay the night with me.”

“You don’t have to do that, bro. You’ll already have her on Tuesday.”

“So I get double the time with my best girl this week. What’s the problem?”

“I’ll be out of town for two nights in a couple weeks. I hate leaving her that much.”

“Phoenix,” I say patiently, “we’re twins, so I feel like Reece is partly mine anyway. I know you feel guilty, but you know she doesn’t mind staying with me.”

My brother chuckles. “I think she likes you better than me sometimes.”

“She loves you more than anything, bro. You’ve been her sole caretaker since she was born.”

His lips press together into a line, as if he’s disappointed in himself. “With a lot of help from my family.”

“Because we want to, not out of obligation but out of love.”

He smiles, and the corners of his lips turn up. “Thanks, Helix. I’ll let you know about Sunday.”

We chat for another minute, and as I’m hanging up, Nicolette returns to the cabin. She looks stunning in slim black pants and a spring-green top that makes her eyes pop. Her sandals are black and have a small green flower on the toe. Dainty earrings and a simple gold chain are her only jewelry.

And she wore her hair down.

Nicolette is seated across from me, and I watch as she tugs at her shirt, checks her makeup in her phone camera, and then fools with her hair. “Why are you fidgeting so much?” I ask.

Her hands drop to her lap and twist into a nervous knot. “My family is just a lot.”

I pop one eyebrow up. “I’ve told you stories about my family.”

She finally laughs, and I absorb the sound, loving the way it feels in my chest. “Your family is a lot in a funny way. Mine is…” Her eyes turn to look out of the panoramic window. “The man my sister is marrying used to be my boyfriend.”

Something coils in my stomach. Jealousy maybe? “And you still have feelings for him?”

Her horrified gaze jerks to mine. “God no. Not at all. It’s just that my mom took their side when Rory cheated on me with Angelica.

” I’m in shock, but she continues in a ramble.

“Not to mention, my mother looks for any reason to criticize me, from my hair to my clothes, and that makes me a nervous wreck to be around her. I do my best to fade into the background because that makes family dinners easier, but then my dad tries to bring me into the conversation. And that only pisses off my sister because she likes being the center of attention.”

Nicolette shoves a hard breath from her lungs and stares at me with a grimace on her face. “Like I said, they’re a lot, and I’m… embarrassed that you’ll be there to see it.”

Sadness wars with anger in my chest, and I take a moment to think about what to say to all that.

“Do you like wearing your hair down, Nicolette?”

She seems startled by the question, and her gaze wanders the cabin for a second as she thinks about it. When they come back to mine, the green irises are resolute. “I do. I like my curls, but?—”

I cut her off with a raised palm. “No buts. It’s your hair, and if you like it down, fucking wear it down.” Leaning forward, I lock our gazes together. “I need you to promise me something.”

She scrapes her teeth over her bottom lip. “What?”

“Tonight I want you to be the big, beautiful, strong elephant that you are.”

Nicolette bursts into laughter. “I never thought being called an elephant would be the sweetest compliment I’ve ever heard.” I wait for her promise, and she finally relents, crossing her fingers and tapping her chest. “I do solemnly swear I will be the elephant.”

My grin is so wide it makes my cheeks hurt. “Good. Not that you need it, but I’ll be there for backup. I’ll give you a signal if I think you need a reminder to embrace your inner pachyderm.”

Her head tilts in apprehension. “What kind of signal? You’re not going to trumpet like an elephant are you?”

I think about it for a second. “What if I tap my nose?”

“Hmmm, that’s a lot more subtle, but I guess it will work.” She fusses with her hair again before stopping herself. “Can you distract me? Tell me something about yourself I don’t already know.”

The words leave my mouth before I can lasso them into submission. “I have synesthesia.”

Nicolette’s eyes pop into wide spheres, almost bulging from her head, and I rub my fingers over my lips as if I can erase what I just said.

“The phenomenon where you have sensory crossover? What kind do you have? Ooh, do you perceive shapes when you smell certain things? Or see colors when you’re listening to music?”

My disquiet over blurting out my secret slowly recedes. She seems fascinated and not… disturbed by my bizarre condition.

“Mine is face-color synesthesia.”

Nicolette’s mouth drops open. “That is amazing, Helix. So you see colors when you look at someone’s face? Is it constant?”

The rigidity of my spine slowly unwinds, and I relax into my seat. “I don’t see it with everyone, and it’s not distracting or anything. It doesn’t completely cover their face, but it’s more of a sensitivity to their… God, I hate saying this because it sounds weird, but… their auras.”

Her head shakes almost manically from side to side. “No, Helix, please don’t say it’s weird. It’s not common, but it is a documented phenomenon. I heard Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams are sound-to-color synesthetes. And Marilyn Monroe apparently had taste-to-color synesthesia.”

I nod. “I’ve heard Beyoncé has chromesthesia, but I didn’t know about the others. I’ll have to read up on that.”

“You should. I proofread a thesis for a guy I went to grad school with. He was getting his PhD in neuroscience, and he did it on synesthesia. It was intriguing stuff. He believes it develops in childhood when kids are being exposed to abstract concepts.” She nudges me with the toe of her shoe. “What age did you first notice it?”

Surprisingly, I’m starting to feel perfectly comfortable talking to Nicolette about this.

“The earliest memory I have of it is when I was about five. I told my mom she looked orange like sunshine and Phoenix looked blue like the sky. She didn’t seem to think anything of it and just hugged me. Told me that was sweet.”

Nicolette leans forward, her elbows resting on her thighs. “Does your twin have it too?”

“Not that I know of. I tried to bring it up to him when we were little, but he didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.” My shoulders lift in a self-conscious shrug. “I’ve never told anyone else.”

Her smile is positively glowing. “Really? Thank you so much for trusting me with it, Helix. That means a lot to me.”

Dear god, am I blushing?