Page 76 of Sexting My Ex's Dad

He’s right. It is.

The helicopter banks sharply to the left, and my heart lurches along with it. Elio’s hands move expertly over the controls, a serene smile on his face as he guides us through the sky. “Stopworrying. We’re in my realm of expertise now. I’ve been flying for fifteen years.”

“Fifteen years?” I repeat. “I didn’t find that in any of my research about you.”

“The internet doesn’t know everything.” His smile grows, and he throws a quick glance at me. “So, you finally admit that you did research me then?”

My cheeks turn red. “No.”

“Liar.”

“You researched me first,” I point out although that isn’t exactly true. Whenever I had to go and get my deposit check, I had looked into him a little bit…but nothing like the deep dive he’d done on me.

Still, he didn’t know any of that.

As we continue our flight, Elio points out landmarks and shares stories about his own adventures in the air. With each passing moment, I feel my anxiety slip away, replaced by an exhilarating sense of freedom. My fingers no longer grip the armrest; instead, they trace the outline of the window.

“Thank you, Elio,” I say, my voice barely audible over the hum of the helicopter’s engine. “This... this is incredible. I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“I’m sure I’ll find the time to take you again.”

“Time to land,”Elio announces.

As we begin our descent, I notice the familiar landscape of my hometown coming into view. It’s a bittersweet realization, as the dream-like quality of our flight begins to fade, giving way to the harsher realities waiting on the ground.

“Is that where you grew up?” Elio asks.

“Yep,” I confirm, my voice tinged with nostalgia. “That’s my hometown.”

“Looks like a fun place to grow up,” he says gently, clearly sensing the shift in my mood.

“It was,” I admit. “It probably doesn’t have anything on the place where you grew up, surrounded by riches.”

“I didn’t grow up with money,” he reminds me, and I remember what he’d said at the diner that one time. “Besides, money isn’t everything.”

I roll my eyes. “Says every billionaire ever.”

As the helicopter begins its final approach, I clutch the armrest once more, no longer out of fear but rather a desire to hold on to this moment for as long as possible.

The moment the helicopter’s skids touch the ground, I’m struck by the strangest sensation – this is only the second time I’ve brought a man back here with me. And the first time, it was with my current boyfriend’s son.

“Let me help you,” Elio says, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts, as he unbuckles my seatbelt and offers me his hand. I take it, feeling the warmth of his grasp and the unexpected tenderness of his touch. His fingers linger a moment longer than necessary, and I can’t help but notice the way our hands fit so naturally together.

“Thank you,” I mutter, my cheeks flushing with color as I step out onto the tarmac. He releases my hand only after I’m steady on my feet, and the sudden absence of his touch sends a pang through my chest.

“Right,” Elio says, pulling out his phone and tapping away at the screen. “I’ll just order us a rental car so we can get going.”

I breathe in a bit shakily. “Are you sure you want to come with me?” I ask him. “You could stay at the hotel and wait on me.”

“I’m not leaving you.” His tone makes it clear he doesn’t want to argue with me.

“Things can get a bit crazy with my mom.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” He looks down at his phone. “The car will be here in ten minutes. Stop worrying. I have your back.”

His son had said the very same thing once upon a time ago, yet when Elio says it, I really believe that he means it.

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