Page 3

July

“Go on now, master Carter.” Milton pats my shoulder and nods to the open door of my childhood home.

It’s been one hell of a month, and the couple who have been hounding Milton for years about buying it were thankfully still interested. They’re coming over in an hour to get the keys from him, and I’ve got a plane to catch.

I still can’t seem to move a foot, though.

It’s ridiculous. I’m being ridiculous.

I’ve had seven years to get used to this, and more importantly, a whole month at the house to say goodbye, but it’s still so damn hard.

“Your parents will always be with you,” Milton whispers and does something he’s never done before. He takes one tiny step and wraps his arms around me .

I stand frozen for a long moment, not quite believing this is actually happening, but then I get a hold of myself and embrace him as well.

“I know,” I whisper finally.

And I do know. This house was my home for so long, but it’s only a house now.

I step back but keep my hands on Milton’s shoulders and smile at him.

“And you’ll always be with me too, right?” A watery chuckle escapes me at his stern expression.

“I will see you in two weeks.”

“You can take a longer vacation visiting with your sister, you know?” I grumble, as I turn around to grab my bags.

“I know, but I’d rather get everything set up at your new home, and then in a few months I’ll be back here for Christmas.” His voice is so even, every word perfectly measured.

“All right then,” I sigh, then look back one last time to the foyer and the doors leading to the kitchen, the hallway, the stairs. “You’re gonna love the new place, Milton. There are about a million stairs for you to get all the exercise you need.”

“I’m sure there are, master Carter.”

“Oh,” I say, brightly now, and look up at him from the middle of the steps that lead to the street. “I’m going to bother you again, and this time hopefully convince you to call me something other than master.”

“What makes you think that?” he demands in a low tone, and with his challenging stare. I keep on smiling at him.

“Americans are sensitive about some subjects you know...” I trail off and see the wheels start to turn in his head. He narrows his eyes on me for a beat too long, but then he looks beyond me. “Your car is here.”

My smile becomes triumphant as I stare at him for just another moment.

Yeah, I know I’m gonna see him again soon, but not here. Never again right here, so I let myself take the time and I send a silent thanks to my parents.

They made sure I’d always be taken care of.

And today is the day I stop disappointing them.

“See you soon, Milton. You better keep me updated when you’re ready for your trip. And I’ll be there to pick you up, okay?”

“If that’s what you wish,” he says softly as he walks past me and takes two suitcases to the back of the long towncar Ru arranged for today.

The man himself gets out and hurries to help Milton—so not like a lord—and Nate steps out behind him and gives me his always-mischievous smile.

It’s barely two minutes later that we’re in the car and heading toward Heathrow.

“Thank you again for driving me,” I tell Ru and Nate.

“Of course,” Ru says quietly.

“Yeah, dude, we wanted a little more time with you.”

I snort. “The boat ride on the river Cherwell wasn’t enough for you?”

Ru gives away his amusement with only a tiny lift of the corner of his lips, but Nate snorts just like I did.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” He shakes his head, then reaches over and takes Ru’s hand. “We’ve got another date tomorrow, and Ru won’t stop bugging me about where it is, but I’m keeping it a secret, so don’t tell him, okay?”

“You know?” Ru demands of me.

I smile enigmatically, wanting to keep the mystery alive.

“I’ll see you both for Thanksgiving, won’t I?” I change the subject.

Ru’s torso bows back on the seat with how big a breath he takes.

“We’re not sure yet,” Nate hurries to say, and pats Ru’s thigh this time. “I’m going for sure, though, and I’m hoping we can see each other.” He offers me a much smaller than usual smile then. He’s clearly feeling unsure, but I don’t hesitate to agree.

“Of course. You have my number, and I’d love to see you. Both of you,” I add with a meaningful look at Ru. “I’m sure you can make up a great excuse to give the Lord involving one of the business clients you have in America.”

“Yeah, that’s the idea. The execution on the other hand...” He shakes his head and looks down, sets his hand on top of Nate’s, and after a beat, looks back up at me with a wide smile. “It was great reconnecting with you, though.”

“It was,” I murmur, and then I have to change the subject, so I ask Nate about his studies.

The rest of the drive passes quickly, with Nate carrying most of the conversation, thankfully, but too soon, the car stops at the drop-off zone, and I hear the driver open his door and walk to the back of the car.

“I’ll stay in here,” Nate says conspiratorially. Then he leans over and hugs me tightly. “See you soon, bro. Give a hug to my sister if she stops by the gallery. ”

“I will,” I murmur, returning the hug. Then I hurry to step out of the car with Ru right on my heels.

I see all my bags already on a little cart, and for some reason I can’t meet my friends’ eyes.

There are too many emotions running rampant inside me at the moment, and I need to get a good grip on them.

“Take care of yourself,” he says, in his emotionless lord voice that has me shaking my head at the ground.

“You have to be happy, Ru,” I whisper, then after a deep breath, I can finally look up and throw my arms over Ru’s shoulders. “You have to tell him about the Lord, Ru,” I say right by his ear. “He’s one of the good ones, I can tell.”

“I know,” is all he says.

“See you on Thanksgiving,” I tell him, stepping back. My words ring with certainty, because I’ve seen the way he looks at Nate—for him, he’ll find a way to be in New York.

I know they’ve got a lot of things to figure out, but I believe they will.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Din, we’re happy to have you on board today,” the flight attendant tells me with a gorgeous smile gracing her soft face.

I instantly smile back, though I’m always taken aback when flight attendants greet you by name when you’re in first class.

“Thank you,” I murmur, and follow her to my seat.

“If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask,” she says as she gestures to my seat .

Unlike on my flight over, this plane only has four seats per row in first class, which means I opted for one of the single window seats. It’s both aisle and window, and perfect since it’s on the second row.

As I walk by the first row I can’t help but notice the huge dark brown messy bun on top of a teenage girl. I can never understand how women can make it look stylish, and when I keep staring for another moment, the girl looks up and gives me a glare.

I instantly understand why, she’s a recognizable person. If you know anything about pop culture, then you know who she is.

London Trent, daughter of legendary musicians Samantha Sawyer and Ed Trent.

To say they’re a famous family would be an understatement, so I quickly look away and hope I didn’t make her feel uncomfortable.

Instead I focus on the flight attendant again, who isn’t smiling as brightly anymore, and look down to see her name tag.

“Thank you, Ally,” I murmur, then get to work on putting my carry-on in the overhead compartment.

I quickly take my seat, and then I watch more passengers coming in and being greeted by Ally and another male flight attendant. I thought I was the first one to get on the plane, but clearly that’s not the case.

Maybe London is being escorted by the flight attendant? Isn’t that a service you can get when children fly without their parents?

I’m pretty sure it is, but she has to be old enough to fly on her own... oh, who cares .

Just by experiencing life near some of my friends, I know how annoying it can be when people don’t let them live their lives.

CJ is the most glaring example, and the most recent.

He got his inheritance almost two years ago, when he turned twenty-eight, and then made a bunch of donations that got him a lot of unwanted attention—and that’s what happens when a new billionaire wants to get rid of his money.

Then there’s Adam. He’s been on national television since high school, years before I met him and CJ at Cavendish University, because of his grandfather, aunt, and father.

They’re all part, or have been part, of the National Football League, and so Adam has never had an anonymous life.

Even during classes, sometimes, other students would ask him for autographs right in the middle of the auditorium.

It was intense, and it’s nothing compared to what it’s like now when he makes the mistake of walking down a street in Manhattan.

London isn’t famous for herself, but for who her parents are, and I can only imagine how annoying it must be for her not to be able to be a normal teenager.

A loud voice steals my attention from where I was staring at the monitor in front of my seat.

“It’s always a good day when I get to see you, Ally,” a man who has to be over sixty booms, and his belly bounces with an over-the-top laugh.

He seems harmless enough, but as Ally leads him down the other aisle and gestures to the seat next to London, his gaze latches onto her with an interest that has me on alert immediately .

He’s fast, and a moment later he’s sitting next to her and I can’t see them anymore, though I can hear a word or two when he speaks loudly again. I see Ally pay attention to them, especially London, so I settle back in my seat knowing it’s all being taken care of by someone else.

It takes another half hour before the plane starts moving out of the gate—on time thankfully. My thoughts drift to how busy my next days will be.