Page 106 of When Ben Loved Jace

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Would you tell me if we were?”

“Yes. Well, actually, probably not.”

“Jace!”

He laughs. “Which would you prefer? We’re fine,” he adds when noticing my expression. “I promise.”

“For the record, I’d rather know. So what’s going on?”

He lowers his voice. “We’ll probably have to stop somewhere for repairs.”

That doesn’t seem like such a big deal. As long as we get to Hawaii, I’m happy, even if it’s a little later than expected. Eventually the captain makes an announcement about a technical issue that requires us to land. When he explains where, Jace tenses again.

“Now what?”

“Nothing,” he says. “It’s just a very small airport.”

“Is that bad?”

“Fewer resources, like hardware and crew. That includes additional aircraft. I’m also worried about duty hours timing out."

I pull a face. "Me no speak flight attendant.”

He grimaces. “I’m worried it might be a long wait. Or um… An overnight stay.”

“What!?”

Thankfully, the other passengers are all having their own reactions to the announcement, so my outcry is mostly lost in the burble of conversation.

“Don’t worry,” Jace says. “I’ll take care of everything.”

That puts me at ease. I know I’m in good hands with him, so I don’t stress as everything plays out. I simply focus on reading my book. (Which is about falling in love with a straight boy, highly recommended, but then I’m biased since I would get to know the author years later.) The plane changes course. We land and are asked to disembark. Inside the airport, Jace parks me in a chair with my book while he fusses over his phone or consults with his colleagues. I’m mostly oblivious to the goings-on andit’s great, like being a kid again. I simply let the nearest adult take care of business. Although I can’t help but be disappointed when he tells me the bad news.

“Where are we going?” I ask as he leads me away from where everyone is waiting.

“They’re about to announce that the flight won’t be leaving again,” he says, “but don’t worry. I’ll make the night special.”

As long as I’m with him, I don’t see how it couldn’t be.

Jace has been a busy boy. He already secured a rental car, which whisks us away. I’m surprised by how far we drive, and how many hotels we pass. “Were they all booked up?” I ask.

He shakes his head and shoots me a glance that seems anything but certain. “You’ll see.”

Eventually we end up at a motel that looks more than a little rundown. “It has personality,” he comments. “Don’t you think?”

I mull that over in the car while he goes to the front office to check in. Adrien has personality. So does my sister. (They got along like a house on fire, by the way.) And yet, they’re both an acquired taste. Like this place. Not that it matters. All I want is to be with my husband. Although we should be watching the sun sink into the ocean about now. The weather here is overcast, drizzle covering the windshield. I watch Jace’s distorted image return to the car.

“We’re all set!” he says with a grin. “I just hope the room is as good as the lobby.”

I see what he means a minute later, when he unlocks the door to our room and steps aside, so I can enter. I start laughing immediately. The outdated décor has a tiki theme. The wallpaper is patterned with large flowers, the bedspread with totems and palm trees. Green shag carpet covers the floor. The paintings on the walls are of island scenes. Burnt orange and brown are the dominant colors here, either because of the decade the motel was built, or due to discoloration from age.

“I love it!” I declare. “Hawaii is even more beautiful than I imagined.”

“It’ll have to do for now,” Jace says. “I have an errand to run. Are you okay here?”

I turn to him in confusion. “Why can’t I go with you?”