“Really?” she asked Leo.
“I’d never lie to you, Karla,” Leo told her.
“Okay, if it’s to help the kids. But I want gifts,” she said.
“Of course, I wouldn’t dare come back without gifts for you,” Leo told her, and she smiled. But then a mischievous grin spread across her face.
“Take care of my mama too,” she told him, and the other two boys gave him the same look.
“I promise all three of you that I will take care of her,” he told them, and he meant it. He wasn’t just saying it.
“Okay, love you, Mama,” Karla said, then stretched her arms to Zoey, who took her from me.
“Love you too, sweet girl,” I told her, then kissed her head. I squatted down and gave the boys kisses as well.
“You guys be good for Zoey and Zeo, alright?” I told them, and they all nodded their heads.
“Go, we’ve got this. Just be safe and come back home,” Zoey told me.
“Okay, let’s go,” I told Leo. He opened the passenger side door for me, and I got in.
He got into the driver’s side, started the car, and then drove off. I looked back at the kids, waving at me until I couldn’t see them anymore.
I felt something wet on my cheek and realized I was crying. I quickly wiped it off.
“I know this can’t be easy for you, leaving them. I just want you to know how grateful I am,” Leo told me.
“It’s no problem, and in case you’ve forgotten, this is my pack too. I just can’t abandon them,” I told him.
He just looked at me and smiled. He didn’t say anything, and that’s how the rest of the ride went-in comfortable silence.
Alpha Leo’s POV
We arrived at the private airstrip about two hours later. The pack is so secluded that it takes a while to get to the city.
“We’re here,” I told Lena as I parked the car near the jet, but not too close-someone would come and move it anyway.
“You know, when you said private jet, it didn’t occur to me until now to ask who owns it,” she said.
“Oh, this one is mine,” I told her. She looked so shocked that it made me smile as I got out of the car.
She got out and followed me to the trunk where I was taking out our bags. I only had one suitcase and my backpack. She took her suitcase, but I insisted on carrying the rest.
“Good afternoon, Alpha Leo,” Stefan, my pilot, greeted me.
“Good afternoon, Stefan. Is everything ready?” I asked.
“Yes, the jet passed all the tests. We’re ready for takeoff,” he told me.
“Good. This is Lena Everhart. She’ll be flying with us,” I told him.
“Nice to meet you,” Stefan said as he tipped his hat to her.
“Nice to meet you too,” Lena replied. Then we all climbed the stairs and boarded the plane. Stefan headed to the cockpit while we went to the cabin. I put our bags in the overhead compartment, and we took our seats and buckled up. Lena sat down on the other side of the cabin, right next to me. I would’ve preferred her closer, but buggers can’t be choosers.
Stefan announced over the intercom that we were about to take off and to put on our seat belts. A few minutes later, we started to take off. Lena had her earbuds in and her eyes closed, so she didn’t notice me looking at her, taking in all her features.
This was the first time since she’d been back that I’d had the chance to do it. She was still as beautiful as ever, and that single dimple just by her lip was more pronounced now. Her lips were so full. I didn’t know how long I’d been staring until the sound telling us to unfasten our seat belts came on, and I quickly looked away.
Lena removes her earbuds and turns to me. “So can you clarify what you said in the car? You own this jet?” she asks.
I just smile. What is she going to say when I tell her I also own the private airstrip we flew out of? “Why do you sound so surprised? You know I have money and I’m successful,” I tell her.
“Yeah, I do know that, but I guess I never thought you were this successful. Like, private jet successful,” she replies.
“Well, I guess I am,” I tell her.
“Well, then I’m really proud of you. You really turned it around,” she says.
I’ve noticed that she has a way of skirting around the elephant in the room. I don’t know if it’s for my benefit or hers, because I’m the one who’s wrong in all the situations.
What she’s trying to say by “I turned it around” is that I finally got my head out of my ass and actually made something of myself. When we were together, I did have the company, but it was Zeo doing most of the work. The company was doing well, but when I decided to be serious with my life and joined the company, the two of us were able to do more and take the company to new heights.
“Yeah, it was time to grow up. But you’ve also done really well for yourself. I did Google you, and you’re a rockstar in your field,” I tell her. She blushes, and I see it, even though she tries to hide it with her hands. I guess she still can’t take compliments.
“Yeah, I guess I am, but it’s not really about the recognition for me. I just like finding the worst diseases out there, tackling them, and finding a cure. That’s the fun in it for me,” she says, smiling as she speaks.
“What made you focus on infectious diseases?” I ask her.
“I sort of fell into it. I mean, in my first year as an intern, most of my class already knew what specialty they wanted. As for me, I was barely getting by, surviving on just two hours of sleep because the kids were keeping me up. Then one day, during my second year as a resident, I stumbled onto the infectious disease floor of our hospital. It was so quiet, you could only hear the sounds of the monitors. In my mind, I was thinking, ‘What is this heaven I’ve stepped into?’ That week, I did a rotation in the lab, and I haven’t left ever since. It was like coming home. I also had a really good teacher and mentor who understood my situation as a new mom,” she tells me, and my heart breaks every time she talks about how she struggled with the kids, knowing that I’m the cause of all of it.
“That sounds like it was meant to be,” I tell her.
“Yeah, it was, and it’s been great ever since,” she tells me.
“Lena,” I call her name, and she turns to face me. Whatever she sees on my face makes her smile slip, which tells me this might not be a good time to bring up the topic of the past.
“What is it?” she asks.
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