“Mr. Vitucci,” he said as I took a seat. “Would you like a snack?”

“No, thank you.” I took my seat and waited for the pilot to get us in the air. No one questioned that it was just me, even though I never flew anywhere without Mom or at least three guards with me. The text I’d sent the pilot had simply told him it was an emergency and to get me to Northern California as quickly as possible. No one ever second-guessed Mom, which was why I’d made all the arrangements from her cell instead of my own.

I knew, without a doubt, that I was going to get into trouble for what I’d done, and I was prepared to deal with that.

What I couldn’t handle was Nova hating me for thinking I’d lied to her. For breaking a promise.

Promises were special. I knew people had to break them sometimes, but I wouldn’t do that to Nova unless there were no other options. Whatever punishment I got for making another option this time would be worth it.

The jet had Wi-Fi so I tried to call Nova a few more times on the flight, but she still had her iPad turned off. The longer I spent unable to speak to her, the more the pressure around my heart increased.

Once we were on the ground and I was only a short distance from Nova’s home, the pressure started to ease, but only a little. With each mile closer to her, it eased a little more. It was dinnertime for the Hannigan family by the time the driver pulled up outside of Nova’s house in Creswell Springs. I signed the receipt the driver gave me and told him he didn’t have to wait for me before getting out.

Making sure her gift was in my pocket, I walked up the driveway and climbed the steps to her front porch. Heart pounding, I rang the doorbell and tried to wait patiently.

It was a few minutes before the door opened, and Felicity stood on the other side. I wasn’t as nervous around her these days as I had been the first summer I’d met her, but I wasn’t exactly happy to see her either. Still, I smiled up at her, knowing she was just one more barrier I had to get past before I could see Nova.

“Hi, Mrs. Hannigan,” I greeted when she just stood there with a bewildered look on her face. “Can I speak to Nova, please?”

“I… Umm…” When she shook her head, my stomach dropped. She couldn’t keep me from seeing her daughter. I had to make Nova understand that I didn’t mean to make her cry. “Ryan, what are you doing here? Where are your parents?”

I shrugged, my shoulders aching from the tension they had held all day. “Mom wasn’t feeling well because she’s having bad morning sickness, and Papa is in Chicago on business.”

“Then how did you get here?” she demanded in her soft, kind voice.