Alec strolls out of the bathroom as I'm stuffing the last few things for our trip into my carry-on.

"I'm telling you, you won't need all those clothes," he says wrapping his arms around me from behind, nuzzling my neck. His wet hair dripped down my arm.

I wiggle against him. "Don't start that or we will never make it to the jet," he says huskily.

Spinning around in his arms, I wrap my arms around his neck. Forgiving him is too easy. Especially when he's dripping wet and looks like this. His phone buzzes on the tv stand behind us and I reluctantly let him go so he can answer it.

He takes the call out on the balcony and returns a few moments later.

"Everything okay?" I ask as he doesn't indulge in who it was.

"Yeah," he nods. "Just Stewart. He was confirming our itinerary. We're all set, babe. Let's go." he says kissing me and then grabbing my bags.

Stewart is the head of the security division at the company and follows us around from time to time. He's also probably Alec's closest friend as I've come to learn, which there is a lot to be said in that being as Alec doesn't trust easily and he doesn't have many close friends. I've met a few people that he knows when we have been out, but he's extremely private and prefers to be alone.

"Alec." I blurt out, finally asking him something that I've been wondering for a while now.

"Hmm," he mumbles as he's packing up his laptop.

"Why don't you have a driver?" My question takes him by surprise because he looks up at me with an amused expression on his face.

"I guess I just don't want to come off like my dad," he shrugs. "I know how to drive, and I'm capable of doing it, so I've just always preferred my car." Walking over to where I am, he wraps himself around me. Looking down at me, he smirks and his dimples show.

"I seem to remember you liking my car," he says, lifting my chin so our eyes meet. Heat builds in the depth of my body. Damn him. It was a simple question.

"Mhmm," I say, remembering the times and things we've done in the car.

"What am I going to do with you?" he leans down taking my ear lobe in between his teeth, gently pulling on it.

Sucking in a breath, I can think of a million things he could do.

Grabbing my ass and pulling me to him, he kisses me chastely. "The jet. Let's go, woman. We have a time constraint," he laughs.

Groaning, I pull away.

"Don't worry. I have lots of plans for you," he says, looking at me from across the room, my skin heating just from his gaze. God, he's hot.

"Let's go," I say. "Before I rip your fucking clothes off and lock you in this building forever."

He laughs loudly. "That's tempting."

Grabbing my suitcase with one hand, he smacks my ass with the other as I walk past him.

Shaking my head, I smile as I walk out the door. Once again, everything is right in my world.

******

As we get situated and wait for the pilot to take off, I check my messages and emails one last time before takeoff. I barely slept last night between making up with Alec and my anxiety about the trip. I fully plan on sleeping before we get to our destination, which Alec said is a surprise.

I have a message from Ethan telling me to have fun and to be safe. My heart flutters as I reply, and I can't help but think of our encounter over the painting at his house. Ethan is a good friend and even though I can't deny that there is a connection between us, it is nothing compared to what Alec and I have.

Alec has been distracted since boarding the private jet, talking with the staff, and organizing our trip. This is the part of his lifestyle that I'm not used to. This is where I start to feel out of place. Even though we are engaged, and Alec does his best to include me, I still feel out of sorts in his lifestyle sometimes. The way he doesn't look at price tags, the way he talks about traveling everywhere. Possibilities are endless for him, and I know that he's worked for it, but it's still an adjustment for me.

Glancing back at me, I smile at him to encourage him that I'm okay and comfortable. "We should be leaving within a half hour," he says.

Nodding, I go back to my phone. I go down through my emails and decide to check my Spam after I make sure I don't have anything new in my Primary box.

I'm about halfway down and notice there are three emails from the local hospital back home. It's a copy of the results and the other couple of emails are bills.

What the hell? Why is this in my Spam? Hospital emails are always in my Primary.

Opening it, my heart starts pounding. The subject Reads Karen Thomas. Maybe it mistakenly came to me instead of my mom. Why was she at the hospital so much? The dates on these vary from two years ago to as recently as this week. My mind was going a hundred miles an hour. Why didn't my dad call me? What the hell is going on now?

I click the email and it opens.

My whole world stops. There is a fluctuation sounding in my ears.

RESULTS FOR KAREN THOMAS>

THE RESULTS FROM YOUR LATEST BLOOD TEST INDICATE THAT THE LYMPHOMA IS PRESENT IN THE BONE MARROW AND BLOOD.

PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE.

I can't breathe. All the air has been sucked out of my lungs. I know I'm looking for an exit and I can hear Alec talking to me and reaching for me, but I can't respond. Just as I'm about to step out of the door, Alec grabs me and pulls me to him.

"Kels, baby. Look at me." he places my hand over his heart. I feel it beating through his shirt. "Hey, he brushes the hair back from my face. Talk to me. What's going on?"

Sitting down, he pulls me on his lap.

I feel completely numb. I can't put my thoughts together. "My mom's sick, I think," I say flatly. My voice doesn't even sound like my own. Should I call home? Should I go home? I don't know what to do.

He looks at me oddly, confusion on his face. "Did they just call you?"

Shaking my head, I lift my phone and shake it gently as if that's the answer. "My email. I was checking my email." I wish I could think, but I just keep thinking about my mom and the argument that we had before I left.

"Hey, it's okay, Kels." He says, rubbing my leg with his hand.

"I uh, I had a bunch of Spam and I check it every so often. There were a bunch of emails from the hospital. They were in my mom's name. She..." I can't bring myself to say the words. Looking at him, my eyes fill with tears. A woman who had been cruel to me for most of my life didn't even deserve the tears that I would cry for her. Yet here I am.

"She has lymphoma, Alec," I whisper. "I don't know what to do. They didn't even tell me. I never would have known if I wouldn't have seen the email." I cover my face with my hands. Alec pulls me to him.

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry," he whispers into my hair. "I'm sure there was a mix-up with the emails somehow, but do you want to go see her? I completely understand if you do."

The last thing I want to do is go back home alone, but I know he can't miss this trip. Reading my mind, he adds, "I can meet you there as soon as my meetings are done."

"I don't want to leave you, but I think I need to find out what's going on," I say. I am so tired of being kept in the dark about things.

"I'll book you a flight there then," he says reaching to grab his phone, but I put my hand over his.

"I think I want to drive this time. I want to be able to leave if I want to, especially since you won't be there right away. Okay?" My eyes implored him to agree with me.

Nodding, he pulls me in and kisses me. "Take my car, and I'll meet you there as soon as I can."

"Jesus, Alec." My heart races. "I didn't mean your car. I was going to rent one."

"Why rent one when mine is just sitting there? Besides, I know you're dying to drive it." he kisses me, smirking. "Standing, he arranges everything, and I kiss him again before we part ways. "I'll see you in a couple of days. I love you and drive safely."

Smiling. I blow him a kiss as I walk down the steps. "Love you."

Stewart had the Nissan brought to the airport for me and after putting my bags in the trunk, I climbed in and put my childhood home in the GPS.

About an hour down the road, my dad's name popped up on the screen. I click the button to answer. I hadn't called or texted to let him know I was coming, and I was hoping that Alec hadn't either. I was planning on just showing up and asking them what the hell was going on.

"Hey Dad," I say, trying my best to act normal.

"Hey, kiddo," he says, sniffling. Something is wrong and I instantly can sense it.

"What's wrong?" I am still a few hours from the house. Alec will still be in the air and unreachable so there is no way he would have called him. When he doesn't say anything, I try again. My heart pounding in my chest as it was earlier when I found the email. How had this day started so well and gone to absolute shit? "Dad?" I say again.

"Sorry, honey." he sniffs again. "I don't want to tell you this over the phone. I've been trying to reach you for a couple of weeks at work. I'm guessing you haven't been getting my messages. Anyhow, I'm sorry but your mom died kiddo. I'm sorry to tell you like this." And all I can hear is silence. I know I'm on the freeway and I'm in the middle of rush hour. There are cars all around me. I'm in the left lane and I need to pull over because I can feel vomit slowly making its way into my mouth.

Fuck. No. I can't breathe. 

I briefly hear my dad in the background saying my name.

I turn my right turn signal on to switch to the right lane, and I turn the wheel to move into the lane and hear the blaring horn of an eighteen-wheeler just before the car spins out of control. The sound of metal crunching and my dad yelling in the background is deafening, but I can't respond. Nor do I want to. I'm over today.

All I want to do is give in to the darkness that is taking over me, and that's exactly what I do.

To Be Continued....