He arched his brow, resembling Cain so much it took Emma’s breath away. “Oh, all right. Cain knows how good I am at keeping secrets, so no, I have no idea.” She laughed as she bumped hips with him and cocked her head in the direction of the plane. “Go on. She’s been looking forward to you getting here.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
That was new too, and it made Emma sigh.
“You’re very welcome.” She kissed his forehead before sending him on his way. “Let’s go get you strapped in, Miss Hannah.”
The crew closed the door behind her and continued their preflight checklist.
In the back of the plane Cain sat in one of the leather chairs, trying to get as comfortable as possible for the two-hour flight. Dr. Elton wasn’t thrilled that she was getting on a plane or leaving his care, but he understood her dilemma. He’d felt a little better when Emma told him Cain had arranged for medical care once they arrived at their destination.
“Hey, pal, how’s it going?” Cain asked Hayden as he stepped closer. They took turns looking each other over, making sure the forced separation, which had been much longer than Cain would have liked, had done no harm.
For Hayden, the too-few trips to the hospital were as much about making himself feel better as they were about visiting Cain. His mother was such a huge part of his life that the thought of losing her made him ill. “I’m better now. How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay, Hayden. I want you to stop worrying. I’m going to be fine. There isn’t any reason for you to think about this anymore. We’re going away so I can finish healing. Then I’m coming back to take care of this just like I always do.” She waved him closer and whispered the last part. “Only now I don’t have to do it alone.”
“You don’t think she’ll leave again, do you?” he asked.
“I wanted to talk to you before now, but haven’t had the chance.” With the hand of her uninjured side, Cain waved to her chest. Just behind their son she could see that Emma was having a hard time keeping Hannah in her seat, the little girl obviously wanting to be with her and Hayden. “Are you all right with everything that’s happened? Your mother being back in my life also means she’s back in yours, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you aside.”
“I’m just glad you’re happy. I talked to her a lot when she came home from the hospital every night to have dinner with us. You were right that night we went out before you got shot. She’s my safe haven, and I’m glad to have one again. I was so mad at her I didn’t realize how much I missed her.”
He needed some contact with Cain, but was afraid to hurt her so he put his hand in hers. “That doesn’t mean I want our relationship to change, but I do want a chance to get to know her better. No matter what, Emma’s my mom, and I’m glad she is.”
“You’re the best kid I could have hoped for, Hayden.” Cain pulled him forward and put her arm around him.
“Just wait till you get to know Hannah. That kid is a riot.” He kissed Cain’s cheek and looked back at the little girl. “You should be glad I’m not the jealous type, or this could get ugly.”
“Mama, please. I wanna see Mom and Haygen. Please.” The little girl kept looking back at the two talking. “Please.”
“Mom did a really good job when it came to telling her about us,” Cain said. “Hannah’s going to be fun to have around.”
Hayden went to the little girl and picked her up, causing Emma to shake her head. Having Hannah exposed to the rest of the Casey clan was going to spoil the little girl rotten. In only a short time she’d come to love being with Hayden, who often carried her around the house, showing her family treasures and telling her the same stories about their family that Cain had told him through the years. The adventures of the Casey clan were much better than any book, and Hayden seemed to love retelling the tales as much as he liked hearing them.
“You want to tell Mom hi before we take off?” he asked Hannah.
She nodded and pressed her forehead to Hayden’s, glad to have a brother who understood what she needed. “How’s your owie, Mom?” Hannah asked when she took a seat on Cain’s lap. “You stay with us now?”
The engines kicked on, and Emma urged them all into their seats before they took off. To keep the peace Cain moved so that they could all sit together for at least a little while. As the navigator came out to tell them they were getting ready to start their taxi to the end of the runway, someone started pounding on the door of the plane.
“Late as usual, and for that I apologize.” Cain shook her head as she explained to the man in the cabin, who looked a little shocked. “I know you just closed it, but could you?”
With quick efficiency the crew opened and closed the door so they could admit their last passenger. Merrick was the first to wonder what the woman was doing on board, but now wasn’t the time to start questioning Cain about anything.
The late arrival walked over to Cain and kissed her cheek. A well-tailored jacket hid the two Glock 9 mm pistols she always wore but did nothing to conceal her athletic body and long legs. Katlin Patrick had worked for Cain since her graduation from college with a business degree, an education her benefactor had insisted on and paid for. Having worked her way through Cain’s business, she now was in charge of security for their shipments and also the day-to-day operations of Cain’s legitimate entities.
They were seldom seen together, and Cain doubted anyone other than Muriel and Jarvis knew they were kin. Their family ties had been kept out of the police files for good reason. Cain had trusted Katlin on more than one occasion to represent her at various meetings and never feared betrayal at the hand of the woman, who, like Muriel, shared her blood.
“Sorry I’m running late, Cain, but there was a problem at the warehouse, then at the hospital, that I had to take care of.”
Cain nodded and pointed to an empty seat. “And is it a problem still?”
“You know better than to ask.”
“Emma, do you remember the black sheep of the family?” Cain pointed to Katlin.
“I think we’ve met, but I’m sorry…I can’t recall the name.”
“Not to worry, Mrs. Casey. Cain keeps me well hidden among the grunts. Helps to keep a low profile when I’m the designated watcher.” The plane had started to move, so Katlin just smiled and waved. “I’m Katlin, Cain and Muriel’s cousin a couple of times removed.”
“You know everyone else, so let me introduce you to the newest member of our family.” Cain took Hannah’s hand in hers. “This is Hannah Casey, our daughter.”
“Pleased to meet you, Hannah,” Katlin said with a smile.
Emma looked on, amused. Katlin might have been a couple of relatives removed, but once again the Casey genes had won out. She had the characteristic dark hair and height, but one difference made Emma think she might be able to give Cain something she’d wanted from the time they’d met.
Instead of being the same incredible blue as Cain’s, Katlin’s eyes were a shade darker green than Emma’s. When they’d started talking about having children, Cain had told Emma she wanted to hold a baby with her shade of blond hair and beautiful green eyes. Perhaps that would be possible since here was the proof.
The flight ceased to fascinate the kids, and they drifted off to sleep before they were over Tennessee. Cain doubted the other passengers were sleeping, but all of them had their eyes closed and their breathing was relaxed. To her surprise Emma hadn’t said anything after greeting Katlin and asking Hannah if she had to go to the bathroom. Unless they’d been apart for so long she’d forgotten Emma’s moods, she was thinking about something pretty hard.
“What’s making that frown line appear in the middle of your forehead, love? Is something wrong?”
With a sigh, Emma folded her legs under her and rested her head on Cain’s shoulder. “You never forget anything about me, do you?”