Chapter 107. Flight to Texas

Chapter 107. Flight to Texas
The flight from Anchorage passes faster than either of them expects. Once the private jet climbs above the clouds and settles into its cruising altitude, the cabin becomes almost completely silent except for the steady hum of the engines beneath the polished floor. 

Roxanne remains by the window for most of the journey, her attention drifting between the endless sea of clouds outside and the messages appearing on her phone every half hour. Samantha keeps her promise, sending small updates without fail. 

Caleb has woken up, he has eaten breakfast without throwing up. The doctor says the antivenom is working exactly as expected. None of the messages are long, yet each one eases a little of the tension that has been sitting in Roxanne's chest ever since Madelyn calls her from the hospital.

"Everything all right?" Alexandra asks softly after noticing the faint smile that appears on Roxanne's face. 

She has been watching the younger woman glance at her phone every so often throughout the flight, recognizing the subtle shifts in her expression without needing to ask who the messages are from. Roxanne looks up from the screen and nods, the tension that has been lingering around her since leaving the cruise finally easing, if only a little. 

"Yes. Sam just texted me. Caleb's doing okay now. He's awake, and the doctors finally let him eat something." There's a clear relief in her voice as she speaks. "It's already the second day since the poisoning, and they said he's responding well to the treatment."

Alexandra smiles, genuinely pleased by the update. "That's good news."

"It is." Roxanne glances back at the message for a brief moment before locking her phone and placing it on the armrest beside her. "Sam said he even complained about the hospital food, so I guess that's a good sign."

"It usually is."

A soft laugh escapes Roxanne, the first completely carefree one since they leave the MV Silver Monarch. The knot in her chest loosens another little bit, replaced by anticipation rather than fear. Every update Samantha sends makes the distance between her and the hospital feel a little shorter, and with every passing mile she finds herself believing more firmly that Caleb truly is going to recover.

"We'll be there soon," Alexandra says softly, her thumb continuing to trace slow circles across the back of Roxanne's hand. 

The gentle reassurance is enough to draw Roxanne's attention away from the endless clouds outside the window. She turns toward the older woman, her expression softer than it has been since they leave the cruise. "Thank you."

Alexandra smiles faintly before giving a small shake of her head. "Thank your father. I'm only here because he doesn't trust you flying to Texas by yourself." A laugh escapes Roxanne. 

For a moment, neither of them says anything. The vibration of the aircraft fills the comfortable silence while the afternoon sun pours through the cabin windows, bathing everything in warm light. Roxanne watches their joined hands resting on the armrest before another thought slowly surfaces.

"It's about my mom, isn't it?" Roxanne finally opens another conversation, "that's why he doesn't want to let me go alone."

Alexandra already knows what she means, she doesn't pretend otherwise. "Yes."

Roxanne studies her face carefully. "But your mother isn't anywhere near the ranch anymore," Alexandra continues. "At least for now, your dad, Robert, Madelyn, and Caleb, are safe from her. That's the important part."

She remains silent for a few seconds before asking the question that has been sitting in the back of her mind ever since Madelyn mentions Amelia being taken away. "You know where she is?"

Alexandra nods without hesitation. "I do."

"Maddie said someone took her."

"They did." 

Roxanne blinks. "You found her?"

"I found her the same day." There' only a certainty in Alexandra's voice, as though locating someone is little more than another item on her daily schedule.

"And now?"

"I keep her somewhere safe."

Roxanne tilts her head. "Safe?"

Alexandra smiles slightly at the choice of words. "Safe enough that nobody can reach her, and safe enough that she can't cause trouble for anyone else."

"You make it sound like she's in jail."

"Essentially."

Roxanne can't help laughing at that. "What happens to her now?"

Alexandra gives a small shrug. "That depends entirely on your dad, your biological one I mean, let's call him Robert. This is starting to frustrate me." Roxanne just smiles hearing that.

"Robert will decide what he wants to do. Brandon will help him make it happen. Until then..." Alexandra glances back toward the window. "...she stays exactly where she is."

Roxanne falls silent again. Outside, layers of white clouds drift slowly beneath the aircraft, stretching endlessly toward the horizon. She watches them for several moments before speaking again, her voice quieter than before. "Do you think she deserves jail?"

Alexandra doesn't answer immediately. Instead, she gently tightens her fingers around Roxanne's hand. "I think," she says carefully, "she has spent years hurting every member of your family. You. Madelyn. Caleb. Robert." Her eyes remain steady. "Whatever happens to her next should be the consequence of her own choices, not anyone else's."

Roxanne nods slowly. "That's fair."

Another silence settles between them, though this one feels heavier. Eventually Roxanne exhales softly, her gaze still fixed on the clouds beyond the window. "It's strange."

"What is?"

"If she wasn't..." Roxanne smiles to herself before shaking her head. "...if she weren't such an asshole..."

"...I probably would've never met you." The words make Alexandra's smile gradually disappear.

She turns toward Roxanne, studying her face with an expression that grows unexpectedly thoughtful. "Perhaps..." She hesitates. "...perhaps that would've been a better life for you. Not meeting me, or Brandon, I mean."

Roxanne frowns. "What do you mean?"

Alexandra lowers her eyes briefly before looking back at her. "I'm much older than you." Roxanne already knows where the conversation is heading, and she doesn't like it, not a bit.

"I read something a while ago," Alexandra says softly. "It was written by a woman who was married to someone much older than herself. She said their marriage was wonderful, but when her husband turned eighty-one..." Her voice softens almost to a whisper. "...she wrote that becoming his caretaker was the hardest part of loving him."

The words linger between them. Alexandra isn't afraid of growing old, she's afraid of what that future might ask of Roxanne. And the younger woman continues looking at her for a long moment before a gentle smile slowly appears across her face. "I think she said something else after that."

Alexandra blinks. "You read it too?"

"I did." Roxanne shifts a little closer until their shoulders touch.

"She finished by saying..." Her fingers tighten around Alexandra's, "...that if she could live her life again, she'd make the same choice." 

Alexandra's eyes never leave hers. 

"And that's exactly how I feel." Roxanne smiles with complete certainty, without the slightest trace of hesitation. "If life gave me another chance, I'd still choose you."

She leans forward, resting her forehead lightly against Alexandra's. "I'd choose every life to be with you."

Her smile grows softer. "No matter how hard it is, I'll choose you again, and I'd choose every year that comes after."

Alexandra feels something tighten quietly inside her chest. For someone so powerful and with mostly nothing that scared her, it's this young woman sitting beside her that leaves her speechless. She lifts one hand to gently cup Roxanne's cheek, brushing her thumb across the warm skin before leaning forward to kiss her forehead with tenderness.

"You're such a sweetheart." She mutters.

"Your sweetheart," Roxanne added.