Chapter 2 - An Unusual FavorThe plane was filled with business travelers, families, college students, and vacationers.
After some time, Brooke noticed something unusual.
Passengers kept glancing toward Reid.
A man across the aisle lifted his phone as though filming the window.
Two young women whispered together before looking at him again.
Reid kept a calm expression, but Brooke noticed his jaw clench.
Then he leaned slightly closer.
“Can I ask you for a very strange favor?”
Brooke immediately became cautious.
“What sort of favor?”
Reid looked toward the phone across the aisle.
“Could you pretend you fell asleep on my shoulder?”
Brooke stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“I know how that sounds,” he said quietly. “But they’re trying to record me. If we appear to be an exhausted family, maybe they’ll stop paying attention.”
Brooke should have refused.
A woman carrying a baby and recovering from a br0ken marriage did not need another mysterious man entering her life.
But there was something in his eyes.
Not confidence.
Not manipulation.
Genuine fear.
So Brooke shifted Lily against her chest and carefully rested her head on Reid’s shoulder.
The effect was immediate.
The man lowered his phone.
The two women stopped watching.
Reid slowly let out the breath he had been holding.
“Thank you,” he whispered.
Brooke intended to move away after a minute.
But exhaustion took over.
She truly fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, the plane was descending toward Charlotte.
Reid had not moved. He had remained perfectly still so neither she nor Lily would wake.
“You slept for almost two hours,” he said gently.
Brooke quickly sat upright, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. You must have been uncomfortable.”
Reid answered with a small, sorrowful smile.
“I’ve been through far worse.”
Just before landing, a flight attendant paused beside them.
“Mr. Callahan, your security team will be waiting at the gate.”
Brooke froze.
Security team?
Reid let out a quiet sigh.
“You don’t know who I am, do you?”
Brooke shook her head.
“Reid Callahan,” he said. “Callahan Digital.”
Brooke’s mouth went dry.
Everyone recognized that name.
Technology companies. Financial services. Charitable organizations. Office buildings carrying his name.
“You’re that Reid Callahan?”
He nodded.
“And you’re the first person in months who treated me like an ordinary traveler.”
Before Brooke could respond, Reid’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen, and his expression shifted.
“What happened?” she asked.
May you like
Reid looked back at her.
“Brooke, someone is already asking about you at the airport.”
