“You are in love with him?” I nodded my head.
“Yes. I love River very much.” I looked at this boy that was nearly a man next to me. “I love you, Tanner, but I realize now that I never loved your father. I think we were just a business transaction. I’m sorry.” I looked at him.
“You don’t need to be sorry about that. I have a tough time loving my father myself. Tell me about River.” So, I did.
I told him about how he had scared the shit out of Charlie. And that I put my hand on his ass the first day I met him. That I wanted to jump him before I knew if he was even into men. I told him how we waited until our third date. I told him he didn’t mention his family restaurant was the best Italian food in the state. I talked about how generous he was with my family and how he wanted to help with the winery. Finally, I told him I failed by not telling him I was in love with him. It felt good to talk about River, and it soothed me. The door opened a crack, and Daisy came walking in. The door quietly closed again. She made her way over. I stretched out my legs, and she climbed on my lap.
“I don’t think you failed him. You always consider the other person. It seems you were making sure he was ready to hear it. Sometimes, it must just feel right. I don’t think I ever heard you tell my father that you loved him. I do remember you telling me all the time. That tells me the words hold weight for you. You deserve to have someone like him in your life.” Putting his hand on my shoulder. “I think we need to find this man of yours so you can tell him how you feel.”
“Yeah.” He stood up. He reached his hand down to me. I put Daisy on my shoulder and let him help me up. He hugged me hard.
“We are going to bring him home, Dad.” Unlike Sarah, his eyes showed that he believed it.
We walked out of the bathroom. I hugged each of River’s brothers, thanked them for being here with me, and asked after the rest of the family. I needed to wear my big boy pants and bring my man home. I wouldn’t lose hope until there was nothing left to hope for.
***
RIVER – In the Canadian mountains
I opened my eyes, and all I could see were treetops and snowflakes. I couldn’t comprehend why there was snow in my bedroom. Then I remembered I wasn’t in my bedroom but on a plane heading home. That didn’t make sense either. Why was it so cold on the plane? It shouldn’t be this cold. I think I will just go back to sleep.
Chapter thirty-seven
Aaron
Matt was on his way to help with coordinating anything we needed. Working with a foreign country would be a challenge than working within our borders. News of the crash was all over prime time, and the coverage worked in our favor since River had clients in Canada who were big names and could pull whatever strings we needed to be pulled.
There hadn’t been word from the first rescue team about getting to the site, and Mother Nature wasn’t giving us any breaks either. We all decided the best thing to do was to get as close to the crash site as possible and set up a command post there. We chartered a plane and hired rescue teams with dogs, horses, helicopters, and skiers. They were dispatched to help locate and rescue all three souls on the aircraft.
I had to step away to compose myself. I couldn’t talk. I could barely think because I was fueled only by fear. I needed to gain control of my thoughts and emotions. I entered River’s office and sat in the closet where he kept all the items people would send him. I looked around and realized it was so organized, everything by category. Shoes, shirts, mugs, books, it just went on and on. He was so meticulous. I found a blanket and pulled it around me, tucking myself tightly into the corner. I kept telling myself to be strong. I didn’t know if I had it in me. I had never felt pain like this before. It felt like my body was being ripped apart.
I sat there a long time, my head against the wall, covered in a blanket. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I had no control over what happened around me. I should have been helping, but until we left, there was nothing to do other than feel everything, and I didn’t know if I could take it.
“Aaron, we need to get going. Our plane takes off in an hour.” I heard Matt say from the other room. I hauled myself up and walked into the living room. Nobody looked directly at me.
“The chartered plane will take us to Canada. From there, we had to drive about an hour to the closest town near the site coordinates. The rescue team had found some debris, but it was slow going. We should have more information when we get there. Everyone has gone home to get warm clothes and passports. Tanner, Sarah, and Rodney will also come. We all insist on being with you.” I hugged Matt.
“Thank you.” I grabbed Daisy and thought about Charlie. I hoped he was okay, too. The dragon club automatically gets notified that a dragon is on board. It’s their job as an organization to know if one is injured or missing. The whole thing was leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Before I headed out the door, I grabbed my warm jacket and filled the pockets with snacks. River would want those when I had him back in my arms.
We all arrived at the airport wearing clothes way too heavy for where we were coming from but knowing it was cold and snowy where we were going. We still had to pass through customs, but we got on and settled quickly.
I took a seat. I wasn’t sure, but it felt like people sat down around me. Each of his brothers walked by and squeezed my shoulder. We were on a sizable charter plane that could hold fifty people, andperhaps twenty filled the seats. We had one rescue crew from our area that joined us on the flight.
“Are any of the other teams we hired in the area yet?” I asked Blaze.
“Everyone is on the way. The first K-9 team will be there within the hour.” We had two and a half hours before we landed.
Sarah hooked her arm through mine. “It will be okay, Aaron.”
“I hope you are right.” I squeezed her hand.
We landed around 2 a.m. Cars waited, and we divided up caravanning into Rocking Lake, the tiny town at the mountain's base. It was 5 a.m. when we arrived. The FAA already had a command post set up.
I introduced myself to the man in charge. Derrick Tinsel was a member of the RCMP and was overseeing the search efforts. “You’re the boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
