She had not been to the United States in over 15 years. She simply could not bring herself to go back to Tulsa. She'd fled to France when everything had gone so wrong, and had spent her entire adult life there. She could barely even remember the way sun-scorched grass felt beneath her bare legs on the hottest day of an Oklahoma summer or how it felt to stand out in an open field and be able to see the clear sky stretching endlessly.
But she had no choice now. Her father wanted her to be with him during his final days, and she simply could not refuse his wish. After all, she did want to be with him, too. The reality was that this could be the last chance she got to spend time with him while his quality of life was still semi-decent.
Ashley leaned her head back against the headrest, her interest in the Atlantic fading fast. Again she looked at the woman and her son, still talking animatedly about seemingly nothing. She closed her eyes, longing for the plane to land and to be able to escape the presence of these people.
