Page 62 of Love You Still

“Did he?”

“Did he what?”

“Wait for you, dear.” She flashes me a knowing smile before squeezing my hand. “I’m pretty sure I can already guess the answer to that question.”

Vance has every right to tell me to get lost, that he’s tired of waiting for me to decide if I want to be with him. I honestly can’t blame him if he did tell me that, but instead of telling me to get lost, he waited for me to come home, just like everyone else I shut out of my life before I headed to New York.

“Yes, he waited for me.” I smile down at her. “I finally realized that I was making choices for him. I never had a conversation with him about whether he’d be willing to come with me to New York or if he would wait for me. And, as it turns out, I didn’t have to ask because he waited anyway. He waited for me to decide if I loved him enough to come back to him. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize it.”

“Attention, passengers. We are approaching the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Please fasten your safety belts and put your seats and tray tables in the fully upright and locked position. We’ll be landing shortly,” the flight attendant announces over the loudspeaker, and my heart drops into my stomach in anticipation of the encounter that awaits me when I get back to Tyson’s Creek.

“Nervous about seeing him again?” the older woman beside me asks, noticing my change in demeanor.

“No. Well, not exactly.” I give her a forced smile. “I’m more afraid of what’s waiting for me when I land.”

“Don’t you mean ‘who,’ sweetie? That man would be a fool not to see how much you love him.”

“I do. Very much so,” I reply as the landing wheels meet the ground, jolting us slightly, and the engines work to slow us down.

She gives my hand one last squeeze. “If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

“I hope you’re right.”

A few minutes later, the plane comes to a stop at our arrival gate, and I unbuckle my seat belt and stand.

“Do you need any help?” I ask her.

“No, thank you, sweetie. I have to wait for my wheelchair.”

I nod as I slide past her, grab my travel bag from the overhead compartment, and exit the plane. As I step out into the main terminal area, I spot a familiar pair of eyes staring back at me.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, pulling my bag to a stop in front of Vance.

He rubs the back of his neck and shows me a boarding pass. “Coming to get you. I let you get away once. I wasn’t going to do that again.”

Tears trickle down my face as I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Can we have a do-over?”

He stares at me skeptically as he takes a step closer, framing my face with his hands. “A do-over?”

“Yes. I know I messed up all those years ago, leaving without a word, but I realized something when I was in New York.”

“What’s that?”

“I went to New York looking to fulfill a dream, but once I got there, I knew something was missing.” I wrap my arms around his neck. “You.”

I hold my breath, waiting for him to reject me like I imagined he would. But instead, he pulls me tightly into his chest, pressing a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

“It feels like I’ve been waiting my entire life for you to say that.”

“The wait is over, Vance. I love you.” I rise up slightly on my toes and kiss him softly. We stand there in our own little bubble of happiness until I hear a familiar voice behind me.

“I see you found your heart,” the older woman from the plane says with a smile as she reaches back and grasps the hand of another gentleman.

“What are you doing here?” Vance asks, looking at the gentleman pushing her chair.

“I came to get my girl, just like you.” He tips his hat in my direction before looking back at Vance. “I’m glad you decided to take my advice.”

Vance grasps the man’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “Me, too.”

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