Page 7 of Cloud Nine Love

“I’m not.” She waved her hand dismissively. “My granddaughter is here to pick me up.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sexy Stranger stepped to the side to let Ruth pass. She took one step and wobbled a little. He reached out to steady her.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he held her elbow.

“I’m fine, just have a case of noodle legs from all the sittin’ down and waitin’ trying to get a flight.”

“I’ll walk you out to meet your granddaughter.”

“Don’t be silly.” Ruth huffed a little, clearly not wanting to be a burden. “You don’t have to do that.”

Sexy Stranger just grinned and offered her his arm. “No, ma’am. I don’t have to, but I’d sure like to.”

Ruth took his arm, and he glanced over at me. “Can you watch my?—”

“Bag, yep.” I sure would.

I also caught myself watching his retreating back as he escorted Ruth from the bar, and I had to say, he looked just as good going as he did coming.

On the way out, Ruth turned to me, winked, and gave me a head nod and a thumbs up. As much as I appreciated her encouragement, I didn’t need it. For some inexplicable reason, my heart, head, and hormones had taken a vote and decided they were all on board with getting to know him better.

And I still wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

3

REMI

“Your pupils dilate up to forty-five percent when you see someone you’re attracted to.” ~ Tim Rhodes

“Oh, there she is.” As we emerged through the automated doors, the woman who had kept my seat warm during my breakup nodded at a blonde who appeared frantic and was chatting animatedly on the phone. The blonde was standing on the pavement next to a white SUV.

I turned to her as she dropped her hand from my arm. “It was nice meeting you, ma’am.”

“Ruth,” she said as she smiled up at me. “And you are?”

I forced myself to smile; I didn’t want her to think that any part of the mood I was currently in because of the news I’d just learned had anything to do with her. “Remington, or Remi.”

Ruth lifted her hand and patted my cheek. “Thank you, Remington. You are a true gentleman. You are gonna make some woman, or man, very happy one day.”

Not according to my last phone call, I thought to myself, even as I forced my lips to curl in a smile.

“You take care of yourself. Stay out of trouble,” she instructed, her finger pointed in my direction. “And try not to break too many hearts.”

“Yes, ma’am. You, too.”

Her blue eyes twinkled, and she started toward the SUV. “Well, now, where’s the fun in that?”

Now, the smile that pulled on my face was a real one. Today may not be going well, but I was happy to have met Ruth. I also couldn’t deny my attraction to the woman I’d yet to meet but hoped would not be a stranger for long, who was watching my bag.

“Nana!” The woman on the phone waved when she saw Ruth approach.

I waited until they were both safely in the SUV and it was pulling away before I went back inside the bustling airport. As I walked through the throngs of people, I felt totally alone. I also felt like I might be having an out-of-body experience, like I was detached from myself.

A lot was happening in my brain right now. I was trying to process everything that Misty had just told me and what it all meant. Fifteen minutes ago, I had my entire life planned out. My future was set in stone. Now…everything had changed.

I kept waiting to feel something. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Jealousy. Anything that someone would expect to experience after finding out their fiancée was pregnant with another man’s baby, but I didn’t feel any of those things.

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