Page 41 of Anchored Love
I laughed to myself.
“Everything good?” Mason questioned.
“Yeah, I’m just afraid I’ll have to fight Samantha for my fur baby when we get back. She’s been dog-sitting all week.”
* * *
On the flightfrom Dallas to Idaho, it hit me. This was it. My last moments with Mason before we had to return to the way things were. We hadn’t talked about anything. I didn’t know how he felt about things now. I didn’t want to bring it up, but as the week we shared flashed through my mind I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
We’d shared so many good moments. Our first kiss. Our first everything really. I could still taste him on my lips and feel his touch. I sighed and leaned my head back. His eyes were closed. Exhaustion weighed on all of us. Mom and Herbert were seated in the aisle across from us, and they were both out. I couldn’t see Jess and Casey from where I sat. I felt restless.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Mason murmured next to me. He took my hand in his, bringing my knuckles to his lips.
“Just thinking about how it will suck being back in the cold and out of the gorgeous sunshine.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah,” I lied. I didn’t want to face reality yet. I wanted to pretend he belonged to me a little while longer. I curled into his side as best as I could, and his arm went around me. I inhaled the scent of his Dior cologne. God he smelled so good. Too good. He tilted my chin up and placed a sweet kiss on my lips.
“Too bad the plane is so crowded, or we’d try to join the mile-high club,” he teased, and I wished I had another half hour with him in bed that morning to finish what we had started before we were so rudely interrupted.
“There’s a thought.” I smiled, imagining exactly that. One of us excusing themselves to go to the bathroom first and five minutes later the other following behind. I’d probably end up like one of those people in a movie getting my foot stuck in the toilet and covered with blue dye or something, or we’d break the sink.
Everyone on the plane would either clap or laugh once we were caught and had to do our walk of shame.
Our flight landed, and I could feel the sadness balling up inside me.
“I had a great time with you, girls.” Mom pulled Jess and me in for a hug. Mason was chatting with Casey, making plans to hangout sometime or meet up at the gym. I didn’t want to burst Mason’s bro buddy bubble, but Casey wasn’t the gym going type.
“I’m glad we got this time together,” I confessed, even though I hated the idea at first it had all worked out. The ceremony had been so beautiful, but next we’d be planning a baby shower. Knowing my family it’d be extravagant and over the top. I already wanted to go shopping for baby shoes. I couldn’t wait ’til we found out the sex. My shoe obsession was about to hit a new level.
Everyone said their goodbyes and went our separate ways. Jess and Casey were taking a cab, and Mom and Herbert had their car in the parking lot. I wouldn’t have paid the fee, but it wasn’t my money. More power to them.
“Share a cab?” Mason offered, but he lived on the opposite end of town from me, and I didn’t want to split a big bill or make him feel obligated to pay. But I found myself saying yes. As exhausted as my body felt, I didn’t want to say goodbye to him yet. Which seemed silly; I’d see him at work soon enough.
He rolled my luggage to the loading zone and hailed a cab.
I slid in the back, and before I knew it Mason was shaking my shoulder and telling me I was home. He saw me to the front door and made sure I got in okay before getting back in the cab to go home. I’d thought about inviting him in and asking him to spend the night, but I had too much to do and needed some serious sleep.
I left my luggage in the living room and set my alarm. Then I cranked up the heat. It was freezing. I had turned the thermostat down before I left, but I should have conned Samantha into coming over and turning it up before I arrived home. And I would’ve had my dog to welcome me home.
I changed into my pajamas and brushed my teeth. My head hit my pillow, and it felt good to be home, but a wave of sadness washed over me. I missed the smell and feel of Mason laying next to me. I missed the weight of his body taking up most of the bed.
I missed him.
