Page 108 of That Time I Kissed The Groomsman Grump
“You could say that.” A muscle at his forehead tics like he’s trying not to laugh. “I thought for sure you’d figure it out.” He surrenders to a grin. “Especially when your mom wasn’t there when I picked you up this morning. Almost everyone else got to see you at the wedding. But you know your parents. They wouldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye.”
“You’re right.” I sniffle and nod, my voice breaking. “I did think that was kind of weird.”
“Go on.” He nods at the crowd. “Your fans are waiting.”
I climb out of the truck, heading toward my family and friends, moving from person to person, one at a time. I’m hugging and sniffling and swiping at my nose. As each person tells me goodbye, more tears stream down my face. Brady hangs back, waiting until I’m done. Then, while Ford gets my carry-on out of the truck, Brady leads me away, out of earshot. For one more moment, it’s just the two of us. “So. You have your phone?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“And a charger?”
“Yes.”
“See? You’ve got this, Natalie. You can do it, right?”
I let out a long, shuddering breath. “Umm-hmm.”
“I’d rather hear you say it out loud.”
I gulp. “I can do this,” I squeak.
“Good.” He presses a tender kiss on top of my head. I nod, chewing my lip, and choking back hiccupy sobs. “And this isn’t goodbye,” he says.
“Okay.”Hic. Hic.
He puts a finger under my chin, gently tipping my face to his. “No, I mean itreallyisn’t goodbye.”
“Okay.”Hic. Hic.I blink up at him.
“Because I’m going to fly with you.”
I shake my head, bewildered. “What are you talking about?”
He locks eyes with me. “You and I both know you’re strong enough to do this on your own, but you don’t have to. Not this time. Not anymore. Not if you don’t want to.”
“Brady,” I breathe out. My heart careens around my body, doing backflips on the inside. I’m basically a circus performer on an internal trapeze.
“I’m going to hold your hand through all three flights and not let go until we land in LA. Then I’ll have to come back here, but only for a little while. Because I can’t be away from you for too long, Nat. I don’t want to be away from you. So I’m going to keep going back and forth until we figure out where we want to land forever.”
“Are you serious?”
“Totally, completely serious.”
While half of Abieville stands there cheering us on, I leap into Brady’s arms, and he spins me around until I’m as dizzy as a bridesmaid playing Pin the Heart on Nicolas Cage.
The whole next hour is a blur of checking luggage, buying snacks, and stealing kisses behind airport pillars. As it turns out, I’m excellent at stealing kisses behind airport pillars. When we finally board and settle into our seats, Brady takes my hand. Just like he promised.
“Hold on,” I say. “I need to message my family before we take off.” Digging in my purse, I slip out my phone, and that’s when I see it.
They all beat me to the punch.
MOM: I love you!
DAD: I love you!
BEAU: I love you!
KASEY: I love you!
