Page 65 of Sawyer
“Kyle was a prince for letting you drive his ride.” She caressed the dashboard of the Maserati GranTurismo. “Tell him thank you again.”
Could she get any better? Gracious and kind and smart and funny and…
He hit the brakes when the concrete wall suddenly loomed in front of him. Daydreaming and parking were a no-no. Jesus, he was going to have a coronary. Why hadn’t he gotten an Uber and had someone drive them?
Romance. Right. A guy takes his girl to the airport…
She swung out of the car while he eased out carefully.
When he grabbed her wheeled neon green carry-on, she made a play for it. He evaded. They smiled. It was a game they played. She asserted her independence. He reminded her that he wanted to be a gentleman. In the end, she allowed it, because it didn’t hurt her independent spirit any. The dance was working for them.
When they went through the electric double doors to the terminal, his insides sent up agoing on strikesign. He might as well have stepped on an ant hill. People were runningthrough the airport like crazy worker ants, and there were thousands of them. God, he hated crowds.
“Ah…the holidays,” Phoebe commented, taking his arm and leading him to the escalator.
A man nipped the back of Sawyer’s heel with his bag as he stepped on, nearly making Sawyer tumble forward. He might have if Phoebe hadn’t helped prevent him from face-planting on the metal grates. He glared over his shoulder, but the man had his boarding pass in a white-knuckled grip and hadn’t even noticed.
Trying not to growl, Sawyer caught Phoebe watching him with an amused smile. “You really are too cute. But you’re never doing this again. Because while we never talk about work stuff, you should probably know that I sometimes fly four to five times a month.”
He gulped. That many? “Okay, I cry uncle. But I still might call us an Uber and go with you.”
“Whyever would you want to do that?”
He touched her cheek. “Don’t you know? So I can spend every last second with you, my rose.”
She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. “Ah, Horatio, you slay me with your love. Mind the step.”
They exited the escalator. The man behind Sawyer ran into him again, and this time Sawyer growled aloud. The man still didn’t notice, his eyes peeled to a departures screen. Phoebe tugged him along and soon he saw it. The longest, raucous snakelike line that would put the fear of God into even the most courageous of men. Babies sobbed. Mothers shouted at children running around them in circles. Fathers grabbed errant children and put them back in line. How were any of these people going to make their planes?
“Let the fun begin.” She rubbed her hands together, clearly getting her game on. “I have an idea! Let’s exchange gifts but agree to open them when we both get to our destination—to anticipate what’s inside. Every time I feel a snarlcoming on because of all the airport cooties I’m inhaling, you and your gift will be my happy thought.”
He melted. “Deal. I love being your happy thought.”
“Good. Hold my carry-on.” Digging into one of her oversized bags, she pulled out a brightly wrapped present in an easily recognizable shape. “Yes, it’s a book, but you’ll have the car ride to think about which one.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait.” He secured it in his jacket before pulling out the slender box in the inside lining. “This is not a book,” he joked, “but I hope you can feel how much I love you when you open it.”
“That’s guaranteed.” She stroked his jaw. “I always feel your love—even when you’re not with me. I’m going to miss you, Horatio.”
“Me too.” Nodding, he felt a pit form in his stomach. He was going to be without her beautiful spirit for a week. God, his heart hurt.
“Now I need to find the best person joining the end of line.”
Her indominable spirit always amazed him. “Why?”
“Because when you stand in a queue like this, you want to be strategic. You want to be behind someone who looks calm or happy. I discovered this trick when I used to travel out of JFK Airport, and it saved my life. Suddenly the airport thing wasn’t as sucky.”
He knew the moment was here. The goodbye.
His heart really was aching. They’d spent every night together since that first night. He already feared he couldn’t sleep without her. He knew he’d miss the way she smiled at him each night before giving him one final kiss to last until morning.
Turning to her, he took her face in his hands, gazing into her gorgeous green eyes. “God, you’re a marvel. Thank you for coming into my life. I love you.”
She pressed her forehead to his, tangling her hands in hishair. “Thank you for coming into mine. I love you, Sawyer. Merry Christmas.”
Their mouths met. His heart pulsed thickly, savoring the moment, all the noise fading away. His whole world was her, and he hoped it would always be so.
“That kiss was worthy of braving this place, by the way,” he told her softly when he edged back.
