Page 103 of Parentmoon

“Dallas.” I choke on his name. “What are you doing here?” This should not be the first thing I say to him.

“Why are you crying?” He steps closer to me.

“I love you,” I blurt.

Dallas stills, stopping a foot away. He stares at me, and I swallow around a fresh sob and a new barrier in my throat. I’m too late.

I attempt to clear my throat. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Dallas stares at me. “What was it again?”

“What are you doing here?” He just missed his flight.

“I’d gone to the service desk to switch my flight for the next one out to Chicago. I got a call from Michael while I was in line.”

The tears fall faster. My lip quivers “Why were you going to Chicago?”

Dallas closes the distance between us. Hands cup my shoulders. “Say you mean it.”

“I mean it.”

“Cheeky.” He narrows his eyes while his mouth curls, that sexy smirk taking it’s time to reach full wattage.

“I should have said I love you right away.” I swallow convulsively as more tears blur my vision. My voice weakens as I ask, “Am I too late?”

“Darlin’, it’s only been like seventeen minutes.” His smile is bright. White teeth circled by salt and pepper scruff. It isn’t fair how good looking he is, especially when he grins.

“You told me you don’t give second chances,” I remind him, thinking once more of his relationship with Katherine.

His brows pinch, questioning my comment before realization must have hit. “And I also told you the moment we first kissed, you are a once-in-a-lifetime. There’s no chance I’d let you go without a damn good fight.”

“Slaying dragons?” I tease, around another wet sob. “Scaling walls?”

“Every damn castle and lizard in the universe,” he says, scooping hair away from both sides of my face before tugging me to him. We kiss with relief and forgiveness for momentary lapses in judgement. This kiss wasn’t a departure but an arrival. Dallas was going to be my new home.

Epilogue

Dallas and I checked into a hotel in Miami and spent the remainder of the day and night in bed filled with more words of love and plenty of body language to express our feelings.

The next morning, he tackled tickets to Chicago. He followed me, spending a week in my city while Michael and Keli finished their honeymoon.

At the time, I thought I’d have a year. One year before Michael and Keli moved. Months before a baby would arrive and too many days before I’d see Dallas again.

We only lasted two weeks apart.

“Hello,” he greets me after my first night in his house. His gigantic house on a sprawling ranch with windmills in the distance.

“Hello,” I sheepishly say, taking a seat at his kitchen island, which is also massive. Everything really is bigger in Texas, I guess.

And the man on the opposite side of it, facing me is larger than life as he’s been since the moment we connected.

“No. Hello, Jo,” he repeats.

Okay, it’s not the typical greeting he gives me, as he calls me every morning to say, “Mornin’, darlin’.” The sound of his voice is a great way to start every day. Seeing him each morning would be better.

Still puzzled by his correction, I stare at him.

“Today is our Hello Day.”