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“You just missed him…” her Uncle Hunter volunteered flatly, causing her breath to escape her.
“It’s fine, Alpo,” her father interjected, using her uncle’s call sign from his days in the Air Force. Her uncle had been the ‘top dog’ in his class and earned the moniker. “Sam’s got plenty of time to catch up with the Saxon family – all of them.”
“They left already?”
“Yes, Marisol wanted to get Toby home so he could see his brother and sister, but I think that maybe they just wanted to be alone for a bit, you know? They’ve always been very close-knit, and I know Toby is the apple of his father’s eye.”
“I never thought that Mr. Saxon would play favorites with his kids…”
“He doesn’t – each one is precious – but Toby is his firstborn and looks just like him but with his mother’s coloring. Caspar and Nicolette are both blond, like their father, but look like their mother.”
“Mailman…” Hunter coughed loudly, laughing.
“Stop it – you know better, Hunter…” Glory muttered, reaching over from her chair and nudging her husband playfully on the shoulder. “It’s no more the mailman than it was for your kids. The twins look just like me…”
“And act like me,” Hunter grinned.
“Don’t I know it…” Glory muttered – and smiled.
Nodding, trying not to feel offended or hurt, Samantha grabbed a paper plate, as well as two slices of pizza, before sitting down. Taking a bite, she tried to listen as the conversation flowed around her… but couldn’t get past the knowledge that Toby didn’t even stick around to see her.
Nope.
He was avoiding her as much as she was dodging him – and it bruised her ego.
6
Toby stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, his mind racing and feeling slightly ashamed as he recognized the fact that he’d run the moment he found out Samantha was on the way. He’d feigned exhaustion, asking his parents to leave… only now? He lay there, unable to shut off his brain as his mind processed everything he’d found out.
Samantha never married.
… And never dated.
While he didn’t want to get his hopes up, both his parents knew how he felt about the girl back when he was younger – and why he was avoiding her.
The fact that they’d volunteered this information was surprising and a little heartwarming. Was his mother and father telling him that because maybe she was waiting… for him?
Closing his eyes, he grimaced.
There was no way someone so out of his league would have waited years for someone like him. He was still that gangly, overly tall kid – although those braces and pimples were finally gone.
He couldn’t change who he was and just needed to come to terms with the fact that he never had a shot with Samantha Sloan… ever.
Two days later, Toby was thinking the same thing… only the unexpected occurred. As he was driving his father’s car over to Flyboys at the request of Hunter in order to help set up and move the planes around…
He passed a Ford Escort sitting on the side of the road with its flashers on.
The road to Flyboys was not one commonly used unless you were driving to get to I-20, the Butlers’ Farm, or the flight school. Farmland surrounded them and the airfield came with quite a bit of acreage.
Pulling over, Toby hopped out of the car… and hesitated.
He’d know that driver from anywhere.
Samantha.
7
“This is ridiculous…” Samantha hissed in annoyance and frustration. The phone call from her Aunt Glory was the cherry on top of the cake. Why was it when something went wrong – it was everything all at once?
