AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Should I be concerned?
“Do you not want me to take this bag?” I ask.
“No, no. It’s fine,” she’s quick to respond, averting her gaze.
Shit, let’s hope this bag isn’t going to explode on us.
“You know what,” I say. “How about I put it in your trunk?” She shows her relief for a brief second before masking it.
Yeah, I don’t want anything to do with that bag.
I place the carry-on into their trunk. Conveniently, their rental is parked right next to ours. It’s another frog-green Chevrolet Spark. There’s a whole row of them in the otherwise deserted looking garage. They weren’t kidding; all their bigger cars are gone.
Instead of helping pack, the kids watch on, bored, sitting on the ground or leaning against the car. Whatever happened to getting your kids to help? Well, at least they’re not on a screen.
“Is Atlanta home for you, Sue, or are you traveling there for fun?” I ask the voluptuous dark-haired woman as she picks up another carry-on with her good hand.
“We live an hour south of Atlanta. We went on our annual five-day Chicago trip to visit friends.”
Wow, that’s a lot of luggage for a five-day trip. As if reading my mind, Sue says, “I love shopping in Chicago. I don’t know what it is, but I always find the best things there. We take suitcases just to fill them up.”
I smile at her. “Looks like you had fun. I hate shopping with a passion. Thankfully, my best friend and I are the same size, so I make use of her wardrobe.” At least, I used to.
Sue and I keep chatting as I fill the rest of their trunk with the other carry-ons. The guys somehow fit all five suitcases in our backseat. We can’t look out anymore, but hey, who needs a back window? Let’s hope we don’t get stopped; I’m not sure how legal it is to drive this car now. It sits significantly lower, the weight of all the luggage pushing it closer to the ground… and that’s without Aiden in it. How long would it take to stop this car if we have to break in a hurry?
Why does Aiden have to be such a good guy? I thought I was kind and helpful, but I’m sure I would have left this family to find their own way home.
But too late now. The car is loaded, and Joe and Aiden exchange phone numbers. We agree to leave their luggage with the rental desk when we hand back the keys, should they not be there when we arrive.
The kids finally get off their asses and climb into the backseat of their rental, moaning about how squeezy it is. They’re handed a few bags each and are now packed for keeps. What a happy three and a half hours they have ahead of themselves.
There are still a few bags left on the luggage cart that cannot possibly fit with the kids, so Aiden, miracle worker that he is, squeezes them behind our seats.
We wave off Average Joe, and I let out a long sigh, looking at Aiden wide-eyed.
“I’m not sure whether to be impressed or exasperated that you helped that family.”
“Impressed. Definitely go with impressed.” He winks at me.
We get into the car, Aiden with much more difficulty than me. The space is stiflingly small with him next to me. But it’s not just his sexy, large frame. He has an air about him that’s powerful, taking up space that goes beyond the physical.
Really, he’s a mystery to me. He’s got this jovial, light-hearted side and yet he’s commanding, someone you would think twice about messing with.
Next to him I feel small, and it’s hard to resist his gravitational pull. My insides go soft and I tingle all over from being so close to him.
Focus on something else!
We fasten our seatbelts, and I glance over at Aiden. He really looks uncomfortable behind the wheel and guilt for insisting on driving hits me.
“Do you know that wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death in an accident by sixty-one percent?” Aiden asks as he snaps the belt into its lock.
“That’s why I always wear one. Are you telling me this because we’re likely to have a crash given all the extra weight?” I asked, slightly alarmed.
“No. You’re in safe hands with me, I promise.”
Am I?
“That random fact just popped into my head, and I thought it was worth sharing.”
