AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That was insane,” she replied, holding her hand out for her case. “I should check this in.”
“Security is the other side of the terminal. I’ll walk you over there.”
“You don’t have to.” She gripped the handle of the case. “I can find it.”
“It’s the same price to park if it’s ten minutes or an hour.”
“Okay.” A small smile crept onto her face, and she turned, joining the priority bag line.
I stared at the back of her head. Knots formed in my stomach as it twisted and tied itself into pretzels of nerves and sadness, and I swallowed as she approached the desk and brightly greeted the attendant there.
God, I didn’t want to say goodbye.
I couldn’t let her go without telling her… something. Anything.
She bounced back over to me and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Done. Where’s the security? I hate airports, and I’m never happy unless I’m spending forever sitting outside the gate.”
I smiled and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Come on. I’ll walk you over there.”
“Okay.” She leant into my side, one hand on her bag and the other wheeling her carry-on case alongside us. “I bet it’s warmer in Oxleigh. That’s a bonus.”
“Probably is.” I chuckled, rubbing my thumb against her arm. “Sunnier, too.”
“No, it’s probably raining. Like usual.”
“Here’s security,” I said a moment later, stopping outside the cordoned-off area. I let my arm fall away from her shoulders. “And where I have to leave you.”
Grace glanced at it, then peered up at me. “I guess so.”
“Thank you for agreeing to this craziness,” I said, smiling at her. “Even if it was a slightly wilder ride than we both first thought.”
“That’s one way of putting it.” She fought back a laugh and pulled her travel wallet with her boarding pass and driver’s license back out of her back. “Um… I had a good time, even if it was a bit insane.”
“Please, you only enjoyed the history parts.”
“Damn. You caught me.” Her smile twinkled in her eyes. “Thank you for driving me.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I pulled her into my arms and kissed her hair. Her arms wound around my waist, and Grace buried her face in my chest, holding onto me tightly.
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “You should—”
“We didn’t decide who won bingo,” she said quietly, turning her head to the side.
I dipped my chin, drawing my face down closer to hers. “Who do you think won, Cinderella?”
“I think you’ll find you did.” Her words were a little more than a whisper.
A smile teased my lips. “Did I?”
“Pretty sure.” Grace tilted her head back and, reaching up to wrap her hand around the back of my neck, she pulled my lips down to meet hers.
It was the sweetest kiss I’d ever tasted, and hope bloomed in me once more.
That this wasn’t the end.
That this was just the beginning of something, maybe.
“You’re going to regret that,” I said softly, bringing my hands up to cup her face. “Give me an inch, I’ll take a mile. I thought you learnt that lesson.”
