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Against my will, I searched the countless faces, looking for those soft brown eyes that used to own my soul. I stopped in the middle of the terminal, as my phone buzzed in my pocket.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, lovie. I got your message,” Bronwyn said casually.
“I sent it twelve hours ago. Thanks for the prompt response.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice. She didn’t notice.
“So you’re in the U.S.? Ace, I mean… why?”
I was distracted as I kept searching for Teagan. “I thought you said you got my message. I told you that a friend needs me.”
“For what?” She sounded pissed, but then, “pissed” and “I don’t give a shit” were her two most prominent gears.
“I don’t know, Bronwyn. I’ll call you when I know more.”
“I’m going to bed, so don’t call until morning, hmm?” Her voice was bored and unconcerned; her whiny voice in her English accent was suddenly annoying as hell.
“The time difference is six hours, so hopefully I’ll be sleeping when you wake up. Remember, my body is on London time.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, then just call when you can. Good night, lovie.”
“Bye.” It annoyed the hell out of me when she called me that, and she knew it. I shoved the phone into my back pocket of my dark jeans, my mind immediately dismissing the woman on the phone.
Where was Teagan? I scratched my stomach through the fine linen of my dark blue button down. I’d left it un-tucked, only taking time to change my pants and shove three changes of clothes and my running shoes into a small bag before rushing straight to the airport. I left the club immediately after speaking to Kat.
I was tired and impatient as I put my hands on my hips and turned, stopping dead when I saw her moving slowly in my direction, weaving through the crowds. She looked thinner and more fragile; her skin seemed more translucent against the darkness of her flowing hair, still as long and luxurious as I remembered. My breath caught in my throat at the sight, my heart thudding sickeningly in my chest as time rewound in an instant. I wanted it to stop beating. I didn’t care if it killed me or if I had to rip it from my chest; I just wanted it to fucking stop.
Her brown eyes were huge as she looked up into my face, still owning me as much as she ever had, as she closed the last few yards between us. The sadness surrounding her was so heavy I could almost taste it.
“Hello, Chase.” Her voice rocked through me. The same voice that still haunted my dreams on occasion.
My hand moved to my chest, seeking to ease the tightness that prevented me from speaking. I swallowed hard as I took in her smallness in jeans and summer top that left her shoulders and arms completely bare, except for the thin straps. The yellows and oranges in the floral print made her hair appear darker and emphasized the faint flush on her cheeks.
My arms ached to reach for her and drag her against my body. The pull was tangible and I could see the same battle flash across her beautiful features. She was still so goddamned beautiful.
“Teagan…” Her name fell from my lips unwillingly as emotions I’d tried to ignore, surfaced.
We stood there, staring at each other until finally, my left hand reached for her right one. Our fingers entwined as easily as if we’d never been apart, and her eyes filled with glistening tears and then two fat drops rolled down her cheeks. The years fell away as, unable to help myself; I pulled her to me, and gathering her close then turned my face into her hair. She still wore the same perfume… still felt perfect pressed close to me. My breath left my lungs. Her arms flew around my neck as I lifted her easily into my embrace as a deep sob broke from her chest.
“Chase. Oh, God. Thank you. I honestly didn’t think you would come.”
My hand cupped the back of her head and protectiveness filled every cell in my body. No matter what happened, I couldn’t stand to see her in pain. “What is this about? Why now?” I asked softly, despite the loud noises of the terminal around us.
“Not here. I’ll explain everything, but can we go?” she asked brokenly.
I released her reluctantly, nodding as she wiped her fingers under both of her eyes at the same time and attempted a weak smile.
I nodded. “Okay. I don’t have any other bags. Let’s go.”
Somehow we ended up near an SUV I didn’t recognize. I didn’t know what I expected… that she’d have her old beat-up car from college? My heart fell to my stomach when I opened the back door to stow my bag and I came face to face with a booster seat.
She has a child. I felt like I’d just been slammed into a brick wall at high speed.
My knuckles turned white as my fingers tightened around the edge of the door until I thought they would break. I wasn’t prepared for the possibility that she’d ever had a child that wasn’t mine. The years of ignorance had been more of a blessing than I could have possibly imagined.
My chin jutted out in painful defiance, trying to steady the shaking that had overcome my hands, again. I slammed the passenger door as Teagan slid behind the wheel, her head snapping toward me at the sound.
I was pissed, hurt, dying. Just… fucking dying. Again. I was right back in the hell that had taken me years to crawl out of. I couldn’t believe I’d subjected myself to this bullshit again. I was insane to drop everything, and leave my girlfriend behind. For what?
