3. Remi

"Your pupils dilate up to forty-five percent when you see someone you're attracted to." ~ Tim Rhodes

"Oh, there she is."As we emerged through the automated doors, the woman who had kept my seat warm during my breakup nodded at a blonde who appeared frantic and was chatting animatedly on the phone. The blonde was standing on the pavement next to a white SUV.

I turned to her as she dropped her hand from my arm. "It was nice meeting you, ma'am."

"Ruth," she said as she smiled up at me. "And you are?"

I forced myself to smile; I didn't want her to think that any part of the mood I was currently in because of the news I'd just learned had anything to do with her. "Remington, or Remi."

Ruth lifted her hand and patted my cheek. "Thank you, Remington. You are a true gentleman. You are gonna make some woman, or man, very happy one day."

Not according to my last phone call, I thought to myself, even as I forced my lips to curl in a smile.

"You take care of yourself. Stay out of trouble," she instructed, her finger pointed in my direction. "And try not to break too many hearts."

"Yes, ma'am. You, too."

Her blue eyes twinkled, and she started toward the SUV. "Well, now, where's the fun in that?"

Now, the smile that pulled on my face was a real one. Today may not be going well, but I was happy to have met Ruth. I also couldn't deny my attraction to the woman I'd yet to meet but hoped would not be a stranger for long, who was watching my bag.

"Nana!" The woman on the phone waved when she saw Ruth approach.

I waited until they were both safely in the SUV and it was pulling away before I went back inside the bustling airport. As I walked through the throngs of people, I felt totally alone. I also felt like I might be having an out-of-body experience, like I was detached from myself.

A lot was happening in my brain right now. I was trying to process everything that Misty had just told me and what it all meant. Fifteen minutes ago, I had my entire life planned out. My future was set in stone. Now…everything had changed.

I kept waiting to feel something. Anger. Sadness. Betrayal. Jealousy. Anything that someone would expect to experience after finding out their fiancée was pregnant with another man's baby, but I didn't feel any of those things.

By the time I made it back to the bar, I decided I was in shock. That had to be why I wasn't upset. It was the only explanation.

Or maybe you weren't as in love with her as you thought. A little voice in the back of my head I called my conscience, which sounded a lot like I remembered my dad sounding piped in.

Was that it?

Was I not as in love with Misty as I'd thought?

If that was the case, then what had I been doing for the past eight years of my life?

When I got back to my seat, back to the green-eyed beauty who had kept my bag safe, I still didn't have any answers. As soon as I saw her again, my entire body lit up with awareness. I felt truly alive for the first time in a long time, and I had my answer.

I'd been sleepwalking through my life. Going through the motions. One day turning into two, turning into a week, then a month, then a year.

But this woman—whoever she was—woke me up.

I cleared my throat as I lowered myself beside her. "Thanks for saving my seat."

"Just returning the favor." A grin lifted on the mysterious beauty"s full lips as she turned to look at me, but it slipped when her eyes met mine. Concern cast a shadow over her beautiful face as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, what…why do you ask?"

She remained silent but continued staring at me. The look in her eyes—or hell, maybe it was just her eyes—got under my skin and spread through me like a truth serum. I wanted to tell her everything. Or maybe I was just still in shock, and I needed to say it out loud.

The corners of her plump, raspberry lips curled up before she glanced back down at her phone. It was her way of gracefully letting me off the hook, which only made me want to tell her more.

"I found out some…news."

Her gaze lifted once again and met mine. I knew, in that moment, I'd tell her anything if I could just keep looking into her eyes.

"Bad news?" she questioned.

"Um, my fiancée…" I stopped myself. Misty wasn't my fiancée anymore. She was my ex.

"Fiancée?" She repeated, and unless I was imagining things, her voice had a very disappointed undertone.

I opened my mouth with every intention of saying that we'd broken up, but instead of revealing that information, I blurted out, "She's pregnant."

"Oh." She blinked. "And that's bad news?"

"She's eight weeks pregnant. I haven't been home in over three months."

As soon as I said the situation out loud, I realized why, instead of explaining that she was my ex, I'd explained that I was not the father of her baby. If I was being honest with myself, the only part of me that felt a sense of loss was the part of me that had always wanted to be a dad. My dream of starting a family with Misty was gone. The babies, the kids I'd imagined raising with her, were never going to exist.

"Oh…" Understanding dawned on her beautiful face. "Are you two still going to get marr?—"

"No," I interrupted her. "I should have said ex-fiancée. She's with the baby's father now." I wasn't sure why I was telling her things that she wasn't even asking me, especially when the facts made me look like such a loser.

Her breath was a little shaky as she reached out and placed her hand on my forearm. It was just an innocent touch, but it felt like she was a superhero who was electrically charged. A bolt of tingles spread from her palm and fingers up my arm and through my entire body. She must have felt it, too, because just like when we'd accidentally held hands, she jerked away like she'd touched a hot stove.

She exhaled as she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry."

I wasn't sure if she was apologizing for touching me or my situation. Either way, she had nothing to apologize for.

"It's fine," I assured her.

We sat in silence for a few seconds before she tentatively asked, "I know it's none of my business, but how long were you two together?"

"Together eight years, engaged for five."

"Oh…wow."

"Yeah."

"And you think…I mean…you think it's really over?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Her having another man's baby sort of makes it final."

"Oh, right," she said as if she'd forgotten that detail. "I'm so sorry."

"So am I. Not about the baby," I quickly clarified. "She'll be a great mom."

Misty was very nurturing and had strong maternal instincts. Kids and babies loved her, and she loved them right back. I'd always known she'd be great with our kids.

The woman's green eyes were staring at me like she was trying to solve a riddle.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm trying to figure out whether you're being sarcastic or not."

My brow furrowed. "Sarcastic about what?"

"About her being a great mom."

"No." I shook my head. "I would never be sarcastic about anything … No, she is going to be a good mom. It's one of the reasons I fell in love with her. She has about a dozen nieces and nephews, and seeing her with them…I just saw firsthand how loving, patient, kind, and nurturing she is."

"Wow." She blinked at me several times. "That's impressive."

"Impressive?" I repeated.

"Most men in your position would not be so gracious about the situation."

I shrugged. "It's not grace; it's the truth."

A tiny grin lifted from the corners of her very kissable mouth. "In this case, the two are not mutually exclusive."

Even her smile reminded me of the actress. Her resemblance was uncanny. It was also fascinating. I told myself that was why I couldn't stop staring at her, but I wasn't sure if that was the truth or not.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry, I just can't get over how much you look like Ana de Armas. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"No, but I've gotten Felicity Jones and Gal Gadot before."

Now that I thought about it, Ana de Armas looked like a love child of Felicity Jones and Gal Gadot, so that tracked.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like Kyle Chandler?"

"No, but I get Ben Affleck and Ron Livingston a lot."

She shook her head in disapproval. "No, you are Kyle. All the way."

"I don't actually know who that is."

"He's Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights?"

I shook my head. I knew the show was popular, and it was about high school football in Texas, which I'd actually played, but once I left Texas, I hadn't wanted to relive my time there.

"Folks, if I can have your attention!" A woman in an Eagle Airlines polo waved her hand. "All flights are canceled until the morning."

There was a collective moan throughout the executive lounge. I might be the only person who wasn't disappointed. I wasn't sure if it was my current company or if I just wasn't ready to face my new reality. Somehow, I knew that once I boarded my next plane and left Chicago, everything was going to change.

The airline employee lifted her hand into the air. "To apologize for the inconvenience, Eagle Airlines would love to offer our first-class customers a one night stay at the Best Western. We have a shuttle waiting outside to take you to the hotel."

I glanced back at my mysterious stranger and saw she was standing and putting on her coat, indicating she was going to take them up on their offer.

A shuttle. A hotel. Staying in Chicago overnight. This just kept getting better.

After I stood, I picked up my duffle bag, putting it over one shoulder before grabbing the handle of the pink and purple suitcase and extending my other arm. "After you, Ana."

Her green eyes peered up at me through dark, thick lashes as a secret grin spread across her face. "Thanks, Kyle."