Chapter Twenty-Two

Blake

S he's arriving within the next fifteen minutes. This is the first time I've been at Nashville International Airport and been allowed in a private hangar that wasn't reserved for the Warriors. This one is much smaller. She's landed, and I'm watching with squinted eyes, but I don't know which plane is hers. This late at night, they all look the same.

My hands are tucked into my shorts, and although it's muggy, goosebumps rise on my forearms—I think because I'm so excited to see her, which is unusual for me. In other relationships during the season, I've been focused on football and football alone. Not this time. I'm allowing myself to have a life alongside the work.

"Here she comes," one of the workers standing in the hangar with me says as they jump into action.

Her plane takes forever as it pulls in and then parks. I watch as the final safety precautions are taken before the steps to the plane fold down, and people start disembarking. My heart pounds as I wait to see her. It's not like it's been very long, but we're in that phase of our relationship where we want to be together all the time. My eyes are glued, and when Kevin walks out, I know she's on her way. He gets to the bottom of the steps, nodding at me. He turns, putting his hand up, and that's when she emerges, blonde hair curly and long down her back.

She steps down and looks. When she notices me, her eyes light up and she takes off at a run toward me. I catch her easily, picking her up off the ground, and twirl her in a circle.

"You came," she whispers in my ear, her lips brushing against my earring, causing it to dangle from my earlobe.

"I did. You told me if I could, you'd like to see me. I rearranged plans, and was able to show up. I'm glad I could be here to greet you."

She pulls back, smiling widely and bright as the fucking sun. "Thank you. Nobody's ever been here when I got off the plane before."

"You're welcome." I cup her face. "But it really is my pleasure. I wanted to see you so bad, I knew I wouldn't be able to wait."

Threading my hand through her hair, I hold her skull, tilting it so that our lips meet in a kiss. She melts into me, her lips moving in tandem with mine. I tug urgently on the ends of her hair, press her body tighter against mine as our tongues meld together. When the kiss slows down, and we're catching our breath, I set her on her feet. "Welcome home for a while."

"It's good to be here. Kevin?" She turns to the bodyguard. "Is it okay if I ride home with him?"

I didn't know she was going to ask this, but the warmth in my stomach travels upward. She trusts me, maybe in ways she shouldn't, but it makes me feel like the baddest motherfucker in the world. "I'll protect her," I remind him, "with everything I've got. You don't have to worry about that."

"I know," Kevin says. "We'll follow, but you're welcome to ride in the car with him if you want to."

She smiles up at me, those blue eyes of hers clear as the sky. "Let's go. I'm so ready to sleep in an actual bed, and not one that's moving."

"You sleep on the plane?" I tuck her into me as we walk to the private parking lot, I've left my Yukon in.

"Most of the time, yeah. It's one of the reasons I got the plane. Ya know, other than the fact it's hard for me to travel commercial." Her voice is deadpan.

"You got jokes, huh?"

"Always." She leans farther into me. "I'm tired, and ready for a break."

"I've got you, Willa. Whatever you need, I've got you taken care of." I open the passenger-side door of the SUV and help her slide in. The exhaustion is showing under her eyes, in the dark circles, and shadows they emphasize. I reach over her, pulling the seatbelt across her as I do, and I buckle it in.

"Thank you," she whispers.

"No problem." I grip her chin in my fingers, then tilt it so I can drop another kiss onto her lips. I don't let it deepen—it's simplistic and exactly what we both seem to need in this moment. "Let's get you home and in bed."

"Sounds great to me." She smiles, melting into the leather seat.

I shut the door, and walk around the back before getting into the driver's seat. Never in my life have I held such precious cargo, and I will never take it for granted.