The plane tilted lower, and I felt her tense, her nails pressing faint crescents into my skin. My hand drifted down, smoothing over her thigh with a slow, grounding stroke. She shivered — a memory sparking there neither of us had any business reliving right now — and I almost groaned.
I huffed out a laugh, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair. “Yeah, sweetheart. But I’ve got you.”
The wheels screeched against the runway, her body jarring against mine as the plane bounced once, hard. She flinched, her grip tightening, and I pulled her in closer, close enough that my mouth was right at her ear.
“Easy. That’s it. Just me and you. We’re down.”
Her whole body softened against mine, the tension draining out of her like she’d been holding her breath for hours. She exhaled slow, shaky, but calmer — the kind of exhale that only came when she believed me.
I held her there as the plane slowed, her heartbeat settling under my palm, her weight a quiet anchor against my chest.
God help me, I wanted every landing, every takeoff, every piece of turbulence in her life — if it meant she’d reach for me the way she just had.
By the time the plane taxied to the gate and people started rustling around us, she was calmer, still clinging to my hand. Andme? I was sitting there wrecked, hard-pressed to breathe, knowing she’d never understand the kind of trust she’d just handed me.
The second the seatbelt sign clicked off, I stood, tugging our bags down from the overhead before she could even try. Junie was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, looking unfairly soft in my hoodie. My hoodie. I couldn’t help the smug grin tugging at my mouth as I reached for her hand.
“C’mon, kid. Hollywood awaits.” She made a face at me but slid her fingers into mine anyway, warm and small and trusting.
But the second we stepped off the jet bridge —flash.
Then another. And another.
“Ansel! Ansel, over here!”
“Who’s the girl, Ansel?”
“Are you two dating?”
Juniper stiffened instantly beside me, her fingers tightening in mine like she was bracing for impact. My stomach bottomed out.Shit.I should’ve warned her. I should’vepreparedher.
I didn’t let go. If anything, I pulled her closer, tucking her into my side like I could physically shield her from it. “Eyes on me, sweetheart,” I murmured low, leaning down so only she could hear me. “Ignore them. I’ve got you.”
God, she looked up at me — wide-eyed, nervous, trusting me to handle it — and I swear to God I could’ve married her right there.
I slipped an arm around her waist, steering her through the chaos like it was nothing, my grip on her firm but careful. I threw the cameras one practiced grin — easy, charming, all teeth. The kind they ate up.
“Morning, guys,” I said smoothly. “Good flight, thanks for asking.”
A mic shoved closer. “Ansel! Is she your girlfriend?”
I didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, this is my girl,” I said evenly, my voice steady. “She’s with me.”
The flashes went wild at that.
Another shout “Ansel — Is she just a rebound from Veronica Jetsper?” I cringed at that one. It had been over a year since that breakup had happened, and yet theystillfound a way to bring it back up.
But I didn’t slow down, didn’t look at them. “If you’re still worried about Ms. Jetsper a year later,” I said smoothly, “maybe you should ask her howshe’sdoing. Juniper’s not a rebound. She’s—” my hand squeezed hers, “—she’s it for me.”
She made a tiny noise under her breath, half-protest, half-shock, but I just squeezed her waist gently. My thumb brushed slow circles against her hip, grounding her.
We made it through to the waiting SUV, the driver holding the door open like a goddamn miracle worker. I ushered her in first, blocking the cameras with my body, sliding in right behind her.
The door shut, and for the first time since landing, it was quiet.
Her eyes were still huge when she looked at me. “Ansel…”
I reached for her hand again, my heart still hammering. “I’m so sorry, June,” I said softly. “I should’ve prepared you. That—” I jerked my chin at the tinted windows, the muffled shouts outside “—that wasn’t fair.”
