CHAPTER14
Mia
I couldn’t take it anymore. That rational part of my mind constantly told me I was behaving like a lovesick puppy … no matter how much I tried to tell myself that the reason I was returning home a whole three weeks ahead of schedule was simply because I missed sleeping in my own bed.
And to finally get started with my plan to open my coffee shop.
Those were part of the reason. But the main one was because I missed Brutus. And I was terrified.
Scared as hell that maybe what we shared had only lasted in Mexico. And over the phone. But what about once we were back in the real world? Would the fantasy evaporate?
Those unanswered questions spiraled inside of my mind and spurred me to end my sabbatical weeks earlier than I had planned. I had learned much of what I needed for my café. I connected with a few distributors who could ship products to Williamsport. My last few weeks were intended for relaxation and sightseeing anyway.
But it didn’t seem as tempting without Brutus beside me.
So, as I stood on the sidewalk outside of the busy Williamsport Airport, wringing my hands, waiting for my ride, I couldn’t help but feel jumpy.
My phone beeped.
Brutus:Pulling around the corner now.
I looked up to see a large, dark SUV with the license plate number he’d texted me, pulling around the bend from the airport’s entrance. Even without knowing the license and the physical description of the car, I would’ve known it belonged to Brutus.
It was large, sleek, and intimidating just like its owner. He pulled up directly in front of me and hopped out.
On instinct, I bent over, lowering the handle of my suitcase to lift it into the car's trunk. But strong hands wrapped around my waist, stopping me.
“What are you doing?” His deep, warm voice filled the air around me, and I unconsciously let out a sigh. “Give me that,” he said without waiting, quickly taking my suitcase and shoulder bag from my hands.
I turned to face him. “Hi.”
His smile widened and he lowered, brushing his lips against mine. Another sigh spilled from my lips. I heard some sort of noise, but was too focused on Brutus when he wrapped both of his arms around me for a deeper kiss.
PDA hadn’t really been my thing in the past. I was more of a kiss on the cheek, maybe a little hand holding here and there, kind of woman. But standing there in front of the airport as who knows how many people passed around us, I didn’t give one iota of a damn about anything else except his kiss.
“Hey, baby,” he said when he pulled back from the kiss. “Welcome home.”
A lump in my throat formed.
Home.
That word was so layered. I loved Williamsport. It was where my family lived, where I grew up and spent most of the years of my life. Yet, I also feared that home would be the very thing that brought my dream down to Earth. My fear of yet another crash and burn relationship that went nowhere loomed in the back of my mind.
Brutus took my hand and opened the passenger side door for me.
“I’ll put these in the back,” he said while lifting my bags to take them toward the back of the car.
I fiddled with the small pocketbook I still carried. Those butterflies that happened whenever I was around him fluttered in my belly.
As soon as Brutus climbed in behind the wheel, he took my hand into his. He lifted it to his lips and kissed each knuckle.
“Are you hungry?”
I nodded. “I didn’t eat much on the flight.” I bit my tongue, just shy of telling him that I was too nervous on the last leg of my flight to see him face to face.
He grunted. “Damn airlines,” he griped as he expertly pulled into traffic with one hand on the wheel and the other still wrapped around mine, “and their delays. We’ll get you something to eat.”
I smiled at the little frown marring his lips. I should’ve been home hours ago. But multiple delays of my first flight caused me to miss my second flight. As it was, I had to stay overnight in Mexico City. I had planned to be back home a whole twenty-four hours earlier, but I hadn’t gotten into Williamsport until after six that evening.
