…but I am an ass?
You’re not selfish or an ass. Most of the time
That’s a win
See you Fri?
I’ll be there
_____
Penny exitedthe customs area with her family, and they walked to get their bags. She’d barely been able to sit still for the last leg of their flight from Toronto to Vancouver. Before that, she forced herself to stay up most of the way home in the hopes that she'd be less jet-lagged once she arrived.
Now that her head was woozy, she was beginning to regret her decision. Especially because all she wanted to do was stay up all night with Brett. At least she had the weekend in Vancouver to recuperate before driving back to Calgary.
They gathered their bags off the turnstiles and loaded up a push cart while her nieces fought over who got to sit on top of the bags. Penny couldn't keep the grin off her face. The trip had been incredible—more than incredible. Relaxing and soul-filling. But now that they were back on Canadian soil, she only had one person on her mind.
He was there at the airport, based on his text half an hour ago, and her eyes darted around with each turn they made in the hall.
“You seem a little antsy,” Andrea teased.
Theo chimed in. “You're driving home with us, right?”
Penny would have made a rude gesture had there not been two children present.
“I like Brett,” her mother said. “I think he's a very nice young man.”
Penny grinned. Brett was going to eat that compliment up. They rounded the corner, and Theo and Marco pushed the carts toward the elevator. Penny and Sophia grabbed their nieces' hands and walked toward the escalator instead.
“Do you think we can beat your dad?” Penny asked, and Alana's eyes lit up.
“Don't run on the escalator,” Amy called out as the elevator doors opened.
Penny gave a quick wave, then raced forward, careful to make sure Alana didn't trip as they stepped onto the moving apparatus.
When she was sure her niece was stable, Penny looked down to the next level, and that's when she saw him. Brett stood from the chair he’d been waiting on and shoved his phone in his pocket. His eyes locked onto hers.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Alana asked.
“Yes,” Penny breathed. That was her boyfriend. His hair was down just the way she liked it, and he was wearing a pink shirt and jeans that hung low on his hips.Have mercy.
“He's handsome.” Alana giggled, and Andrea coughed a laugh from a few steps above them.She wasn’t wrong.Penny squeezed her niece's hand. “Do you think I'll have a handsome boyfriend someday?” Alana asked.
“Definitely,” she answered.
Sophia snorted. “Don't tell Theo about that one.”
As they reached the bottom of the escalator, Alana let go of Penny's hand and raced around the side wall to wait at the door of the elevator for her dad. Penny walked to Brett and threw her arms around him.
“There's my sunkissed girl,” he whispered as Penny moulded herself to his chest.
“I can't believe you drove out here again.”
“I can't believe I get to take you home with me.”
Penny listened to the beat of his heart. He’d tried so many times to convince her to stay in Vancouver. To prove that he was willing to take the plunge. But ultimately, Penny wanted to go back to continue building the life they'd started. They could always change their minds later, and she believed him when he said he wouldn’t let her lose herself. Each time Penny let herself fall, he was right there to catch her. To prove that he was paying attention and he wouldn’t let her drop too deep.
That kind of trust was something she'd never experienced before, and her mind and heart still lurched, wondering if the ice was going to collapse beneath her feet. It would take time.
