They walked through the lobby, neither saying much. Outside, Jaxon opened her car door like he always did, gentle and effortless, like it wasn’t even a question.
When he got in, he glanced over at her.
“Claire,” he said quietly. “Stop thinking about how much time we’ve used up. Start thinking about what we can still do with the time we have.”
She swallowed, hard.
The drive to the rental lot was a blur. Papers signed, bags pulled, keys dropped in a return slot. And then they were just... waiting. On a bench outside, surrounded by strangers, pretending it wasn’t ending.
Security. Scanning. Shoes off. Belt off. Reassembled on the other side like they hadn’t just taken the whole trip apart.
They walked through the terminal in silence until Claire pointed out the bathroom sign.
“I’m gonna run in real quick.”
“I’ll wait here.”
By the time she returned, he was still staring up at the flight board.
“Where you headed?” a voice beside him asked.
“Home,” Jaxon replied without thinking.
Claire’s laugh echoed down the corridor. He turned to her, smiling, and she shook her head.
“I thought you were just being moody this morning. Turns out, you’re just dramatic.”
He grinned. “I thought it’d be funny.”
They made their way toward the gate, the boarding call just beginning. Claire looked around at the crowd, wondering how many people here were traveling back to routine—how many had stumbled into something unexpected, like she had.
She pulled her book out of her bag without needing the reminder this time.
The truthwas, she wouldn’t be reading.
Seven hours later, they were halfway home, back in Jaxon’s truck, coasting down the road like nothing had changed.
But everything had.
“What was your favorite part?” he asked, voice low over the hum of the tires.
Claire smiled. “That burger.”
He laughed hard, the kind that made his whole body shake. She watched the way he threw his head back—unguarded, free.
Then she sobered. “Thank you for all of it. For every moment. For making it more than I ever expected.”
He looked at her, something soft flickering in his eyes. “You made it easy.”
“You made it unforgettable.”
The silence that followed wasn’t awkward—it was heavy. Full. Brimming with everything they weren’t quite saying.
And then, without a second of hesitation—
“I love you.”
The words left her lips before she could stop them.
