“Oh yeah,” I say with an extra tight squeeze, making him grunt before I let him go just as there’s another call for his flight.
Wyatt pulls back and holds out his arm for Mags to join us. The moment her hand wraps around the back of my neck, my whole body jolts and my heart skips a beat.
The three of us stand there in the middle of the terminal just clinging to each other before Wyatt clears his throat and we all step back. Mags leans into my side. It’s like she knows I need her there without asking.
Wy gives us both a small, reassuring smile. "I'll see you both soon." Then with one last questioning look to Mags, he bends down and hoists his carry-on bag over his shoulder.
"Take care out there, kid," I manage to say before he turns and walks toward the gate. My heart feels as heavy as it’s ever been when he disappears into the crowd of travelers. Out of instinct, I rub my palm over my sternum.
“You OK?” Mags says softly, placing her palm on my bare arm, a spark ofsomethingzapping between us. “You've done a good job with him. He's got this. You know it, I know it, and most importantly,heknows it. We’ve got to trust in that. It’s all we can do.”
And there she is, the wise woman strikes again.
“Yeah.”
“Wanna go somewhere and distract ourselves for a bit before headin’ back to the motel?”
I turn my head to meet her eyes. “What did you have in mind?”
Her lips curve up with a slow-growing but no less bright smile. "You leave that to me, Red Grayson. All you’ve got to do is drive.”
9
MAGS
We drive in comfortable silence out of Anchorage. Knowing the man beside me as well as I do, I'm respecting his need for quiet contemplation. He'll open up and talk through his feelings when he's good and ready.
It’s how he's always been. Red is a thinker—overly so at times—but he's always been open and honest with me. We're each other's person. We lost Anna together and bonded over that. Now I can't imagine a time when hewon’tbe in my life.
It’s because I know him so well that I made plans for us today. I suspected he’d need a distraction from Wyatt’s departure and since we’re not headed to Ninilchik until tomorrow, that gives us a free afternoon to explore.
With that in mind, before we left the city limits, I asked Red to stop at a diner I’d looked up before we left for the airport. Telling him to wait in the truck, I ran in and grabbed a lunch order for us before hitting the road again.
“Are you going to tell me where you’re takin’ me, darlin’?” Red asks, his gravelly voice breaking through the quiet.
"We've got the rest of the day free, and instead of doin' nothin' and thinkin' too much. I thought we could get some fresh air, find a nice spot, have some lunch, and justbefor a bit. What do you think?”
His warm eyes meet mine across the truck. “How is it that you know me so well?”
“Maybe it’s got somethin’ to do with the twenty years we’ve known each other?” I reply with a ‘duh’ tone.
That gets a lip twitch. “Could be. Damn, that’s a long time now, isn’t it? Are we gettin’ old or is the life passin’ us by?”
“Who knows, but what I want to know is how on earth have I put up with you for this long?”
Red chuckles, shaking his head. “Cheeky.”
I grin widely. “Always. Just the way you like me.”
“Thanks, darlin’,” Red says softly. “I knew it would be hard puttin’ my boy on that flight butdamn… it’s like I sent half of my heart away.”
Reaching out, I touch his bicep, but as soon as I do I have to stifle a gasp because there are tingles shooting up my fingers. It’s so jolting that I have to pull my hand back.
Red looks down to where my hand was and his brows pinch, but he doesn’t say anything about it. Needing to move on, I keep talking.
“I know how it feels. Been there, done that, and wrote the book–so they say. I can't imagine havin' to do it again. Lucky for me, Char's not goin' anywhere so I won’t have to. The trick is to focus on the fact that you’re sendin’ your kid out into the worldto make their mark and you’ve done it knowin' you’ve done everythin’ in your power to prepare them for it.”
His eyes flash and he lets out a relieved sigh. “That’s exactly it. I’m proud, but worried. Happy he’s happy, but nervous as hell.” He glances my way. “So, you’re tellin’ me this feelin’ is normal?”
