I didn’t want to tell Shawn about his dad.
I didn’t want to tell Mom about Shawn’s money.
And I didn’t want to tell George that the mentor he idolizes makes me feel like garbage.
“You didn’t think I’d choose you over him,” he says, not a question.
“It’s not about choosing.” I shrug, my eyes on the toes of my shoes. “I didn’t want to ruin your relationship.”
George’s mom may have been the first person to take him flying, but Vernon was the one who taught him. The one who fostered his love of aircraft. When Mr.Bunsen dismissed his son, George found a mentor in his flight instructor.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” George insists.
“He’s like your family.”
“He is an old friend,” George admits. “But he’s self-absorbed, and honestly, the longer I’ve known him, the more I’ve realized he’s a shitty instructor. Vernon is more interested in bragging than teaching. And I was too fucking dense to realize how condescending he was being to you and probably every other woman who’s ever considered joining the club.” He steps up to me, into my space. “You mean more to me than he ever could. You meaneverything.” George’s large warm hands cup my face, tilting my chin up until I have to meet his granite gaze. “I love you.”
“See,” I murmur, my eyes watering with happy tears, “this is a better time to say it.”
He closes his eyes and settles his forehead against mine.
“You don’t have to say it back,” he mutters. “I don’t deserve your love, honestly.”
“That’s some bullshit.”
He huffs a sad laugh, and I drag my fingers over his skull.
“I do, though,” I whisper. “Love you.”
His entire body tenses, but I keep going.
“When I was up there today, alone for the first time, I was terrified. And euphoric. And sad.”
“Why sad?”
“Because the person on the ground waiting for me wasn’t you. And I always want it to be. You’re my home base. The one I always want to be flying back to.”
Chapter
42
George
Beth chooses herbirthday for one of the most grueling tests.
I’ve instructed dozens of pilots. Gone through hours of flights with each, always to end up at this most challenging part of the curriculum. For the student and for the instructor. The solo cross-country flight. In order to earn a private pilot’s license, a student has to fly one hundred fifty miles, stopping at three airports, all in one day. All on their own.
Every single time, this step is nerve-racking. All I can do is stay at the base airport, tracking their progress on FlightAware, and wait for their call after each landing. The quick reassurance that the first leg went fine before they’re in the air again.
After so many times, I thought I was familiar with the stress.
Then I watched Beth take off over two hours ago and almost passed out on the tarmac from worry.
Gettysburg Regional Airport. I silently chant the names of the airports she’s flying to.Greater Cumberland Regional Airport. Winchester Regional Airport. Then home. To me.
That woman flew off not only with my heart but also every single one of my internal organs. I am a panicking shell of a man as I sit in the airport lobby and stare at my cell phone.
“She’ll be fine. She’s got this,” Shawn says. The problem with his reassurance is that he sounds like he’s recording a video in a hostage situation, and he’s repeated those exact phrases almost every five minutes.
