Her face fell into her hands, and she sniffled against her palms. “God, why are you here now? Why couldn’t I have met youbefore?” Picking up her head, she furiously wiped her eyes. “I’m getting married tomorrow, Ghost!”
He nodded. “I know. And if you love him, truly love him, and know without a shadow of a doubt that he will treat you well and love you for the rest of your life, then I’ll never say another word.We’ll continue on to the airport, pick up your aunt, and then I’ll leave. You’ll never have to see or hear from me again.”
Her chin quivered. “You say that like there’s another option.”
“We have a cage,” he told her, gesturing to the car they were inside of. “There’s a lot of other directions we can aim for instead of east.”
The implication was clear.
Becks turned away from him. Her elbow on the door by the window, she bit into her fist like she was trying to stifle another sob.
Ghost waited, feeling like this was the deciding moment for the rest of his life. Every decision forward could be traced back to this moment right here, right now.
Becks wiped her eyes, sniffling as she sat upright. She turned towards him, and he saw her answer in her eyes without her ever having to say a word. “Ritchie’s a good man, and I love him. I can’t throw that away on something so unknown. Wejust met, Ghost. I can’t…” She looked away and had to take a deep breath before she could continue. “I can’t hurt him like that.”
Jesus. He knew. Frankly, he’d known what her answer would be before he said anything, because it was the logical answer. Whywouldshe throw away a year-and-a-half-long relationship and future marriage on a stranger?
Because as much as he felt like he knew her, they were just that: strangers.
But fuck, it hurt. Ghost had thought he’d known pain. He’d lost brothers in the desert sands, been shot and stabbed, survived BUD/s, and stood over the grave of his innocent niece who had the misfortune of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
None of it compared to this moment, when this woman rejected his offer to run away with him.
A promise was a promise, though, and he’d sworn to her that he would not pressure her. She’d made her decision, and now he had to make his.
“Then we best get going to the airport. Traffic’s going to get worse the closer we get to the city.”
He faced forward, turning the key.
“Ghost.” He refused to flinch at the pain in her voice as she said his name. “I’m sorry.”
Not knowing what else to say or do, Ghost nodded once before putting the cage in Reverse.
CHAPTER 6
The rest of the ride to the airport was painfully awkward, to say the least. Additionally, Aunt Jean mistook Ghost for Ritchie when they were waiting for her at the baggage claim, saying how cute a couple they made as they stood next to one another.
“No, Aunt Jean,” Becks corrected her. “This isn’t Ritchie. Liam brought his friend down as his plus one. This is Ghost.”
Aunt Jean, who was only slightly taller than her sister Loretta, looked Ghost up and down then her eyes flicked between the two of them. Becks had the intense need to take a step away from Ghost. They’d barely spoken since the gas station, but she in no way felt less seen by him. They’d parked her car in short term parking because Ghost wanted to help Aunt Jean with any luggage she might have. Then they waited by the baggage claim for nearly a half an hour in dead silence. Becks didn’t have to pee, but went to the bathroom at one point just to escape the tension. It did not help that heescortedher both ways, waiting like a sentinel outside the ladies room.
The baggage claim was extremely busy, yet others parted like the Red Sea as Ghost approached to get Aunt Jean’s suitcase. As soon as they were alone, Aunt Jean caught Becks’ eye and raisedan eyebrow. Becks immediately turned away, her cheeks flushed when she realized her aunt had just caught her staring at Ghost’s muscular back.
“He’s just a friend,” she told Aunt Jean again.
The noise Aunt Jean made told Becks her aunt didn’t believe her for a second. Shit. She didnotneed anyone getting suspicious about her and Ghost. Because therewasno ‘her and Ghost’. She’d closed that door, locked it, and thrown away the key.
To make matters worse, as they were walking back to the parking lot, Ghost had to stop to help a little old lady cross the street and onto the trolley—because the universe didn’t already hate Becks enough for her decision.
She shouldn’t feel guilty. She had done nothing wrong. A year ago, yeah, maybe she would have explored her feelings a little. Broken things off with Ritchie and gone out with Ghost. The intense attraction and pull she felt towards Ghost had been immediate, whereas it had taken her time to feel so strongly towards Ritchie. Neither was better or a sign that it was stronger than the other. It shouldn’t be a competition. It was how she felt, and she couldn’t control that.
The point was that itwasn’ta year ago, and she already was in love with Ritchie, and therefore not free to pursue whatever it was she was feeling towards Ghost.
It was sad and she needed to accept the fact that Ghost had entered her life too late. And the fuckinguniverseneeded to stop punishing her for that decision.
Becks sat in the back with Aunt Jean to speak with her during the ride back to Scottsboro. Her aunt lived in Alaska, so they didn’t get to see each other often. In fact, Becks’ college graduation was possibly the last time they’d seen each other in person. There’d been a project her company was working on thatwould have sent her to Alaska about three years ago, but it was scrapped and Becks never got to go.
They were about forty-five minutes from home when Becks’ phone rang. Since her phone was attached to her car over Bluetooth, Ritchie’s name appeared on her screen. Along with a picture of the two of them from his office’s last Christmas party. Ritchie was smiling, making a toast with a champagne flute, in a tux with a red pocket square. Becks was standing next to him, her arm around his waist and kissing his cheek.
