His brow furrowed.“Sadie?”
She blinked up at him, transfixed.
His lion eyes widened as he took her in. His black hair ruffled in the warm wind. His beard had grown out a bit, making him appear as he had the first time she’d seen him. He looked a little tired but a lot wonderful to her starving eyes.
He’d just arrived at the airport, which begged the question... “Are you going somewhere?”
“I was coming to see you.”
Her breath released in one relieved puff. “You were?”
“What are you doing here?”
Their gazes tangled. “Coming to seeyou.”
The muscles around his eyes relaxed as his lips tipped up at the corners. “Well.”
“I sent my manuscript to you last night, the minute I finished it, but I needed to see you in person.” She gazed at him, her heart filling with warmth. “I can’t believe you were coming to see me.”
“Sadie...” He dropped his bag and took her hands. “I read your story. I couldn’t stop reading it. I was up all night and Ibooked a flight this morning. I have questions. But first I have to apologize...”
“No, Sam—”
“Let me finish. I reacted rashly when I found out you’d used our story. That was a mistake and I’m sorry for it.”
She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have used our story without asking.”
“And I should’ve shown you a little grace. I guess I wasn’t ready to trust again after Amanda. But you weren’t the one who betrayed me with my cousin. I should’ve given you the benefit of the doubt. I should’ve heard you out instead of filling in the gaps myself.”
She squeezed his hands. “It was my fault, not yours. I should’ve explained myself. I didn’t do it then, but I’m going to do it now.” She paused to gather her courage, staring him in the eyes. “I love you, Sam. I realized it way back at the wedding and I can’t seem to stop—”
He brushed her mouth with his in a kiss that quickly swept her away. Sadie lost all train of thought. She only cared about the feel of his lips on hers. The feel of his arms slipping around her waist. The feel of his hands gathering her close.
Don’t stop.
Her heart heaved a sigh as she sank into his embrace. Oh, how she’d missed him. She’d never thought to find herself in his arms again. The smell of him, the taste of him teased her with tantalizing familiarity.
When at last he drew away, his eyes opened lazily and fixed on her. “I love you too—in case that wasn’t obvious enough.”
She filled with joy as she swept his lips with her own, unable to contain a smile.
“Hey, buddy,” the cabbie called. “You ever gonna shut my door?”
Sam drew back, taking stock of his surroundings. “Oh, sorry.” He gave the door a push and joined her on the curb.
“You said you had questions.”
“You made me forget them all.”
She thought of him reading her manuscript all night and focused in on his tired eyes. “You must be exhausted.”
“I’ve been too nervous about seeing you to feel tired.”
“I was nervous about seeing you too.”
He palmed her cheek, staring deeply into her eyes. “The end of your story... was it the same for you as it was for your heroine? Your fear of us becoming like your parents?”
“It was exactly like that. And I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I wrote that scene. It seems I’ve been running away all my life.”
