“It was good to meet you, Trouble,” Ralen said. “Hug?” He held open his arms.
Addie stepped into his embrace with a sigh of relief. She wasn’t quite sure how to say goodbye, whether it was all right to touch them, or if they just wanted her to leave.
But it seemed that Ralen was quite good at reading people.
After Ralen released her, she turned to Cash, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The call for their flight came over the loudspeaker, and a bubble of anxiety filled her stomach. She had to go.
Even if that felt like the wrong thing to do.
“Come here, Stowaway,” Cash said.
He didn’t wait for her to move. Instead, he reached out and drew her close into his chest. She sank into him.
How come his touch felt so right? Why did it always feel like she was safe when he held her? Would she ever feel like this with anyone else? She doubted it.
So she soaked up every second she could. Memorized it, kept it close. This would have to keep her going for years to come.
“You take care of yourself,” he told her. “Rest your voice. Make sure you keep an eye on your surroundings. If anything happens, you call me straight away. Understand?”
She nodded and stared up at him worriedly. Did he really still think there was a threat?
He shook his head. “I don’t think there’s a threat, baby, or I wouldn’t let you leave.”
Did he really just call her baby? She thought she’d dreamed the last time he said that, but maybe not.
He closed his eyes for a long moment. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. Stay safe, Stowaway, and behave yourself.” He patted her on the shoulder.
Ouch. That felt like she’d just been rejected. Or put firmly in the friend zone.
Not that she could blame him. Who would want her?
Turning, she headed over to where her sisters were waiting. Butch was saying something to Monroe, who was frowning and looking worried. She nodded and headed off through the security line.
Dotty scowled at Butch. “You’re a dick.” Then she marched off after her sister.
Addie walked up beside Butch and glared at him. “Meanie.”
She couldn’t call him a dick. That just felt too harsh and not really a word she would use.
Butch raised his eyebrows. “You don’t even know what I said.”
No, but Addie stuck by her sisters. Always.
With a shake of his head, Butch frowned. “Just want all of you to take care.”
Oh, maybe she’d misjudged him. While he seemed somewhat grouchy, that didn’t mean that he didn’t have good intentions, or that he meant to be sharp with Monroe. People tended to think she was a bit scattered and flighty, but she really wasn’t.
So Addie just nodded and turned away to walk with her sisters through security.
When they got through, they walked straight toward the gate. She was going to feel so much better once they got on the plane and got out of here.
Are you, though? Or do you wish you could turn around and walk straight back to Cash?
Addie attempted to look over her shoulder to see if he was watching, but there were too many people to see him.
No doubt he was already on his way back to his vehicle, back to his life, where he’d forget about her.
She was being an idiot. They hadn’t even known each other long. She just needed to set her mind on something else.
