Unexpected Arrivals(59)
“Got them both.”
“Don’t put the ring in your suitcase. I’ve heard the airlines search them, and you could lose it to someone who gets grabby in security.”
“Jesus, that would send me into a tailspin. Can you imagine?”
I couldn’t, which was why I told him not to do it. “Nope, it would be horrible. Have you finalized your plan for how you’re going to propose?”
Knowing it had to be perfect, he’d debated on this for weeks. I tried to listen as he shared his final ideas with me on how he’d ask Cora to be his wife, except my mind drifted when the little life inside me fluttered. And I wondered for the umpteenth time if I was making the right decision.
“What do you think my chances are?”
I jolted back to the topic at hand. “Of Cora saying yes?”
“Yeah. I mean, you don’t know her, but what would you say if you were in her position?”
“I’m a romantic at heart, so I wouldn’t be able to resist. If she loves you the way you do her, she’d be a fool to say no. Have some confidence. This is what you want, right?”
“Definitely.”
“Then the only way to get it is to ask for it. You can’t control what happens from there.” And if she says no, you’ll have another surprise waiting for you when you return. Although, I didn’t say any of that, or even hint at it.
He yawned, and I needed to let him go. He didn’t need to miss his flight because he’d been on the phone all night.
“You sound tired, so I’m going to let you get off here. Promise me you’ll let me know what she says.”
“Of course. You’ll be the first person I tell.”
“Have a safe trip.”
“Hey, Chelsea?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry about your mom. I know you haven’t wanted to talk about it, but I’ve been really worried about you.”
I took a deep breath and fought back the tears. “Thank you. I’m doing as well as can be expected. I just miss her.”
“I’m here anytime you need to talk. I really mean that.”
“I’m sure you do, but it won’t bring her back—it’ll only bring you down. I’ll find a way to move on. I’m sure I’ll have something else to take my mind off it in a couple months.” He had no idea how true those words were. “Promise, I’ll be okay.”
“Maybe when Cora comes home, the three of us could get together. I’d love for the two of you to meet.” He meant well, but he didn’t have a clue what he was suggesting. “She could tell you all about Paris, and you could regale her with stories of the socialites you work with in Geneva Key.” The humor in his voice made me smile. In another time and another place, his wish might have come true.
What he didn’t know was that by the time Cora came home, her fiancé would have a baby that was almost two months old, a baby neither of them was aware of. I doubted she’d welcome me and an infant carrier to New York with open arms. Only time would tell.
“That would be great.” And it would be, if there were a chance in hell it’d happen. but However, if Cora said yes, my time with James Carpenter would come to a close. I wouldn’t lie to him, but I couldn’t tell him the truth, and the only way to avoid that was to disappear the same way my dad had done.
“Get some rest. I’ll let you know how things go.”
I didn’t expect to hear from him until after he proposed, and likely not before he returned from Paris. It would be a long ten-day wait. I’d put destiny in the hands of fate, and now I just had to wait to see which way she leaned.
13
James
Seven and a half hours on a plane seemed like an exorbitant amount of time until I was on said aircraft waiting to reunite with my future at the other end. It had flown by in nervous anticipation, and when the wheels hit the ground, my stomach threatened a revolt. My anxiety hit the roof, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get out of my seat and down the aisle unassisted. I didn’t even want to talk about the form I had to fill out for customs—it wasn’t even legible my hands shook so badly.
I fumbled with my luggage and got in the endless line to trudge through customs. They were going to think I was a heroin mule due to the volume of sweat pouring off my face—and fuck, my heart raced like I’d just swam across the ocean instead of flown. I looked guilty, and no one would believe it was just jitters from seeing the love of my life.
Thankfully, by the time I got to the front of the line, I’d chilled out. I answered the man’s questions regarding why I was entering the country and where I was going. He scanned my passport and waved me through without ever cracking a smile.
Cora was like a beacon of light standing on the outskirts of the crowd of people coming and going. I would have seen her a mile away, even if she hadn’t spotted me and waved frantically. A smile stretched across my face at her enthusiasm. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined she could be more beautiful than the last time I’d seen her, but somehow, she was. I couldn’t pinpoint what had changed, yet whatever it was looked good on her.
The instant I broke free from the massive hordes, she took off in my direction, and I dropped my bags to catch her in my arms. The force she hit me with caused me to step back a bit to brace us from falling, but the moment she hugged my neck and her legs wrapped around my waist, I knew she’d come home. The scent of her lavender shampoo filled my nostrils when I inhaled deeply, and she buried her face in the crook of my neck. Nothing ever felt so right. Had we not been standing in an airport, I would have held her as long as she’d let me. But we were, and there were people everywhere, so I reluctantly set her on her feet and kept her close.