Unexpected Arrivals(91)

“You two have fun.”

“Bye, Cora.” He turned to wave over his shoulder, as did Gwendolyn.

I just stood there, wondering why his departure left a gaping hole in my chest. I’d see him the next day—my grandmother, too. His absence suddenly seemed unfamiliar, and I wondered if this was how all mothers felt when their children were away—just before it dawned on me that I wasn’t really his mother.

Although I wanted to be.

I stood on the pier, basking in the sunshine and watched the two of them walk into the distance. When I couldn’t see them anymore, I finally turned around and went home.

“Where have you been?” James’s panicked voice worried me.

“Legend and I had lunch with Gwendolyn, remember?” My brow furrowed, and I wondered how he could’ve forgotten.

“I didn’t think you’d be gone this long. When did you stop carrying your cell phone with you?” He held up the device in question like I was being interrogated.

I shrugged and stepped past him to get water from the kitchen. “When we relocated to an island I can scream across, and I no longer had a job.” I couldn’t fathom what had him in an uproar. Even with the chaos of finding out he had a son, meeting him, and staying at his parents’ house, I hadn’t felt so stress-free in years.

“Cora, we needed to leave for the airport fifteen minutes ago.”

I glanced at the clock and realized just how late it was. “Okay, so let’s go. I’ll apologize when we get there.”

“To them or me?”

I lifted up on my toes and placed a kiss on his jaw since it was the only thing I could reach. “Them of course. You already know I love you.”

His inability to stay irritated with me always played in my favor—not that I took advantage of it. As I lowered my feet, his arm snuck around my waist, and his face nestled into the crook of my neck when he bent down. His whiskers were rough on my skin, although coupled with his fingers tickling my side, I broke out in gales of laughter. The harder I tried to escape, the more brutal his assault became until I wasn’t convinced I’d walk away without peeing in my pants. “James—” His name was a breathless syllable between two giggles.

“Say it.” The humor in his voice only spurred my silliness.

“Uncle.”

“Try again.”

“I surrender.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I love you?” I knew what he wanted, but this was so much more fun. Even if it just made us later to pick up our friends.

“Nice, but no.”

As my back arched and he didn’t relent, I finally gave him what he silently demanded. “I’m sorry.”

He immediately ceased fire and secured me in his embrace. With a quick peck to the nose, he let me go and grabbed my hand to pull me out the door. “I love you, too.”

The smile hadn’t left my lips since the first poke in the ribs, still, hearing those three words from James Carpenter’s mouth never ceased to make me feel like a teenager falling for the first time. I’d keep that goofy, love-struck grin plastered to my face until my cheeks hurt and the muscle refused to maintain it.

It didn’t take all that long to get to the airport. Thankfully, traffic was light, so there would be no more apologizing. Neil and Hannah had no idea we’d been late since their plane hadn’t landed, and we now waited on them.

“Are you excited to see Hannah?” We sat on a bench near the baggage claim.

I loved airports. People from all over the world moved seamlessly through space and time going from one destination to another, completely oblivious they were being watched. I could see people from all walks of life, countries I’d never been to, who spoke languages I didn’t understand, and all had a purpose and a destination.

“Of course. It’s only been a few weeks, but I haven’t talked to her much. It’ll be good to have a few days with them. Are you sad about the business?” I’d asked this question repeatedly and kept getting the same answer, yet I worried James had made a decision he’d regret just to please me. I had to continually remind myself that he made it for Legend.

His mouth twitched just before it opened. “Not really. I mean, I hate that I’m just dumping it on Neil, but a lot’s happened, and it’s just not where we’re meant to be right now. That might change down the road, unfortunately, I have to focus on today.”

“Do you ever think about how odd it is that your story and my dad’s could have been so similar?”

“No, do you?”

The cart carrying elderly people flew past us, honking its horn, and a late passenger was called over the intercom, derailing my thoughts momentarily.

“Yeah.” And it bothered me. My dad, not James.

The man who’d left Chelsea’s mom alone wasn’t the same guy who’d raised me or been the husband to my mother. I hadn’t fathomed any of these things when he was alive and had never even met my half-sister. I couldn’t stop thinking about how odd it was that he’d left a child who ended up having a child who never met him to be raised by my grandmother. And had James decided not to be a part of Legend’s life, Legend would have met the same fate his mother had. Somehow, Gwendolyn was left holding the hands of all those involved.

“Cora!”