what it could’ve been. He rubbed her nervous hand and flashed her a reassuring look.
They made it with seconds to spare. Darren illegally parked at the front and piled her cases onto a sky shuttle. One of the handles pinched his hand. He made no noise, his eyes wincing a little but never leaving hers. Jet noise and loud travelers polluted the space around them. Exhaust fumes from waiting taxis made it hard to breathe.
Elise began to turn when suddenly he grabbed her, kissing her hard, knocking away what frail defense she had left against him. Words long ago rehearsed for this moment became locked beneath her vocal chords. Her arms lacked the strength to push him back, and just like that she’d become a victim of crushes, puppy dog eyes, and drawing hearts around their joint names. His hand held the back of her head as his mouth powerfully delivered a goodbye kiss not to be forgotten. The heat from his body as it made contact felt like a searing fajita against a cast iron platter. After her eyes opened, she realized she had slipped. Slipped into some fashion of commitment brought on by departures at airports, train stations, and boat docks. Without clearance from her brain, her heart threw out, “I love you.”
It wasn’t long before she thrust herself into the crowd of travelers, destination Bowling Green, Kentucky. The place that held her troubled past.
CHAPTER SIX
Settling In
Minutes stretched into hours, as Elise stared at the headrest in front of her. How could she? Did she? It was hard to say. She hadn’t waited to see the recognition in Darren’s eyes. She’d barely made it out alive; the bottoms of her shoes had slipped on the glossy floors as she tried to run away. Surely there had been so much commotion he wouldn’t have heard anything correctly, anyway.
Not wanting to know what he thought, she concocted a plan to simply go the entire week without calling him or checking her phone. That way she’d never have to know the damage done with the words that escaped her lips like convicted felons. It was all such an out-of-body experience for her.
She woke out of her daydream when she heard the pilot announce plans for landing. After exiting the plane, her stomach somersaulting over the new dilemma that awaited her, Elise moved zombie-like to the baggage claim and stretched to retrieve her luggage. She was finally standing on Kentucky soil, miles from the crime she’d just committed. She stacked the matching red cases and pulled the long extension handle to begin rolling them, in search of her sister. She didn’t have to wander far. From out of nowhere, two kids plowed her over, hugging and grabbing her legs.
“Aunt Elise!” they shouted, as they tried their best to pull her down to their level.
Elise dropped her bags and bent over to bear-hug each of them. The little girl with freckles like her mother smiled with a full set of teeth, while the little boy pierced her with eyes like his father’s. “Hey, guys. What a perfect welcome.”
She looked up to see her dark-haired sister smiling at the two children she had unleashed to find her. A few more wrinkles sat in the corners of her eyes, but she was still able to hold title to homecoming princess, if the chance ever arose again. “I see you did make it, after all.”
Elise broke from the four tiny arms that clung to her and bent over and hugged her sister tightly. “It’s so good to see you, Melanie.”
“You, too, sister.” Melanie took a few cases and Mason and Faith hung on to Elise’s hands, talking a hundred words a minute, both being in competition for her full attention.
“Guys!” Melanie said, placing her finger to her lips. “Aunt Elise just got here. Give her a minute before you bombard her with everything you know.” She ended her command with a slight smile and a shake of the head.
The foursome stumbled out of the airport together, Elise following after Melanie, and the kids following Elise, like ducks in a line. She was
They made it with seconds to spare. Darren illegally parked at the front and piled her cases onto a sky shuttle. One of the handles pinched his hand. He made no noise, his eyes wincing a little but never leaving hers. Jet noise and loud travelers polluted the space around them. Exhaust fumes from waiting taxis made it hard to breathe.
Elise began to turn when suddenly he grabbed her, kissing her hard, knocking away what frail defense she had left against him. Words long ago rehearsed for this moment became locked beneath her vocal chords. Her arms lacked the strength to push him back, and just like that she’d become a victim of crushes, puppy dog eyes, and drawing hearts around their joint names. His hand held the back of her head as his mouth powerfully delivered a goodbye kiss not to be forgotten. The heat from his body as it made contact felt like a searing fajita against a cast iron platter. After her eyes opened, she realized she had slipped. Slipped into some fashion of commitment brought on by departures at airports, train stations, and boat docks. Without clearance from her brain, her heart threw out, “I love you.”
It wasn’t long before she thrust herself into the crowd of travelers, destination Bowling Green, Kentucky. The place that held her troubled past.
CHAPTER SIX
Settling In
Minutes stretched into hours, as Elise stared at the headrest in front of her. How could she? Did she? It was hard to say. She hadn’t waited to see the recognition in Darren’s eyes. She’d barely made it out alive; the bottoms of her shoes had slipped on the glossy floors as she tried to run away. Surely there had been so much commotion he wouldn’t have heard anything correctly, anyway.
Not wanting to know what he thought, she concocted a plan to simply go the entire week without calling him or checking her phone. That way she’d never have to know the damage done with the words that escaped her lips like convicted felons. It was all such an out-of-body experience for her.
She woke out of her daydream when she heard the pilot announce plans for landing. After exiting the plane, her stomach somersaulting over the new dilemma that awaited her, Elise moved zombie-like to the baggage claim and stretched to retrieve her luggage. She was finally standing on Kentucky soil, miles from the crime she’d just committed. She stacked the matching red cases and pulled the long extension handle to begin rolling them, in search of her sister. She didn’t have to wander far. From out of nowhere, two kids plowed her over, hugging and grabbing her legs.
“Aunt Elise!” they shouted, as they tried their best to pull her down to their level.
Elise dropped her bags and bent over to bear-hug each of them. The little girl with freckles like her mother smiled with a full set of teeth, while the little boy pierced her with eyes like his father’s. “Hey, guys. What a perfect welcome.”
She looked up to see her dark-haired sister smiling at the two children she had unleashed to find her. A few more wrinkles sat in the corners of her eyes, but she was still able to hold title to homecoming princess, if the chance ever arose again. “I see you did make it, after all.”
Elise broke from the four tiny arms that clung to her and bent over and hugged her sister tightly. “It’s so good to see you, Melanie.”
“You, too, sister.” Melanie took a few cases and Mason and Faith hung on to Elise’s hands, talking a hundred words a minute, both being in competition for her full attention.
“Guys!” Melanie said, placing her finger to her lips. “Aunt Elise just got here. Give her a minute before you bombard her with everything you know.” She ended her command with a slight smile and a shake of the head.
The foursome stumbled out of the airport together, Elise following after Melanie, and the kids following Elise, like ducks in a line. She was
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