there and every night he tried to shake free the memories of how much he hurt her.
“Aren’t you going to be late picking up Hunter?” Kay looked up at her son.
“I’m leaving now.” Shane checked his watch. It took an hour and a half to drive to the airport and the flight arrived shortly after. “I love you, Mom.”
Giving his mother a peck on the cheek, he hopped into his black, topless and doorless Jeep and removed the keys from the visor. He accidentally popped the clutch and shot off with a cloud of dust in his wake. He’d hear about that one later from his mother. She hated when they spun out of the parking area.
After fighting traffic the entire way to the San Antonio airport, Shane surprisingly found a parking spot close to the entrance. Inside he scanned the incoming board for Hunter’s flight.
Flight 3492 11:48 a.m.—On Time
With twenty minutes to spare, he sauntered to the ticket counter and zeroed in on the fresh-faced blonde in a white long-sleeve blouse and dark, fitted vest.
“There’s supposed to be a gate pass waiting for me,” he drawled. “I’m picking up Hunter Rathbone.”
Her brown doe eyes met his and she smiled, a slightly imperfect, yet adorable grin with one tooth barely overlapping the other on the bottom row. Fumbling with the mouse, she inhaled nervously, causing her name tag to glint in the overhead fluorescent lights.
“I can check in to that for you.” There was a hint of shyness in her voice and Shane wondered if she was new to the job. Typing in some information on the computer, she asked, “May I see your identification?”
Removing his billfold from his front pocket, he removed his driver’s license and slid it across the counter. “Are you new here, Lily?”
When her fingers accidentally grazed his, she hesitated and stared down at his empty ring finger. Why do women do that? Tilting his head to catch her gaze, he watched Lily’s cheeks turn a deep crimson when she realized she’d been caught doing the typical wedding-ring check. “I started a few weeks ago.” Taking another deep breath, she tightened her grip on his license, pulled it toward her and verified his information.
“Do you like it?” Amused by her reaction, Shane decided to have a little fun and leaned on the counter, smiling easily when she swallowed hard and her pupils dilated.
“Yes—here’s your gate pass. You’ll need to go through security first then head to gate B8.” She handed him his license and a map of the airport, trying to avoid any further eye contact.
Shane nodded politely, returned his wallet to his pocket and glanced at the map. “Thanks, darling.” He confidently strode away from the counter knowing Lily was probably enjoying the view.
Yep, I still got it. He only wished Lexi thought so, too.
A couple he assumed were embarking on their honeymoon stood ahead of him at the security checkpoint, arms entwined, whispering I-love-you’s to each other every few seconds. Shane fought the rude comment that teetered on the tip of his tongue, knowing it came from the hard reminder of what he’d had and lost, and wanted back with only one person.
He turned his attention to the woman in the next aisle who was balancing toddler twin boys in matching overalls on either hip. The strain of the day already evident in her face, and he sincerely hoped she was meeting someone and not heading out on a flight of her own.
He tugged off his boots, placed them on the conveyer belt and emptied his pockets into the bin. After the obligatory pat-down that left him a little uncomfortable, he hopped on one foot while he pulled on his boots.
Exiting the checkpoint at the same time, the frazzled woman struggled with her children’s shoes, reminding Shane how difficult it could be to stuff a kicking foot into a tiny sneaker. Not much more than in her early twenties, she haphazardly tucked a lock of hair, which had escaped her loose ponytail, behind her ear.
“Steven, stay next to
“Aren’t you going to be late picking up Hunter?” Kay looked up at her son.
“I’m leaving now.” Shane checked his watch. It took an hour and a half to drive to the airport and the flight arrived shortly after. “I love you, Mom.”
Giving his mother a peck on the cheek, he hopped into his black, topless and doorless Jeep and removed the keys from the visor. He accidentally popped the clutch and shot off with a cloud of dust in his wake. He’d hear about that one later from his mother. She hated when they spun out of the parking area.
After fighting traffic the entire way to the San Antonio airport, Shane surprisingly found a parking spot close to the entrance. Inside he scanned the incoming board for Hunter’s flight.
Flight 3492 11:48 a.m.—On Time
With twenty minutes to spare, he sauntered to the ticket counter and zeroed in on the fresh-faced blonde in a white long-sleeve blouse and dark, fitted vest.
“There’s supposed to be a gate pass waiting for me,” he drawled. “I’m picking up Hunter Rathbone.”
Her brown doe eyes met his and she smiled, a slightly imperfect, yet adorable grin with one tooth barely overlapping the other on the bottom row. Fumbling with the mouse, she inhaled nervously, causing her name tag to glint in the overhead fluorescent lights.
“I can check in to that for you.” There was a hint of shyness in her voice and Shane wondered if she was new to the job. Typing in some information on the computer, she asked, “May I see your identification?”
Removing his billfold from his front pocket, he removed his driver’s license and slid it across the counter. “Are you new here, Lily?”
When her fingers accidentally grazed his, she hesitated and stared down at his empty ring finger. Why do women do that? Tilting his head to catch her gaze, he watched Lily’s cheeks turn a deep crimson when she realized she’d been caught doing the typical wedding-ring check. “I started a few weeks ago.” Taking another deep breath, she tightened her grip on his license, pulled it toward her and verified his information.
“Do you like it?” Amused by her reaction, Shane decided to have a little fun and leaned on the counter, smiling easily when she swallowed hard and her pupils dilated.
“Yes—here’s your gate pass. You’ll need to go through security first then head to gate B8.” She handed him his license and a map of the airport, trying to avoid any further eye contact.
Shane nodded politely, returned his wallet to his pocket and glanced at the map. “Thanks, darling.” He confidently strode away from the counter knowing Lily was probably enjoying the view.
Yep, I still got it. He only wished Lexi thought so, too.
A couple he assumed were embarking on their honeymoon stood ahead of him at the security checkpoint, arms entwined, whispering I-love-you’s to each other every few seconds. Shane fought the rude comment that teetered on the tip of his tongue, knowing it came from the hard reminder of what he’d had and lost, and wanted back with only one person.
He turned his attention to the woman in the next aisle who was balancing toddler twin boys in matching overalls on either hip. The strain of the day already evident in her face, and he sincerely hoped she was meeting someone and not heading out on a flight of her own.
He tugged off his boots, placed them on the conveyer belt and emptied his pockets into the bin. After the obligatory pat-down that left him a little uncomfortable, he hopped on one foot while he pulled on his boots.
Exiting the checkpoint at the same time, the frazzled woman struggled with her children’s shoes, reminding Shane how difficult it could be to stuff a kicking foot into a tiny sneaker. Not much more than in her early twenties, she haphazardly tucked a lock of hair, which had escaped her loose ponytail, behind her ear.
“Steven, stay next to
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