Page 144 of Icebound Hearts
“You have my word.”
“Good.” Reese claps me on the shoulder and steps away, leaving it at that.
I stand there for a few seconds trying to absorb everything that just happened. For whatever reason, I thought winning Reese over would be a lot harder than this. But maybe after what he went through to be with Callie, he gets it. Regardless, I’m glad he’s being supportive. He really does love his sister, just like I do, so it makes sense that we’re both on the same page—because we both want to look out for her and take care of her.
I finish packing up my stuff and hurry out of the arena a few minutes later. I toss my stuff in the trunk and slide into the driver’s seat, stopping to check Violet’s flight status on my phone. Everything is right on time, so I send a quick text to tell her I’m on my way and head to the airport, my thoughts on nothing but her.
Traffic is light, so I make good time, and as I wind around into the arrivals section of the airport, my heart starts to race. I scan the people waiting outside, searching for her beautiful face. Some part of me is irrationally afraid she won’t be there, that something will have gone wrong and I’ll have to wait even longer to see her again.
But there she is, her blonde hair shining in the sun. She beams and waves as she sees my car approaching. I have to wait a few seconds to get close enough to her, but as soon as I weasel between two other parked cars, I throw mine in park and boltout to wrap my arms around her. I pull her close and kiss her like my life depends on it—these days, it feels more and more like it does—and she sighs happily when we part.
“Do you have any idea how much I missed you?” I murmur.
She smirks, biting her lip. “I think I have an idea, but why don’t you tell me?”
“You’re all I could think about. I was a disaster at practice today. Ask the guys when you see them, I’m sure they’ll tell you.”
Violet kisses me again, then draws back, her eyes bouncing between mine. “I missed you too. More than I have the words for.”
“Let’s never do that again, huh? I don’t do well without you in my life.”
She grins at me. “Good, because I’m not planning on leaving it.”
My lips find hers once more, and her body arches toward mine instinctively. My hands wander up and down her sides. I’m so hungry for her that I could easily let this turn into something more until I reluctantly remember we’re in a very public spot of an airport, and I’m a very high-profile person.
“Hold that thought,” I tell her and steal another kiss before I grab her bags and load them in the trunk for her.
She climbs into the passenger seat while I’m at it, and when I join her in the car, I put my hand on her leg and give it a little squeeze.
“Do you mind if we stop to pick up Jake from school on the way back?” I ask.
“No, not at all. I’m just as excited to see him as I am to see you.”
“Same for him. I don’t think he slept a wink last night because he was so excited. If I hadn’t had practice today, I would’ve let him skip school.”
“Aww, poor little guy is probably going to be exhausted.”
“Don’t underestimate a little boy’s energy,” I warn her, and she laughs as I put the car in gear and roll out of the airport back toward town and Jake’s school.
When we get there, Jake’s already standing outside on the curb by the front door with the other kids who are waiting for a ride. As soon as he spots my car, he starts jumping up and down, his little backpack bouncing on his shoulders along with him.
“Ms. Violet!” he screeches when we pull to a stop in front of him, and when Violet opens the door, he throws himself into her arms.
Violet squeezes him tightly and looks at me with mist in her eyes. Not that I needed the confirmation, but seeing the two of them so happy with each other like this just makes me feel better about my decision to get Violet back. I love how much Jake loves her.
“Did you miss me?” Violet asks Jake.
“Like crazy!” Jake answers, and someone behind us beeps their horn.
When I glance in the rearview, they’re gesturing for us to move out of the way. I’m tempted to tell them where to go and how to get there, but I play it cool instead and hop out of the driver’s seat to get Jake into his booster seat and buckled in. I do take my sweet time though.
“Alright, let’s roll,” I tell them both when I get back in the driver’s seat. We pull away from the school and I don’t take the usual route, but Jake and Violet are so absorbed in catching up with each other that neither of them seems to notice.
Violet twists in her seat to face Jake. “How was school, buddy?”
“Not too good. All I could think about was seeing you today!”
“Aww, that’s sweet. I’ve been looking forward to it too.”