“Oh, sorry.” I let go and she flexed it a few times, probably trying to get the feeling back into it.
“I know you’re excited, but Jesus. I need my hand.” She was smiling when she said it though. I looked away from her, and there he was. Standing not five feet away from me. It took me a second to realize, and then I was airborne and throwing myself at him.
I slammed against his chest, and he stumbled backwards a bit before his arms went around me, holding me tight.
“Hey, Sloane,” he said in my ear as I held him so hard I thought I was going to break my arms. He smelled different. Not bad. He smelled like the woods. Well, the woods plus his regular Ryder smell that I remembered. I inhaled and just melted.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said into his flannel shirt. He’d really taken the mountain man thing seriously.
“I can’t believe you’re real,” he said, trying to lean back, but I wouldn’t let him. “Baby, you’re gonna have to let me go, you know.”
He’d never called me that before and it made me want to hold on to him even harder.
“I can’t,” I said, my happy tears soaking into his shirt. I was probably causing a spectacle, but I didn’t care. He was here and I had my arms around him again.
He chuckled and stroked my hair. “That’s okay. Take your time.” I heard a throat clearing behind me and Ryder said something to someone, and then I heard Rory’s voice.
“I think she’s excited to see you,” she said.
“Not as much as I am to see her,” Ryder said. My arms were starting to shake a little from holding him, but I wasn’t going to stop. Not ever.
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, leaning down and speaking in my ear. “It’s okay to let go.”
With much effort, I loosened my hold on him and leaned back a little. There he was. Under one of the most epic beards I’d ever seen, but there he was. His hair had grown out a little bit too.
“I like the beard,” I said, reaching up to stroke it.
“I hoped you would. I hoped more than anything that you’d come to the airport.”
“Why wouldn’t I come? I love you.” Oops. Didn’t mean for that to be the first time I said it. My mouth had gotten ahead of me again.
“Oh, you do, do you?” Ryder said with a smile.
I nodded. “Yeah, I do. I meant to tell you in a different way, but I guess I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.”
We both laughed and someone cleared their throat.
“I have to go hug my brother and Rory. But I’ll come right back to you,” he said, as if he was explaining a difficult concept to me.
I rolled my eyes at him, finally removing my arms from around his neck, and stepped back. It wasn’t easy, but I did it.
Lucah and Ryder embraced for a long time and lots of things were said back and forth that neither Rory nor I heard, or were supposed to hear. They definitely needed their brotherly moment. When they broke the embrace, Ryder hugged Rory, picking her up off her feet and swinging her around as she laughed and begged him to stop. He finally put her down, but not before one of her shoes had flown off and Lucah went to retrieve it.
The moment Ryder let go of Rory, he was at my side, sliding an arm around me and pulling me close.
“Well, should we get your luggage?” Lucah asked, and I swore I saw him wiping his eyes a little before he put his arm around Rory.
“Sure,” said Ryder.
The four of us walked down to baggage claim, which always made me fear for my life. If people got that crazy about getting their stuff, just imagine what would happen if there was a nationwide disaster and there were only so many jugs of water and cans of soup. It would be downright carnage.
We found the right carousel for Ryder’s flight but waited near the back.
“I’m not in any hurry. I’m enjoying where I am right now,” he said. So we stood and waited for the people who had to have their luggage right this very moment or else they would die to get their shit, and then Ryder saw his bag on the carousel. He walked toward it, taking me with him.
“Sorry, but I don’t want to let go of you,” he said. “At least not yet.”
“Ditto,” I said as he slung his bag over his other shoulder then grabbed my hand.