DAD REACHES OVER and rests a hand on my knee, stopping my leg from bouncing. I look away from the window, my eyes meeting his questioning gaze.
“Sweetie, you’re making your old man nervous.”
The captain announced that we’d soon be making our descent into the Nashville International Airport, and the excitement that has been budding inside of me since I woke up this morning is now starting to blossom.
Unlike the last time I flew into Tennessee, dad and I are flying commercial. That’s not to say that we’re not riding in class, though. Regardless of the fact that it’s her wedding we’re flying out for, Corie insisted that she pay for everything—our first class tickets, our five-star hotel rooms, and she’s even made arrangements for someone to come pick us up from the airport. It’s an amazingly generous gift, especially considering dad and I would have scraped together what we needed in order to make the trip for such a special occasion, but she wouldn’t hear that.
Now, as excited I am to see Corie again, I won’t lie—I’m dying to see Leo.
Smiling, I rest my hand on top of dad’s and murmur, “Sorry. I’m just excited.”
Chuckling, he replies, “You saw Corie last month. You were excited then. This is something different.”
I squeeze his hand, all too aware that while I don’t know how to define what’s going on between Leo and me, it’s time I told dad about him. It’s been a while since I’ve had a guy in my life that was worth mentioning, and I’ve never felt as hopeful and anxious about a man the way I do about Leo. Sure that now is as good a time as any, I decide to confide in my father.
“When I came out here before, I sort of met this guy.”
His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and I can’t stifle my giggle.
“Yeah. His name is Leo. He’s Ashley’s bodyguard.”
“I see.”
“He’s not my boyfriend or anything, but I do like him. I really, really like him. We’ve kept in touch since I left, and I just—I miss him,” I confess. “So, yeah. I’m excited.”
“All right. Well, I look forward to meeting him.”
I smile, biting back my laughter as I try and imagine dad standing next to Leo. He’s not a particularly tall man. He’s taller than me, of course, but he can’t boast of much more than five feet, ten inches. Lee’s a giant, in more ways than one, and I feel the need to warn dad, “Don’t be too intimidated when you meet him.”
His eyebrows shoot up again, this time in disbelief as he scoffs, “You’re telling me not to be intimidated by the man who has some sort of interest in my one and only daughter?”
I free my laughter, nudging his shoulder with mine as I explain, “He’s just…larger than average. He also doesn’t smile a lot, and he’s not very talkative—but he’s nice, I swear.”
“You’re making me feel so much better,” he mutters, now eying me suspiciously.
“I think you’ll like him,” I declare.
I hope he’ll like him, I think to myself, knowing one thing for certain.
I more than like him. The man is stealing my heart. If he asked for it, I couldn’t deny him even if I tried.
I TEXT LEO as soon as we start our taxi toward the gate, letting him know that dad and I arrived safely. I don’t wait for his response before I pull up my list of favorite contacts and send a call through to Corie.
“Hello?”
“Hey, babe! We’re here,” I tell her, smiling at dad. He winks at me, and I go on to tell her, “We didn’t check any bags, so we shouldn’t be long catching up with our ride.”
“Perfect. He should be there by now. He was instructed to wait for you in the lobby just outside your concourse.”
“Okay. Is he going to have a sign or something?” I ask, teasingly waggling my eyebrows at my dad.
“Uh, yeah—you’ll spot him, no trouble. He’ll take you to the hotel, and you guys can freshen up if you’d like. The rehearsal doesn’t start until around four, and he’ll bring you there.”
“Sounds great. Can’t wait to see you!”
“Me neither. Text me if you run into any problems.”
“Hi, Corie,” dad calls out loud enough for her to hear.
Chuckling, she replies, “Hi, Uncle Cal.”
I relay the message before we say our goodbyes, and then a flight attendant grants us permission to move about the cabin. Dad stands up and takes down our bags, and we hurry off the plane shortly after. I’ve barely stepped foot into the airport, yet I can honestly say that it feels good being back in Tennessee. While I know there’s a lot of the state I didn’t see the last time I was here, I saw enough to know that I like it. Furthermore, I look forward to coming back over the years, as Corie and Ashley will be making a home a couple hour’s south of where we are now.
“Where is it you said we’re going?” asks dad as we find ourselves approaching the end of the concourse.
“Corie said that we’d see him just ahead. I’m guessing that…” My voice trails off and my feet stop moving when I see him—his feet planted wide, his fingertips casually tucked into the front of his black jeans, and his charcoal gray shirt clinging to his massive frame. His square jaw is dusted with scruff, just the way I like—and those blue-green eyes are looking straight at me.
“Jill?” I hear dad’s voice calling me, breaking me from my dazed stare, and I see him a few steps ahead of me.
Closing the distance between us, I can hardly think of anything aside from the fact that Leo is here. I park my bag next to dad’s, dropping my purse at his feet as I assure him, “I’ll be right back, okay?”
Before he can speak a word of protest, I turn to Leo, walking as fast as my legs can carry me while maneuvering my way through the other travelers. When there are only a few feet left between us, I can’t stop myself from breaking into a run. As if he can read my mind, he pulls his hands out of his pockets, leaning down slightly as I leap up and throw myself at him. He hooks one arm around my back, assisting me up, and I circle my arms around his shoulders, burying my face in his neck. He smells better than I remember, and I hold onto him tighter, relieved to be touching him right now.
“I want to kiss you—but I’m sure my old man is watching,” I murmur before pulling away just enough to see his face.
“Like a deer in the headlights.”
Giggling, I say, “I tried to warn him you were a bit bigger than average.”
Lifting an eyebrow at me, expressing his offense, he mutters, “A bit bigger than average?”
“Wasn’t talking about your dick, Lee,” I reply softly, my cheeks heating in a blush.
A sly smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, and I laugh before rolling my eyes at him. Wishing to change the subject before I embarrass myself, I lean into him, kissing his cheek before I say, “Hi.”
He kisses my forehead, his lips pressed against my skin as he mutters, “Hi.”
“I wasn’t expecting you,” I tell him as he pulls away.
“I think that’s how surprises work.” His eyes flicker away from me for a second before he leans down and sets me on my feet. “Let’s get this part over with,” he grunts, tipping his chin toward my dad.
Without even thinking, I reach for his hand as I assure him, “Come on, it won’t be bad.”
He grumbles something under his breath, but doesn’t delay in walking in the direction from which I came, holding my hand the whole way.