JAMES RAN UP to the gate just as the agent called for all business class passengers to board. He tried to catch his breath and declined an incoming call from Chris. I’ll catch up with him once I’m in New York.

A few minutes later, he settled into a plush seat and pulled out his phone. Another missed call from Chris. He sighed. Maybe he found out I stormed Emerson’s office. Screw it. I’m not dealing with that right now. He couldn’t focus on anything except Jessica. Everything else could wait. He tried her cell phone again but it went to voicemail.

One of the flight attendants handed him a bottle of water and he pulled off the top. As he was setting the phone to airplane mode, another incoming call appeared. Manhattan area code? Jessica!

“Jess?”

A chipper voice responded. “Hi, no, this is Lisa Embry. I’m Jessica’s roommate. I just got home from work and heard your message.”

James furrowed his brow. “I didn’t leave my number…”

“Yeah, I’m pretty resourceful.” Lisa snickered. “I’m also an associate at Axis Venture Capital. I know all about your company. Didn’t take too much effort to track you down. Your partner gave me this number.”

That explains the stalking.

“So, listen James. Here’s the thing. Jessica’s on her way out to California. In fact…” She paused. “She’s due to arrive in about a half an hour.”

“She’s coming…out here?” His heart leaped.

“She’s headed to a client site. Her boss’s request. But James, there’s something you need to know.” Lisa sighed. “She got test results last night that indicate the MS has progressed much faster than the doctors anticipated. She’s pretty rattled.”

James held his head. “My God…”

“Yeah.” Lisa paused again. “Look, I know the whole thing with Emerson was probably a big shock to you. She really struggled with it. Not telling you was killing her. For what it’s worth, I encouraged her to keep it to herself. Not to hurt you but because it was in the past.”

“Lisa, believe me, I know I really messed up and I—”

“To be honest, I really hoped you’d get in touch with her to make this right. She’s hurting…badly. And Jess is stubborn as hell. I don’t know if she’ll give you another chance. I tried to convince her to call you but she flat-out refused.”

“She hasn’t returned any of my calls.” James’s voice was barely a whisper.

“I assume you know about Drew. She’s not about to let that happen again. When you walked away, she completely shut down. I called to save you the effort of flying out here. To be honest, maybe she’s better off without you. I mean, you tell her you love her and then leave her hanging out to dry like that. Why? Was it ego? She’s my best friend and I want her to be happy with someone who cares about her. She’s got a lot of stuff to deal with right now. Can you handle that, James? Because if you can’t, you need to stay far away. Do you get me?”

“Lisa, I made the biggest mistake of my life by letting her go. I’m crazy about her. I don’t care about anything else. I need her in my life.”

Lisa sighed. “So get the hell off that plane and tell her so. Don’t miss the boat again, James. The itinerary she left says she arrives at gate G6, American Airlines. Let me also just say that if you hurt her again, I promise I’ll plant a story about your company in the media that’ll make all your funding dry up like a woman seeing Jim Belushi naked. Are we on the same page here?”

“Yes.” He cracked a smile at her crudeness. “I know I fucked up. And I’m going to make it right. I promise.”

“You better. Now get moving.”

He clicked off the phone in a daze, replaying the conversation in his head. She’s sick because of me, because of the stress I caused her. I’m such a fucking idiot. Will she even talk to me? I need to see her, to tell her how much I love her and that I’ll do anything to win her back.

James jumped out of his seat as the flight attendant announced the doors were closing. “Wait!”

She snapped her head toward him. “Sir, you need to sit down and buckle your seat belt.”

“Please, I need to get off the plane.”

She frowned at him. “Sir, that isn’t possible. We’re getting ready to taxi.”

“Look, I need to get to my girlfriend. I thought she was in New York but I just got a call and she—”

Another flight attendant walked over. “What’s going on?”

“I really need to get off. Please. It’s urgent. I have to get to—”

The second attendant held up a hand. “Hold it, you can’t just get off now. There are regulations. Do you want to sit in a holding cell for the next three hours explaining to a roomful of police officers why you so desperately needed to get off this plane?”

James eyed the door frantically. “I know it doesn’t look good but my girlfriend is coming into this airport and she’s sick. Please, you can even have the cops follow me to her gate! They can take me into custody after I see her. I just need to get off this plane. Please.”

The flight attendants exchanged glances. One of them walked into the cockpit. A minute later, she returned. “Okay sir, airport security will meet you at the gate. They’ll take it from here.”

“Fine, whatever, I don’t care.” James raced off the plane and skidded to a halt when he came face to face with a threatening police officer.

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re so anxious to get off this aircraft, sir?”

James sneaked a look at his watch. “Officer, listen, I’m sorry for causing an issue. It’s just that I was heading to New York to see my girlfriend and I just found out from her roommate that she’s on her way out here and—”

The officer held up a hand to silence James. “Hold it. If she’s your girlfriend, how come you didn’t know she was on her way? Why’d you have to hear it from her roommate?”

James took a deep breath and slapped his hands against his legs. “You want to know why? Because I was a complete asshole and I let a stupid misunderstanding come between us. I screwed up the best thing in my life because I was jealous and stubborn.” He held his arms up. “There’s my excuse, happy? I didn’t know she was coming out here because she won’t return any of my calls and I need to see her, to tell her how sorry I am.”

“You know I’m not supposed to let you just walk away, right? I have to file a report since you violated FAA rules.”

James rolled his eyes. “You know what? I’ll gladly write the report for you! Just please let me see my girlfriend. Take me to prison after I get a chance to tell her how much I love her. Sound like a plan?”

The officer stepped closer, eyes narrowed.

The clock was ticking and James didn’t want to risk missing Jessica. “Please, let me see her. I promise I’ll go with you right afterward.”

The officer sighed. “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this crap. What gate number?”

“G6, American Airlines from New York.”

The officer folded his arms and glowered at James. “Fine, let’s go. If you’re making any of this up, I think you know what your immediate future holds.”

James nodded and managed a smile. “I know. Thank you.”

The officer nudged him to one of the security vehicles. “Hop in. It’ll be quicker this way.”

Ten minutes later, James jumped off the security cart before the officer applied the brake. He ran to the agent behind the desk at Gate G6. “Excuse me, is the flight from New York on time?”

The agent looked at the screen and tapped a few keys. “Yes, looks like they’re descending now.”

Three EMTs ran up to the gate with two more police officers in tow. One of them approached the ticket agent. “We had a call for a passenger on board the flight from New York, girl in her mid-twenties with multiple sclerosis that requires immediate medical attention. What’s the flight status?”

James snapped his head to look at the agent, his heart thundering in his chest. Jesus Christ, did something happen to Jessica on the flight? “Do you have a name? I’m waiting for my girlfriend to arrive, she has MS. Is she—”

The agent shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t have any other information than that.”

“What kind of emergency? Is she—is she okay? Is she…” He swallowed hard. “Conscious?”

“Sir, I’m sorry. I really don’t know anything else.” She flashed him a sympathetic look. “You’ll have to wait until the plane lands.”

James backed away from the desk. Fear clenched his gut.

The officer who escorted him to the gate walked over. “Sir, are you alright? You don’t look well.”

James shook his head. “The EMTs…they’re here for my girlfriend.” He ran a hand through his hair and sank to the floor. What could have happened? Why can’t anyone tell me anything? Jess, please, please be okay. Please, I need you so badly. I’ll never walk away again.

Minutes dragged until the plane landed. The EMTs rushed on board as soon as it pulled into the terminal. James paced around the gate, his heart gripped with panic. When she finally appeared in a wheelchair, he ran over and wrapped his arms around her.

“Jess.” His voice cracked and he stroked the back of her head. “My God, what happened?”

Jessica’s eyes widened. “James,” she whispered. Tears streamed down her face and she choked back a sob. “James, I’m so scared. I had another—”

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry. About everything.” He kissed her forehead and looked at the EMTs. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

One of the EMTs looked down at his chart. “Considering her medical history we need to get her to the hospital so they can run some tests to figure out what brought this on.”

“Okay.” He looked at Jessica. The fear in her eyes broke his heart.

He hugged her close. “Jess, these guys are going to take you to the hospital.”

“James, please don’t leave me.”

He shot an imploring look at the police officer. “Officer, I—”

The officer held up his hand. “I can see you’re obviously not a terrorist. Now get out of here before I come to my senses to preserve my job.”

“Thank you, officer.” James clutched Jessica’s hands in his and knelt next to her. “Don’t be scared, baby. I’m staying with you. I promise I’ll never leave you again.”