In my darkest moment when I needed him most, Trent had come for me. The impact that had on my world was profoundly changing, and I finally realized that I could truly, honestly trust him. From that moment on, nothing was ever the same again.

I felt like the most special girl in the world.

Once we had dropped the motorcycle off, Trent and I took a cab to the airport. While he checked in with the airlines and bought us a pair of tickets back north, I couldn’t help but reflect upon everything I’d been through.

It seemed so crazy to remember myself as being trapped in Riverton and desperate to leave. It felt so long ago, although it had only really been a few weeks. From the night he’d walked into my bar, he’d changed my world… and I’d changed his.

We brought out the best of each other.

“Are you ready?” He asked, dispelling my thoughts.

I turned to face him. Trent was smiling down at me, the most loving grin I’d ever seen plastered across his face.

This was it. No breakaway bag, no clothes, no history, no family, and no money. He was truly, honestly looking at me like I was the most valuable thing in the whole world.

“Yeah… I’m ready,” I smiled back.

“Next few days are going to be hard, Angel. We’re meeting up with a detective back home. You’re going to tell him everything you remember… can you do that for me?”

“I’ll do anything for you, Trent.”

“Good,” he replied, sighing with relief. “Listen, I snagged us a pair of first class tickets. There’s an outbound flight that’s leaving in about fifty minutes. You ready to get the hell out of here?”

I nodded. “I was born ready.”

We walked together, side by side.

He and I were a force to be reckoned with.

Occasionally, someone would glance over at him with faint recollection. Occasionally, he would earn a quick double take. He popped into a small shop and quickly bought a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses, handing me a pair as well.

“Just like old times, huh?”

He smiled slyly, pocketing the receipt and threading the glasses around his ears.

“You’ve got it.”

After that, we wandered towards the proper terminal, stopping to use the restroom and grab a bite to eat before our flight. Everything from the last few days felt like a fading dream, and although I’d never forget what he’d done for me… I was just so happy to be back with him.

During our wait, we sat down together in a pair of available seats – with myself resting against his side and under his strong, comforting arm.

Some time passed, and before I knew it, I realized that I was yawning and opening my eyes. There was the slight recollection of a dream, something about dangerous shadows and being unable to move, and my own guardian angel coming for me…

“It’s our time,” Trent was whispering to me.

“Did I…did I doze off?”

I stretched, peeling myself off of his sturdy frame. For a moment, I was terrified that I’d drooled onto him, but I realized that Sleeping Angel had kept her shit together.

Thankfully.

“Just for a little while,” he nodded. “I let you sleep about as long as I could…but we need to get going now.”

The flight back was kind of uneventful. With Trent’s insistence, I tried to get my rest. I fell back asleep easier than I thought I would, finally letting the weight of the day collapse around me. The experiences so fresh in my mind made my sleep fitful at times. My dreams were dark and cloudy, and I felt alone and scared.

Every moment that I opened my eyes, my beloved Trent was there, holding and comforting me. I knew that the dreams would probably be like this for a little while, but I felt at peace that he would be there, every step of the way.

The sun was rising in the distance. With its light guiding the way, Trent and I watched the clouds roll by while we flew over state after state. From up here, the stresses of the world below were nothing to us; like an Angel in flight, there was nothing here but smooth skies, beautiful cloud cover, and a sunrise that brought tears to my eyes.

“That’s so beautiful,” I murmured to him.

“It really is,” Trent nodded.

The tip of his index finger slid beneath my chin, and he gazed down deep into my eyes. We stared into one another, our gaze as unbreakable as our bond. This man had saved me the night that we met. While his intentions had been different back then, I could see no traces of rampant lust or ulterior motives in his soul.

He simply loved me with all his heart.

“I love you, Trent,” I whispered.

“Angel, my darling… I love you too.”

As we kissed, the sun’s early rays illuminating the heavens beyond, I knew that no matter what the future brought… with Trent Masters in my life, I was finally home.