“Then that’s what I have to hope for.” And she took off down the jetway, knowing she was probably on a fool’s mission, but she had to try.
She loved Ian Petrov and if there was a chance—even a small one—for a happily ever after with the sexy, grunting, stubborn man with enough family baggage to fill a 747, then she had to try.
Hustling down the jetway, she regretted every step of the way that she’d decided to wear heels. She barely made it to the gate before she took them off and started sprinting for real, the tiny wheels on her cheap carry-on making the case bounce and swerve as she ran.
The TSA agent sitting at the checkpoint between the secured and not-secured area stood up as Shelby neared and eyed her suspiciously as she moved to block her exit. “Ma’am, I’m gonna need you to slow down.”
Getting arrested for causing an airport disturbance was the last thing she needed right now, but when a person figured out what needed to happen next so they could start the rest of their life, they wanted it to start now.
“I’m sorry.” Shelby held up the hand with her black heels. “I just have to get out of here as fast as possible.”
The agent put her hand up to the walkie-talkie on her shoulder, body language loose but ready to rumble. “Why do you have to do that?”
How in the hell was she supposed to explain what had happened with Ian in the shortest amount of time so she could get out of the airport, hail a cab, and get her ass to the Ice Knights arena? There was no fucking way, but she had to try.
Coming to a stop six feet away from the TSA agent, Shelby sucked in a deep breath, ready to get it all out as quickly as possible when she looked over the agent’s shoulder and spotted Ian on the other side of the do-not-cross line.
All the adrenaline pumping through her system vanished in an instant. He was here. Ian Petrov was at the airport. He’d come after her. “I have to go tell that man right there that I love him.”
The agent looked over at Ian and then back at Shelby and what she could only assume was the 100 percent over-the-top goofy grin on her face. Shaking her head, the agent walked back over to her chair.
“I have been waiting years for this to happen.” She sat down. “Go ahead, honey, I’ll be rooting for you.”
Shelby wanted to, but all of a sudden, her feet stopped working. All she could do was stand there with her shoes in one hand and the handle of her suitcase in the other, looking at the man she loved and trying to figure out what to say.
Ian looked like hell. His hair was going every which way, as if he hadn’t been able to stop ramming his hands through it; he had at least two days’ worth of beard growth; and he was pacing back and forth while talking animatedly to someone on the phone.
“What do you mean, there aren’t any open seats tonight for a flight to New Orleans?” He let his head fall back as he grimaced. “It’s a major tourist destination—there has to be at least one spot.”
“Why are you going to New Orleans?” Shelby asked from her side of the do-not-cross line.
Ian spun around, his eyes wide, and hung up his phone without saying goodbye to whomever was on the other line.
“I have to tell you something,” he said, looking at her with such love in his eyes that she nearly melted right there on the spot. “But I still don’t know what to say.”
…
Okay, he’d royally fucked that up. Could he make this any worse? Well, considering she was staying on her side of the do-not-cross line, probably not.
She was looking at him like he’d lost his mind and maybe he had—the idea of never being with her again did that to him.
“Do you want to go somewhere more private?” she asked without moving from her spot.
He looked over at all the people in the security line, and everyone was watching. By now most of them had their phones out, recording, and there was no missing the chattering about who he was. All of this would be on social media in minutes if it wasn’t being live broadcast already. Normally this was exactly the time when he’d walk away, get out of the spotlight as fast as he could, but he wouldn’t risk walking away from Shelby ever again. Being with her was worth whatever judgment came down from the Harbor City sports media, fans, and anyone else. The only person’s opinion besides his own that he cared about was Shelby’s.
He had no idea what to say to fix his fuckup, but he knew the most important part. “I love you.”
She dropped the shoes she was holding and lost her grasp on her suitcase. “What?”
“I know,” he said. “I was surprised, too.”
Her eyes rounded and a loud “ooooooooh” went up from the crowd. The older woman in the TSA uniform on the other side of the do-not-cross line rolled her eyes as she shook her head.
“Wait.” He held up his hand and prayed like hell that Shelby wouldn’t just walk away. “That came out wrong. Fuck me, this is why I don’t talk.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “I didn’t plan to fall in love with you, but really I should have expected the unexpected when it came to you after you Tased me in the cabin.”
Another “oooooohhhh” from the crowd grew louder, and with everyone recording, there was no way that part wouldn’t end up on the news. Way to go, Petrov. “She thought I was a burglar who’d broken in—it was totally justified.”
Satisfied she wouldn’t end up arrested for assault, he focused back on Shelby. “You’re funny and smart
