“What do you mean he left?” Ellie cried when her father came to pick her and Liz up from the field by the creek.
“He told you he was going,” he answered in a gruff voice that suggested he’d also had trouble sleeping. “Remember?”
“But I didn’t think he’d still leave,” she mumbled, hating that she hadn’t stopped him the night before.
“Why wouldn’t he after that scene last night? A man knows when he’s not wanted.” Her father maneuvered the truck across the terrain, looking at Ellie from the corner of his eyes as he spoke.
He was right, and she hated that. “Dad, that’s not fair! I just…”
Her mother reached forward from the back seat of the car and placed a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. Ellie hadn’t even noticed her until now. “He’s right. You told Landon you never wanted to see him again.”
“But I just needed time,” she argued, choking back a sob.
“Sometimes time is an enemy,” her mother offered sagely. “It was to your father and me, you know. We loved each other like crazy, but we both spent too much time in our own little worlds, apart from each other. Eventually, the gap became too big and—”
“Wait!” Ellie shouted. “Is it too late to get to the airport? Do you think we can stop him?”
“Just drop me off at the big house,” Liz said from the back beside her mom. “You’ll need a spare seat for when you pick him up. But drive fast, because you don’t have much time.”
“Dad, can you get me there?” Ellie asked once they’d returned Liz home. “Or is this just a terrible idea?”
“Actually, I think it’s the best idea you’ve had in a long time,” he said, pushing down faster on the accelerator.
“You could do much worse than a man like your father,” her mother said, squeezing Ellie’s shoulder. “I know it didn’t work out for the two of us, but you and I have never been much alike, Ellie. You’re better than me. Always have been. You deserve the best kind of man, one who will fight for you as Landon has already proved he will.”
Well, this was a surprise. “So now you suddenly approve?”
“It was never up to me to decide. I shouldn’t have pressured you. I shouldn’t have expected you to repeat my mistakes, but I shouldn’t have expected you to correct them, either.”
“I don’t understand…” she murmured.
“Let’s just say I remove myself as a voting party when it comes to your life. Ellie, you are my everything, and I want you to have every happiness in life. Right now, it seems like that happiness starts once you have the right man by your side.”
“So what you’re saying is…?”
“Go get ‘em, tiger,” her father said as he pulled into the airport terminal and slammed to a stop.
“Thank you, Mom and Dad. It means a lot that you would—”
“Stop talking to us and go get Landon!” her mother shouted, practically pushing Ellie out the door.
It meant everything to her in that moment that her parents had stopped fighting long enough to support her. She wished she could spend more time sitting with them in that car, making long overdue confessions and doling out hugs—but she had something even more important to do.
Not wanting to wait another second, Ellie leaped from the car and ran through the giant glass doors into the airport. Yes, of course, this was crazy!
She was literally chasing after a man who was about to get on a plane and leave her forever. She’d seen this play out a million times in those corny made-for-TV movies she just couldn’t get enough of.
Except in the movies, the heroine always knew exactly where to go, what to say. Ellie didn’t have a clue. He could be getting on any plane, going anywhere. And the Anchorage airport was just big enough to make the odds of finding him that much smaller.
All around her passengers milled about with their overstuffed suitcases, getting their tickets, putting their baggage into carts, holding screaming children, and racing past her to catch their flights. She slowly turned in circles, unsure where to even start looking. Finally, she decided she just had to go somewhere, so she made her way toward the security checkpoint, hoping to catch a glimpse of him on the other side.
Her heart pounding in her ears, she made her way to the other side of the lineup and stood on her toes to see if she could see him. Should she just buy a ticket and rush from gate to gate in hopes of catching him?
No, that would take too long—and probably involve more money than she had on her, too. It was time to face the facts. She was too late, and it had been foolish to come here expecting any type of positive outcome. It had been even more so to shout at Landon and tell him she didn’t want him, that she’d never forgive him.
He’d always wanted what was best for her, even when he’d had nothing to gain. That’s what love looked like. That was what she’d had, not just once but twice—and thrown away, not just once but twice.
Ellie walked dejectedly away from the security checkpoint and let the tears roll down her cheeks. What good was getting her memories back if they had to stay in the past? She so badly wanted a future with Landon, but she also knew she didn’t deserve one.
She pulled away from the hustle and bustle of the happy travelers, needing a few moments to herself before returning to her parents in the car. But even though she’d been careful to keep to herself, someone bumped into her from behind. And not gently.
“Fancy running into you here,” Landon said with a ridiculously wide grin.
“Landon!” she screamed with joy, not caring who stared as she flung her arms around him and squeezed tight. “How did you know I was here?”
He waved his phone at her. “Your dad texted me.”
“He did?” Something so ridiculously simple and she hadn’t even thought about it.
“He did.”
“What did he say?”
“It doesn’t matter what he said. I want to know what you have to say.”
Ellie laughed and crushed her lips to his.
“Interesting,” Landon said with a silly grin. “Do you have anything else to say?”
She kissed him again. And again. And again.
Each time was better than the last. Each time was sweeter, more of their forever unfolding right then and there for all the world to see.
“I love you,” she said at last, taking a long enough break from their kisses only to mutter the three little words she’d been needing to say for so long. “And I forgive you. That is, if you’ll forgive me?”
“Oh, Ellie. I could never be mad at you. But are you sure I’m what you want?”
“I’ve fallen in love with you in two separate lifetimes. You’re my one constant, my one sure thing. Landon, you’re my home.”
“Well, nothing I say is going to top that, so do you mind if I just give you the best kiss of your entire life instead?”
“Bring it on,” she said with a giggle.
Landon swept her into his arms and gave her the kiss to end all kisses—firm, passionate, gentle, kind, but most of all, forever.
“Oh, and by the way,” he said, setting her back down on her own two feet again. “I love you, too.”