Page 9 of The Replacement Fiance

"Let's check to see when the next one comes in." Logan takes my hand and we make our way to the board but find no other flight coming in from New York within the next two hours. We spend the next twenty minutes checking online schedules on our phones to find connecting flights headed for Sacramento. Maybe he took one of those. But the longer we search, the more hopeless it seems to figure out which flight he could be—if he's even on a flight. The news back east still said that only a handful of flights got out and those were all full.

"What do you think we should do?" I ask as look up from my phone. "Until he texts me back, it'll be like looking for a needle in the haystack."

"It's up to you but any longer we stay here, the later you'll get to your parents' place. And if I remember correctly, it's going to be snowing much harder the higher up we go," he says.

I glance at my phone again, wishing Cooper would have texted me back but it's useless right now. Logan's right. We need to hit the road especially when snow's in the forecast the higher we go up the mountain.

"Let's go then."

Logan takes my hand and we make our way through the crowd of people back to the truck. He lets go only when we get to the SUV and pulls open the passenger door. "Hope you don't mind me holding your hand like that, but if I'm supposed to be your fiance´, then I should start acting like one. It is on your grocery list, right?"

"Yup, along with pizza being your favorite food of all time."

"With pepperoni and sausage," he adds. "No pineapple."

"I'll make sure to let my vegan family know about it."

Logan's jaw drops and he stares at me in horror. "You're not serious because we have to do some serious shopping if you are."

I laugh. "I was just kidding."

He lets out a long sigh of relief. "For a minute there, I thought you were serious and I'd be expecting tofurkey for Christmas dinner."

"Nah, we did that last year but Dad said no more. He's as carnivorous as they come." When Logan narrows his eyes as he looks at me, I chuckle. "Don't worry, Logan. Even with all the patchouli you're about to inhale back there, we're a meat-eating family."

We make it back on the road and this time, we keep conversation to a minimum. It allows me to settle into the vibe of home that I've missed so much, one that I sometimes wonder is still for me. If I were to leave everything behind in LA and come back here, would I be happy? I don't know the answer to that just as I don't know if I'll ever find a man just for me.

Is it because I'm too busy with work to give any man my time? It's not like I haven't been out on dates since Elliot and I broke up. Two years is a long time to pine for someone and I certainly didn't. But maybe I've been guarding my heart a bit more than I should. Is that why I haven't met anyone who can make my heart beat faster or the butterflies in my belly flutter? Well, except for Logan earlier in the morning when he talked about the pink and red skirts I wore to the shop. But I remind myself that Logan's just observant.

"We need to get our stories straight, Mariah," he says. "How long have we been seeing each other?"

"Six months."

"When did I propose?"

"Um, two weeks ago."

"Where did I propose?"

I bite my lip. "I haven't thought about that."

"Well, if I proposed to someone, I'd do it where we had our first date."

"That reminds me, where did we have our first date?" I ask.

"I'd have taken you for a ride on my motorcycle up to Newcomb's Ranch," he says. "It's twenty minutes on the Angeles Crest Highway and one of LA's best kept secrets... unless you're a biker. Then we'd stop at the Roadhouse for a bite to eat."

"Where else have we gone?"

He thinks for a moment. "What about the Santa Monica Pier. Have you been on the Ferris wheel?"

"No, not yet."

"Let's say that the first time I kissed you was on the Ferris wheel," he says, grinning. "What about the rest of the time when we're not out and about? What do we like to do together?"

I shrug. "Movies?"

"What's the first movie we saw together? Or the last?"

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