Page 98 of Love Beyond the Illusion
From the corner of my eyes, I see strange looks from people as they quickly move to the side, clearing a path for me to slip through. “Excuse me,” I quickly say as I pass them.
They assume I have poor time management and am late for a flight. But that could not be further from the truth. I need to tell Piper right now that I’m completely in love with her and that I have no intention of living my life without her. My chest is tight with anticipation and excitement as I pass the tiled pillars right out of security and into the waiting area of one of the gates.
“Excuse me!” I call out again as I run empty-handed toward the escalators that lead down to the lower level. I take a sharp left, attempting to squeeze past a family of six, each rolling large carry-ons behind them. I abruptly stop. Out of breath, I take a step back, allowing them to pass in front of me.
Anxiously standing to the side, my eyes move around the place, casually jumping from person to person. Then, at the bottom of the ascending escalator, parallel to the one I’m standing at the top of, my heart stops, forcing me to take a breath. To my surprise, my gaze lands on the only thing that matters in my world. A five foot four fiery, strawberry blonde woman dressed in the same thing I dropped her off at the airport this morning.
Piper.
The family passes, and I finally have a chance to get on, but my muscles are frozen in place while I stare down at my beautiful wife.Why is she here?She doesn’t have to report for work until Wednesday.
I move slowly, taking a calculated step onto the escalator, feeling calm and secure. Everything around me is muted, including the intercom above, the passengers chatting in the distance, and the zipping of suitcases across the marble floor. I almost reach the bottom of the stairs when a pair of beautiful hazel-green eyes spot mine.
Piper’s eyes widen, and I watch the color drain from her face. I can only smile as I descend to her.
“Jack?”
“My love,” I mutter, lifting her by the hips and scooping her into my arms. Piper’s body melts into mine. Her weight against my chest makes me feel completely whole once again.Euphoria.
“Oh my god. What are you doing here?” she asks, her legs wrapping around my waist.
I squeeze her tighter than ever, looking directly into her hazel-green eyes. “I’m here for my wife.”
“What?” her voice squeaks in disbelief.
“I’m not going to live without you. And I refuse to spend another hour of our lives without you knowing how much I’m in love with you.” I cup her damp cheeks and wipe away a tear with my thumb.
“You came back for me?”
“I had to.”
Caught up in the heat of the moment, I realize that running into her at the airport was completely unexpected since she doesn’t start work until closer to the middle of the week.
“What are you doing here? I thought you said you didn’t have to report back for a few more days.”
Piper lifts her head to face me but lowers her lashes. “I was going back to my—husband.”
“You were coming back to Dupara?” I heard every word, but I asked again for reassurance.
She nods. “Yes. Because you are my person and I refuse to exist without you either.”
My jaw twitches in shock, and I’m speechless. I bring my lips to hers, lightly kissing them before pulling away. “You don’t ever have to.”
Piper tucks her face into the crook of my neck. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
Holding her, I smile at the subtle lavender scent of her hair. “I’m glad we didn’t miss each other.”
“This is real, isn’t it?” she asks, staring into my eyes. “All of it?”
“You asked me once if I regret leaving Dupara all those years ago, and I didn’t have an answer then, but I do now.” I watch another tear fall from her eye. “No, I don’t regret that decision because if I’d never left, I never would have met Harry and Mason in college. And ultimately, my connection to them has led me to you. With everything I’ve got, every decision I’ve made up until this point in my life, it has put me on the path to you.”
She lets out a small sigh and crinkles her eyebrows while both eyes bounce between mine.
“If I could, I would go back to that night we got married in Vegas and live inside every single second. I would listen to each one of your tiny breaths, savoring every minute of it because my entire life began at that moment, and I had no idea. You are the air that I breathe and the energy in my veins. My utter existence is you.”
Piper dips her head down and nuzzles my nose before sliding down to plant her feet on the floor. Her dainty hands find mine that are hanging down between us. “I am so in love with you too. I have been since I saw you walk past me at that airport in Las Vegas. You captured my body and soul, and I refuse to take them back. They are yours, Mr. Bradley.”
My heart stills, taking in every word she’s saying. There was something undeniable between us, and finally, admitting it feelsliberating.I exhale deeply, grab the back of her head, and clash my mouth into hers. My kiss isn’t as sweet as it was a second ago. It’s ravenous.
