Page 115 of Final Approach
Make that definitely kiss her again. And hold her for a million years. There was no denying his feelings at this point, even if he wasn’t quite sure how he got here after battling them for so long. Battling and losing. Wishy-washy was the term for it. He didn’t want to be wishy-washy any longer. He wanted to leave the past where it belonged—in the past. He had a future, and it was time to look toward it instead of over his shoulder.
“Andrew?”
He lifted his head to see Nathan making his way toward him. Hank walked behind him.
Andrew straightened and went to hug his friends, who were more like brothers. “Dude,” Hank said, his voice gruff. “Thought you were a goner there for a while.”
“I never doubted all would work out well.” Okay, maybe there’d been a moment or two, but ... “Kristine is still telling her story. We can find a seat that allows me to watch for her.”
“At the end of the hallway,” Nathan said. “We can pull a table over. Gonna have to make more room for the rest of the crew on their way here.”
Once they were seated with Andrew facing the hallway, he looked at Hank. “Thought you were leaving.”
“I was, but I’m still on the group text and all these messages were coming in about all the drama going down, so I couldn’t just take off quite so fast.”
“Thanks, man,” Andrew said. “And you get to stay on the loop if you want.”
“I’d like that, but probably not a good idea.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll get another burner so we can stay in touch.”
“Perfect.”
Kenzie walked through the double glass doors on the other side of the security wall, followed by Jesslyn, Lainie, Tate, and Steph. Once they were cleared to enter the main area, they made their way to the table.
“Don’t think we’re all going to fit here,” Lainie said. Cole and James were still with Kristine’s father and would probably be tied up with him for a while. His lawyer had met them at the station.
The door opened and Kristine stepped out, spotted them at the end of the hallway, and headed toward them. She looked wiped out and Andrew looked at the others. “Rendezvous later?”
They took the hint, and even though some had just arrived, they gave Kristine their supportive hugs and disappeared, leaving Andrew to pull her close and breathe in the scent that was all her.
“I want a shower and a bed. And some food.”
“In that order or...?”
“Food on the way to the hospital.”
“To tell Emily and Ethan before they see the news?”
“Exactly.”
“How’s your dad?”
“I don’t know. I can’t think about him at the moment.”
“Want some company?”
“Yes.” She turned into him, rested her cheek on his chest, and hugged him tight. “Thank you, Andrew.”
“Absolutely.”
“On a happier note, my supervisor texted while I was giving my statement and said that I’ve been found not guilty of any kind of misconduct on the flight. He said many passengers spoke on my behalf and the video footage supported it all. My suspension has been lifted and I can go back to work as soon as I’m ready.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Me too.” She paused. “I don’t think I’ll be ready for a couple of days.”
“I think that’s understandable.”
