Page 3 of Wish Me Home

I shifted in my seat, adjusting my arms against my thighs. When it became clear that he wasn’t interested in talking further, I sat back, running my fingers through my hair and letting out a breath. It was funny how my movements were what drew his attention back to me. His gaze snapped to my dress shirt as it pulled tight against my chest.

Taking one more look around the terminal and the never-ending line at the counter, it was safe to assume that Emmett wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. Making the most of a crummy situation I stood, dusting off my slacks, and straightening out the creases. “Care to join me over at the bar?”

Maybe it was bold to ask, and I didn’t miss how his brow creased in confusion again. I was clearly still in uniform. “This was supposed to be my last flight. SD is home. I’m officially off duty since we’re not getting out tonight,” I explained.

“You don’t know that. We could still get out,” he exclaimed, just as another announcement came overhead declaring several more canceled flights. I cocked a brow in encouragement, nodding my head in the bar’s direction. Emmett gave a heavy sigh and nodded, then he stood and grabbed the handle of his bag to join me.

I grabbed my small carry-on bag and led him to a nearby bar. It was also crowded, but not as bad as the counters overloaded with passengers frantically attempting to rearrange flights. Nabbing us two stools, I pulled one out for him and motioned for him to sit.

He shoved his bag against the bar and plopped in his seat, resting his arms against the counter. I held back a chuckle that he was still all bundled up in that jacket. Sure, airports weren’t always the warmest, but it was much warmer than outside and he didn’t need to be dressed so warmly. Pulling out the other stool, I dropped next to him.

“Don’t act like this is such a hardship. You could have told me no.”

Emmett snorted, drumming his fingers against the bar before finally leaning back and unzipping his jacket. I had to laugh at the hoodie he had on underneath. He was obviously not a Chicago native if he was that layered up.

“Something tells me you wouldn’t have taken no for an answer,” he mused, waving down the bartender.

A tall, thin woman approached with hair pulled back in probably the tightest ponytail I’d ever seen, but she looked sleek in her white dress shirt, black vest, and black skirt. It seemed overly dressy for an airport bar and she’d likely freeze when she finally made it out of here after her shift.

She slapped two napkins onto the bar in front of us. “What can I get you, gentlemen?” Her tone was bored, and I could tell she was so over the chaos going around her.

“I’ll take a mojito please, and I’ve got whatever he wants covered.” I dropped my card on the bar.

Emmett scoffed, ordering a drink. “I’ll take an old-fashioned, please.” The bartender nodded before grabbing bottles and mixers and getting to work making our drinks. I turned my attention to Emmett and rested my side against the bar while waiting.

“You don’t want to let me buy you a drink?”

“I can buy my own drinks.”

I chuckled at his resistance. “I didn’t say you couldn’t. I was trying to cheer you up. You seemed kind of bummed about being stuck here longer. Airports aren’t always the most amusing place to hang out.”

“Not my first choice, no,” he answered as our drinks landed on the napkins in front of us.

Chapter Three

Emmett

Ihadtogiveit to Cody for trying. It wasn’t like I wanted to be an asshole to the guy. I didn’t even want to be traveling to begin with, but Aunt Sadie would be heartbroken if I would force her to spend this first holiday alone. It was bad enough that I’d left her on her own for Thanksgiving.

I jumped and my heartrate picked up as joyful Christmas music kicked up from a piano nearby. A smiling family gathered around an older gentleman who worked the keys consisting of a younger couple and an older couple. The younger couple sang along to the Christmas tunes being played. It made something inside me ache to see them all so happy. They were making the most out of this unpleasant situation, I couldn’t even happily let an attractive man buy me a drink.

Cody turned to watch the singing family in the bar with his cocktail grasped in hand. I smirked at the little lime wedge and mint leaf sticking out of the top. He didn’t strike me as a froo-froo drink type of guy, but I couldn’t pass that type of judgment on someone I’d just met.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked innocently enough. It seemed odd that he was so interested in my thoughts, but he came across as genuinely curious.

I grabbed my drink from the bar and turned to watch as they shifted to a quieter tune about tales of silent nights and babies sleeping in a manger. I took a tentative sip, savoring the bitter sting, and contemplating how to answer him. He was a flight attendant, and it wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. I could tell him a little bit of myself.

“Aunt Sadie is all I have. I mean, I have more, but they don’t really want much to do with me. Her either for that matter.”

That seemed to catch his interest as he sucked his drink through a straw with his eyes focused solely on me, giving me his full attention. I chewed my lip for a moment before releasing it and heaving a shaky breath. It wasn’t often I talked about my family situation and it was a million times weirder to do it with a stranger.

“My parents died when I was fourteen.” He let out a gasp while his hand landed on my knee, giving it a soft squeeze. I shuddered slightly at the contact, mostly because I wasn’t totally used to people touching me out of the blue. However, the touch wasn’t completely unwelcome. Warmth spread from the point of contact.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

I chuckled softly because if he’d let me talk, I’d tell him the entire story. “They went out to dinner one night. It was their anniversary. They didn’t get out much because I was a punk ass kid, always getting into trouble. On their way home, some asshole decided he was fine to drive after having a few too many drinks…” I trailed off and the grip on my knee tightened.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry,” he said, which sounded genuine. He released my knee and turned to the bar, setting his almost empty drink down. I oddly missed the contact immediately. “So why Aunt Sadie? What does the rest of your family have against you or her?”

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