Page 134 of After We Fall

“Maybe.” He glances outside. “It’s going to hold off.”

A small child runs in front of us, and we hitch back before he crashes into our legs.

A man rushes by. “Sorry! Little buddy doesn’t know what to think of it being so dark in the middle of the day. This weather is throwing everything off.”

Luke smiles and nods at the man, then looks back at me. “Go back. Your spreadsheets?”

I hold up a hand to count the list on my fingers. “Travel times, mealtimes, where to eat, when we’re meeting with people, transportation, backup transportation, backup to the backup transportation, confirmation emails, confirmation numbers, receipts, international travel insurance, health insurance—”

Luke goes from wide eyes to chuckles.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nuh-uh.” He holds a hand out in a “gimme” fashion. “What else is in this backpack?”

I huff, even though my heart’s not in it. “Well, if you must know, I have my migraine meds, extra malaria pills, a first-aid kit, over-the-counter anti-inflammatories, Kleenex packs, wet wipes, and extra socks.”

His eyes sparkle. “And . . .”

I slide my eyes to the side and mutter, “A clipboard.”

He all-out throws his head back and laughs, picks up an abandoned empty water bottle off the ground, and chucks it into a trash can a few feet away.

“I don’t know what’s funny.”

“You should by now.” He stalks toward me, a gleam in his eye. In one super-smooth move, he runs his hands over my shoulders, catching my backpack straps and gently sliding them down my arms to release the bag onto the floor. Then he wraps his arms around me and bends down to kiss me just a touch more than PDA might allow at an airport. But only for a quick few seconds. “You should know by now. You’re funny—”

I open my mouth to protest, but he continues. “And brilliant and generous and kind and oh so beautiful.” He kisses me quickly. “And you have done more packing and planning than I ever did for any trip that Robert and I went on.”

I blanch and pull back but stay in his arms. “What? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know,” he says with a chuckle. “Robert would call and tell me when and where we were going. He always had contacts. I always had my passport current so I could pack a duffel and go when he called.”

“That’s—” I’m dumbfounded. “That’s ridiculous.”

“No, baby.” He curls a strand of hair around my ear and looks at me with all the affection in the world. “That’s why I need you.”

“Oh.” Tears prick my eyes. “Oh, okay.”

Concern fills his face. “Penelope?”

I let my head fall on his chest and burrow into his heat. A few tears fall. After a couple of deep breaths, I look back to him, wiping at my cheeks.

“What just happened?”

“I was just trying to be a part of your life. See your world. I wanted it all to be perfect because you’ve spent so much time taking care of me. After the accident. After Marcus. I just wanted to be able to do something for you.” I lift up on my tiptoes and kiss the underside of his jaw.

He pulls me tightly to him, and I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze. But then something occurs to me. “Just out of curiosity”—I draw back—“what was your plan for this trip?”

He grins. “I was going to show up, find our contact, and figure it out from there.”

“That’s appalling.”

His shoulders shake with laughter. “It would have worked out.”

“How can you live like that?”

“I can’t wait to show you.” He leans down and kisses me.