Page 43 of Finding Lexie
She ducked her head and buried her nose in the petals, then smiled up at him. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Of course,” Midas told her, then gently pulled her hair out of the lei. The petals were chilly against her neck, but it was the feel of his fingers against her skin that made her break out in goose bumps
“Your stuff should be on carousel three,” he said, reaching for her with one hand, and her small carry-on suitcase with the other.
Lexie couldn’t stop smiling as they walked through the airport side-by-side. It was silly, but she’d never been met at the airport before. She’d always gathered her own bags and made her way to the taxi line to go to whatever accommodations Food For All had made for her. She could get used to this. Very used to it.
And that made Lexie a bit nervous. It would be beyond painful if things with her and Midas didn’t work out. She knew he would set a high bar for any future boyfriends she might have. He already had with his emails and phone calls, meeting her at the airport, the lei.
Shit, maybe this wasn’t the best idea after all.
“I know you’re probably exhausted, so I put off the guys and their big ‘welcome to Hawaii’ party they’ve planned for you.”
Lexie blinked. “What?”
“They’re excited that you’re here. Not as happy as I am, but close. So they planned a barbeque on the beach to welcome you to town. Aleck’s condo complex has a great private beach and grills we can use. And Elodie agreed to cook for us, not that it was hard to convince her. It’s gonna be this weekend instead, on Saturday afternoon. Is that okay? If not, we can reschedule. I told them you’d have to check in with your bosses here and see what your schedule is like.”
Lexie’s mind was spinning. “Um…wow. Okay.”
“What’s wrong? Is it too much? The guys can be a bit…enthusiastic sometimes. And we tend to come up with any excuse to get together during our downtime. If you don’t want to—”
“I do,” she reassured him quickly. “It’s just that I’ve never had a welcome party before.”
Midas smiled down at her. “I’m glad I can be your first.”
Shit, that sounded so dirty coming from his mouth, but Lexie merely smirked.
“Ha. Sorry. That sounded perverted,” he said as they approached the baggage carousel. He let go of her suitcase and pulled her into him again. Lexie landed against his chest with a small oof. He grinned. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“Me either,” she said as she rested her hands on his chest.
His grin faded as he got serious. “I’m so damn thankful though. This isn’t casual for me. I know it’s fast, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I left that ship. I’ve loved every conversation we’ve had, and I’ve lived for your messages and emails. You’re different, Lexie. I don’t know why, but you are.”
She swallowed hard. How he knew she needed reassuring, she had no idea. But then again, maybe he didn’t, and was just as nervous as she was about this. But she appreciated him not beating around the bush and saying exactly what he was thinking. It was refreshing, and she hoped it boded well for their relationship.
“Same for me. I was nervous about what I was going to do after Somalia. Without you and the lady from Food For All, who basically held my hand as far as telling me what would happen next and helping me with the media, I’m not sure what I would’ve done.”
“You would’ve figured it out, I have no doubt,” Midas told her. “And the few interviews you did were perfect. You did an amazing job in condemning the kidnappers, while still bringing to light the plight of the less fortunate around the world. Your organization should be very proud of you.”
Lexie shrugged self-consciously. “You were there. You saw how desperately the people want to provide for their families and live a life without constantly having to worry about corruption, where their next meal is coming from or having a roof over their heads. I don’t agree with kidnapping for profit, but I understand it.”
“Well, there will be no kidnappings here in paradise,” Midas said firmly.
“Good,” Lexie said.
They stood there staring at each other for a long moment, ignoring the hubbub of people chattering around them.
“Mustang was right,” Midas said after a moment.
“About what?”
“He said if things were going to work out, they’d work out.”
Lexie scrunched her nose. “Um…that sounds like a vague saying people put inside fortune cookies.”
Midas laughed, and Lexie could only stare up at him. He was so damn good-looking, even more when he laughed. And she was in his arms. Damn, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
“That’s basically what I told him. But, here you are.”
