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With his briefcase secured, he rolled off the jetway and into the airport. Though there was no activity at the departure gates, a number of passengers appeared to be setting up camp for the night. Outside, the airport lights glowed in a whiteout of blowing snow.
By the time Liam made it to the baggage claim area, his was almost the only suitcase left on the belt. He maneuvered to retrieve it and attached it to the luggage hook on his chair. Then he rolled toward the elevator, heading up to the level that exited to the parking garage.
He was almost out the airport door when he heard a female voice call his name. “Liam! Wait!”
His heart somersaulted inside his ribcage as he twisted to look over his shoulder. “Carly?”
She ran and caught up with him, breathless. Tears streaked her face, black smudges under her eyes.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“They don’t have a car for me! I reserved it weeks ago, but they gave it away. And I can’t get another one. And there aren’t any hotel rooms open, because no one can fly out.” She wiped her face on her sleeve. “So I thought maybe you could ask your friend if—”
“Of course, you can stay at Bran’s place. His house is huge. It’s an estate.” Adrenaline flooded him. He had another chance.
“Oh, thank you!” Her arms flew out like she was going to hug him, then jerked back. “Sorry. I could’ve hurt you. I was so stressed I wasn’t thinking.”
“You can’t hurt me.” Liam reached out and caught her hand, tugging her back. “I think you need a hug right now, and my arms still work.”
“Thank you so much.” She relaxed against him, in all her softness. “I did need this.”
He moved his hands on her back in soothing strokes, eternally grateful that he’d chosen his most streamlined chair for this trip. Only the padded strap below his hips came between them. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I was so looking forward to this trip, and it’s all ruined.” She pulled away and wiped her face with both hands like she was disgusted with her tears. “I don’t usually cry like this. I mean, I hardly ever do. I’m always in control.”
“We all have a breaking point.” He patted her shoulder, thinking he preferred when she was weeping in his arms. “Yours is when your fall-colors tour turns into sleeping on the floor of the airport during a blizzard.”
Her lips made a shaky smile that tugged on something inside his chest. “What’s yours?”
He thought for a moment. Determined to let nothing get him down, he always pushed himself hard. He rarely allowed himself to break. But what frustrated him the most was when he was forced to admit his limitations.
“Mine is when something I really want is beyond my reach, no matter what I do.”
And it might be even worse when it’s not some-thinghe wanted, but some-one. Which was how he was beginning to feel about Carly.
* * *
The roads were already pilingup with snow, so what should’ve been a thirty-minute drive was taking twice as long. Once they turned off the main highway, Liam put the car in four-wheel drive. With blowing snow frosting over the road signs, finding Bran’s house would’ve been impossible without his maps app.
“I’m so glad you’re driving.” Carly struggled out of her coat and disentangled herself from the shoulder strap. “I would be a nervous wreck driving in this snow.”
His pride warmed at her trust in his abilities. “Some people are edgy knowing I’m driving without my feet.”
“That’s just dumb!” She huffed, as if she were offended for his sake. “Do you have to put up with a lot of that sort of stuff? People being prejudiced against you?”
She sounded almost as bitter about it as he’d once been. And for some reason, he liked the idea. Maybe because his own family had acted more ashamed than defensive. As if people were right to shun him and assume he could no longer contribute to society.
Except his sister, Kiera. Five years his senior, she was the only one who’d refused to treat him differently after the accident. He still remembered the day he’d finally had to accept that he would never walk again. He’d called her on the phone, depressed and devastated.
Her response?“This sucks, but you can’t let it defeat you. You’re still the same Liam you always were. The guy I’m proud to call my brother. Don’t lose that guy!”
Her words had stuck with him, even though he hadn’t found the strength to act on them until he met the guys at camp. Maybe that’s what he was feeling toward Carly. She must remind him of his sister.
But I wasn’t thinking brotherly thoughts when I had her in my arms.
“I deal with prejudices, for sure. Some people can only see the physical—the outside—when what really matters is the inside.”
“I know what you mean.” She sounded so earnest and sincere, as if she truly wanted to relate to him. “I tell myself it doesn’t matter what other people think, but sometimes it’s hard.”
