here in a few minutes after we do the safety inspections.”
“Please call me when you have her.” His stomach heaved saying that. He wanted to take that flight with him. Wave to everyone and get right back in his seat.
He could.
Sabine felt like a missing piece of him he needed to feel whole. And without her, he’d have a gaping space in his chest. But they had different goals. Different dreams. And they’d said their goodbye. He’d just be prolonging things.
A whiff of perfume hit him. “Grayson?”
He turned around. “Hey, Lexi.”
“I’m so glad to see you.” She jumped in his arms and all the feelings of home rushed through him.
Funny how she was the one who couldn’t wait. She was the one who climbed into the plane. Like maybe she knew he’d be thinking about leaving again.
“Will you put down my wife and get off the damn plane already?” Luke said from the top of the airstairs.
“Jesus, you’re bossy,” Gray said, but he did put Lexi down.
In a surprise move, Luke rushed to him and grabbed him. His fists closed tightly around his shirt. “You scared the hell out us, you little prick.”
“I missed you, too.” He exhaled.
Yeah, he was home.
“Come on. You need to meet Abbi.” Lexi pulled him off the plane.
It was hard to believe she was nine months old and he’d not held her yet.
“Wait, guys, congrats. You’re having a baby! That’s fantastic.” He smiled at Lexi, then Luke.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging her husband. “We want you to be the godfather.”
“I’d be honored.” He meant that because Lexi had a brother, Theo, a New York City firefighter who’d been hanging out at the hotel. Gray had only met the guy briefly, but Theo was a good man, more deserving of the honor since he hadn’t taken off and scared the shit out of everyone. “Who’s the godmother?” He figured Laney since Luke and Lexi were Abbi’s godparents.
Luke and Lexi exchanged confused glances. “We didn’t think about that,” Luke, said with shrug.
“You’ll be enough of an uncle to be both,” Lexi added.
Luke being Luke, he went down the airstairs first, fixing his suit jacket. Lexi on his six, holding her husband’s hand.
It made him miss Sabine even more. She was his someone special. The one who saved him when he was running on fumes.
Tristan gathered his daughter in his arms and holding Laney’s hand, they met him halfway across the tarmac. God, that little face. The next Hart generation. He had no doubt all the kids his brothers would have would be loved and adored. Not left empty like he and his brothers had by their absent father.
That made him smile, taking Abbi into his arms. “Hey there, cutie pie. I was told you look just like me.” He brought her to his chest. That baby smell. Oh, so sweet.
“Who told you that?” Laney asked him, rubbing her daughter’s back.
“Um...”
“Let me guess. Sabine?” Lexi said with a smirk, like she saw right through him.
“Something you want to tell us?” Tristan looked over his shoulder at the jet. “Anyone else coming off the plane?”
“No. But I do have a surprise. Or something to tell you all. It’s the reason I wouldn’t come home. Or couldn’t come. When you wanted me to.” Holding Abbi, it felt right to spill his good news. “I’m gonna be joining the show, Hottie Hall.”
Silence. Uh oh.
“The show where all the college professors are ex-models??” Laney asked with the typical excitement the Emmy-award winning comedy got all the time.
He still couldn’t believe he got the fucking part!
“That’s the one.” His chest felt light and heavy at the same time because he wished that damn call had come in an hour sooner. Then he could have celebrated with Sabine. Matthew had asked for permission to start spreading the news about him joining the show. As soon as Sabine stepped off the plane in L.A., she’d know. And hopefully, be happy for him.
Matthew Trainor hadn’t just told him he got the job. He told him why he got the part. All the good he saw in Gray’s performance in A Day to Die, and agreed he’d been the victim of a PR hit job. Matt gushed at him. Fan-Boyed all over him. Went on and on how he had Gray in mind when the writers created the character.
Then he offered to sign him for three seasons of work.
His character, the new science professor on campus was the breath of fresh air the show needed after two