A Wonderful Kind of Love (Kinds of Love 2)

Using every ounce of self-will in her body, she pulled away from him. “Go. Have a safe trip.”

He kissed her cheek one last time before quickly hurrying through the gate and walking up to the jet's stairs. She watched as he climbed the stairs with Craig right behind him. He turned at the top and waved before disappearing into the airplane.

A tear trickled down her cheek. What if it happened again?

She couldn't stand there and watch it take off. She hated that she had even come here. This was a horrible idea, and she should have just said goodbye in the hotel. The memories of her parents assaulted her from every side.

The parking lot where she parked to drop them off. The way they waved and laughed as they carried their bags to the small plane. The smell of asphalt and fuel. The hum and throb of airplane engines as they took off and landed.

It was too much.

Laura ran past the car and into the airport. She knew there was a restaurant with a bar right off to the left of the entrance. She needed a drink, or she was going to have a meltdown. She didn't feel like she could keep it together without something to dull the pain of her memories.

“I need a shot,” she told the bartender. “I don't care what. Anything. I just need something.”

The bartender raised his eyebrows, but pulled out a glass and pulled a bottle from the shelf. He poured a nice splash of liquid into it. She didn't even wait for him to completely pull the bottle away before reaching for it and chugging it down.

Whiskey. It burned as it went down but she didn't care.

“Again.” She put the glass down, holding it in place while the bartender poured her another.

Behind her, she could hear the whine of a bigger plane's engines start. She assumed it was Ethan's jet, but she didn't want to look. She didn't want to look and see his plane take off. The last plane she'd watched take off had crashed and ruined her life.

She didn't want to do it again.

She chugged the second shot. It still burned like the first. “Again.”

“You okay, miss?” the bartender asked, pouring her a third.

“I have a problem with flying,” she replied. “My boyfriend is on a plane, and I'm freaking out a little.”

“We get that a fair amount around here,” he said. He put the bottle away. “Hopefully he doesn't have to fly much.”

Laura's heart sank.

Her boyfriend was a businessman in California. He was going to be flying all the freaking time. He couldn't just come and stay in Colorado. Even if he did relocate to the new R&D department, he would still have to fly back and forth until it was ready. There was no way flying wasn't a part of his life for the near future.

She downed the third shot. She felt sick to her stomach, and it wasn't bec

ause of the alcohol. She was going to have to do this again. And again. And again.

“You should have something to eat,” the bartender recommended, pushing a menu and some bar nuts towards her.

“I'm just going to go home,” she told him. She pulled out some bills and threw them on the bar. It was more than her bill would be, but she didn't want to wait around for the change. She just wanted to curl up under her blanket and forget the day.

Chapter 30

Laura

“Laura? Are you home?”

Laura cracked open an eye and pulled the pillow off her face. It smelled like whiskey. She groaned as she sat up. She'd fallen asleep and now felt terrible. Drunk sleep was the worst.

“I'm here, Dallas,” she said, moving slowly as she swung her feet to the floor. She glanced at the clock to see it was almost five. They'd gone over to a friend's house after school, but now it was almost dinner time.

Dallas' small face peeked around Laura's bedroom door as he looked for her.

“How was school?” Laura asked. She was just glad she wasn't hung over. Just exhausted, both physically and emotionally.