The Missing Heir(123)

                Cole had expected to hear from her. He’d expected her to                     understand his logic and like his solution. But it was Monday morning and there                     hadn’t been a single word. Luca had called Destiny, but even she didn’t                     respond.

                It was late last night when he’d had the epiphany. Amber didn’t                     want to be brought in at the end of the discussion. She wanted, needed and                     deserved to be a part of any decision involving Zachary. She also needed to be                     part of any decision involving Cole.

                He knew he was in love with her, completely and forever. That                     meant they’d be partners, completely and forever. So long as he could convince                     her to forgive him.

                He wheeled his SUV into the terminal parking lot at the Juneau                     airport and turned to Zachary strapped into the car seat behind him.

                “Got another trip in you?” he asked.

                “Gak,” said Zachary.

                Cole grinned. “I’m going to take that as a yes.”

                He extracted Zachary, opened the hatchback to retrieve the                     small duffel bag he’d thrown together this morning. They were catching a                     scheduled flight, a big, fast jetliner that would get them to Seattle and then                     Atlanta as quickly as possible.

                He balanced Zachary on one hip and lifted the duffel bag with                     his other hand, elbowing the hatchback closed. “Let’s go get her, buddy.”

                It was a short walk to the main terminal entrance.

                Cole would normally just hop in the back of the plane, not                     particularly caring about amenities. But with Zachary in tow, he’d gone with a                     first-class ticket. He’d been up most of the night figuring out his problems,                     and he hoped both of them could sleep for a few hours on the way.

                He crossed the lobby toward the check-in lineups.

                “Cole?” came a soft, familiar voice.

                He stopped dead, not believing it could be true.

                But when he turned, there she was, less than five feet away.                     She was smiling and her blue eyes shone. His heart lurched in his chest.

                “Amber.” He was in front of her in two strides, dropping the                     duffel bag to the floor.