“I’m flying out with Amelia and Slade. You need to pick a place where I can come and get you. If you have any indication that they’ll be on the lookout for us at the airport, let us know and we’ll change our plans in a hurry.”
“What if Amelia comes to meet me at a restaurant instead? There’s a place called the Wildcat Café. Hopefully, if anyone’s following me, they won’t think twice about me having dinner with a friend.”
“Okay, though it’s going to kill me to be so close to you and not be able to see you. I’ll stay with Slade.” And pray this worked out all right. “What about your car?”
“I could have Sheri drop me off at the restaurant and tell her I was going with Amelia to do something after dinner. I’ll call Amelia by some other name though. I hate lying to Sheri about any of this, but I can’t tell her what’s really going on. I’m afraid Kintail would force it out of her if he suspected anything.”
“What if Sheri wants to join you for the meal?” David asked.
“Actually, she could. It might even seem more natural if we all went out to eat together and then I left to do something with Amelia, telling Sheri that Amelia will drop me off at home afterward.”
“Sounds good.” He told her the flight times to the various airports, then they said another rushed goodbye. But this time the goodbye was tinged with hope because their next hello wouldn’t be over the phone.
It would be in each other’s arms.
* * *
“I’m so sorry about her grandmother, but I’m damn glad Elizabeth is coming back with us. And if she decides she can’t live with you, there’s always me,” Slade said to David, smiling.
Amelia shook her head. “You’d better not even think of it, Slade. I don’t want to be on the outs with the whole pack because of you stealing the woman away.”
Slade laughed. “As if that would ever happen. I’m just glad David and Elizabeth can finally work something out between the two of them if it’s meant to be.”
That was the thing. No matter how much David was sure it was, they wouldn’t really know for certain it was meant to be until they’d had the chance to be together in a normal setting. At least they’d have a playground—so to speak—in their backyard where they could run to their hearts’ content when he wasn’t working. And a home they could make their own. And a pack where she knew most of the members already, members who loved her. Maybe he had nothing to worry about. Maybe her transition to his pack, his life, would be easy for her.
Maybe everything would be just fine.
They loaded up the plane, and it wasn’t long before they were heading to Winnipeg. Slade took the first shift, being more of a night owl. Amelia and David would get some sleep, but not until after he explained Elizabeth’s plan and Amelia’s role in it.
“Oh, I bet they’ll have bison burgers. I haven’t had any of those since we left Alaska,” Amelia said.
“Bring us some back, will you?” Slade asked. “I haven’t had one since then either.”
“Anyone watching might wonder why Amelia is taking a sack of burgers to go,” David said.
Slade sighed. “All right. But don’t you get yourself kidnapped by Kintail’s pack, Amelia, or Mom and Dad will have my head. And David’s too.”
Six hours later, they landed in Winnipeg, grabbed a quick bite, then refueled. Slade turned the pilot’s seat over to Amelia, his eyes already closing as he slumped next to David.
David called Elizabeth to see how she was doing. “Hey, how are you?”
“Nervous. And I can’t stop crying. I start to think I’m doing okay, then all of sudden I’m crying again.” She stopped and blew her nose, the sound loud and clear through the phone. “She’s already been cremated, so at least that’s done. I waited until morning, then told Sheri that my grandmother had died. She had practically adopted her. She’s upset because she loved her too. I didn’t tell anyone else, but you know how fast word spreads. I know Kintail will hear soon.”
“Okay, that’s to be expected, even though we hoped he wouldn’t learn about it until after you were well on your way out of there. What about a bag of your things? Your personal belongings?” David hadn’t even thought about that before now. He’d always thought someday they’d be together, and she could bring whatever she needed. Whatever she didn’t have, they’d just get in Ely.
“I’m going to need a whole new me. It’s not like I can pack a bag and bring it to dinner. Kintail would know for sure something was up. I did mail some documents and things to you just yesterday, thinking it was past time to do it. And I can fit some things into my purse, but when we get to your place, I’m going to have to go shopping.”
He smiled. “I’ll take you shopping for whatever you want or need.” He thought of texting Candice and seeing if she could run to the store for Elizabeth so she would have what she needed as soon as they got in, but decided against it. Elizabeth would probably want to pick out her own things. “This is really happening, Elizabeth. We’re on the next leg of our journey.” It was his turn for emotions to clog his voice.
“I know,” she said softly. “All right, I’m going to spread my grandmother’s ashes in her rose garden, though I’m going to bring some of her ashes with me to put in a memorial garden for her. Then Sheri’s coming over to have lunch and be with me for a while.”
“Don’t let on about anything. I know she’s your friend, but we have to be careful.”
“I won’t say a word, but she’s going to know something’s wrong if I don’t have her over. I won’t mention going to dinner with a friend until later, in case you don’t get in on time. It might seem odd if I kept delaying the time for dinner.”
“We need to come up with a story about who Amelia is and why she’s meeting with you—” David said.
“I was living in Alaska and met Elizabeth in Yellowknife once,” Amelia said.
David put the call on speakerphone. “Did you get that?”
“Yeah.”
“And I was going to be in the area again and wanted to see her.”
“That should work,” Elizabeth said. “We just need to come up with a reason you were in Yellowknife and how we met.”
“I’ll think about it while I’m flying.”
“All right.” Elizabeth sighed, more a sound of relief than anything else. “Thanks, Amelia. Love you, David.”
“I love you right back.”
“Guess that leaves me out of the running,” another male said.