Priceless

Chapter 24: Family

He'd never denied his physical attraction to her, but for some reason it seemed more intense these past two weeks. Maybe it was just the anticipation of proposing, of officially making her his wife and not having boundaries anymore.

But they were in an airport, surrounded by people, so he settled for a quiet, "I guess it doesn't."

Her smile grew just a bit, satisfied by his answer. "You're right, it doesn't." Then she did kiss him, firm but gentle, as if punctuating her declaration.

The sound of Reba's voice had her pulling away all too soon.

"Enough kissy face for now. I've brought coffee!"

Nessa looked up, accepting the paper cup the redhead handed her, but she left her other hand tangled inside Thane's. "Thank you. What did you get me?"

Reba raised an eyebrow at Nessa. "It's almost October. What do you think I got you?"

"Pumpkin spice?" Nessa guessed with a hopeful smile.

"Of course!" her friend declared. "I even asked for extra whipped cream."

"Mmm, you know me well Reba."

Thane watched as she slipped her hand from his to take the top off her cup and sip at the pile of melting whipped cream. Once it was gone she took a long, slow pull of the coffee itself, closing her eyes with a satisfied smile.

Thane couldn't help but grin at her obvious love for the beverage. She glanced back at him, catching his amusement, asking, "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just watching you enjoy your coffee. Glad to see you so relaxed today."

She replaced the lid on her cup before giving a small shrug and meeting his gaze again. "I've decided to focus on the positives - seeing my siblings and my dad, introducing you to my family, and celebrating Reba and Bailey. I can't control what's inside my mom's heart or how that manifests, but I'm trusting God to give me what I need, when I need it."

"Amen to that!" Reba declared. "Who knows? Maybe a weekend at the Promised Land will change her as much as it changed us."

Nessa grunted her disagreement, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "And maybe I'll take up bull riding. Possible. But not probable."

Reba rolled her eyes at Nessa's dramatics, but Bailey studied her with a critical eye. "I dunno. If I was going to put my money on a cowgirl going all eight seconds, it would be you Nessa. And I bet you could do it without a tire iron."

Thane and Reba both laughed, but Nessa merely gave Bailey a smile. "Why, thank you Bailey. Still isn't gonna happen."

Bailey shrugged, letting it drop as Nessa turned to look at Thane. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Thane shook his head. "Nope. When our kids ask how we met, your threat with the tire iron will be the first story I tell."

She stilled at the mention of children, the idea obviously not one she'd considered. It was a topic they hadn't discussed, but then they hadn't actually discussed getting married either. It had all been rolled up in assumption when he asked her stay - in Colorado and with him.

He sat up, leaning in to press a kiss to her temple. "Don't panic Bug. We have lots of time to talk about it."

She didn't have a chance to respond as Reba announced, "They're here!"

The topic of kids forgotten, Nessa and Thane stood as one to search the crowd for familiar faces. She spotted Reba's parents, pointing them out, as well as her grandparents and some extended family. As the large group weaved towards them through the mass of people, Thane wondered if they'd had the entire plane to themselves.