Even though I was still so angry, I needed to have her like my life depended on it. I pushed my seat back as far as it would go and lifted her on top of me. Too worked up to even speak, I told myself I would let her breathing and body continue to guide me, to let me know it was okay to do this.

When Kendall began to grind desperately over my painfully hard cock, I knew there was no going back. When she suddenly lifted her skirt so that it was up by her waist, I unzipped my pants and within seconds she bore down onto me. The feeling of sinking into her hot, wet pussy after all this time, was like nothing I’d felt before. I hadn’t ever gone this long without sex, and I’d never been separated from someone who I truly loved. Those two things combined made this different from anything I’d ever experienced.

It was frantic.

It was unstoppable.

It was totally inappropriate in an airport parking garage.

It was beyond hot.

It lasted under a minute.

When I felt her spasm around me, I shot my load inside of her, hoping that she was on the pill but not caring enough about the risk to stop. It felt too good. She stayed on top of me for a while before making her way back into the driver’s seat. Still panting and exhausted, we both leaned our heads back and stared at each other with looks that screamed, “What the fuck just happened?”

She was the first to speak as she adjusted her clothing. “I needed to figure out who I was, Carter, aside from rich bitch Kendall Sparks from Dallas, Texas. I wasn’t ready for a baby. I wasn’t ready for anything. I needed to grow up. When you met me, I was still such a confused person. The time alone has helped me to grow. I’ve been miserable. And that has taught me that this isn’t the kind of life I really want long term. But for now, it’s served its purpose. What I also know is that there hasn’t been one moment where I regretted having no money. That inheritance all went to charity as my grandfather promised it would. And you know what? I couldn’t be happier about that. The money wouldn’t have made me happy. It wouldn’t have changed anything. The only thing it would have done was keep my mother’s ass at home when it should be out working like everyone else.”

I needed to know. “Have you been with anyone all this time?”

“No. No, I haven’t.” She swallowed. “Have you?”

“No. I couldn’t. Even though I thought you were gone forever, I still couldn’t. But I’m so fucking angry, Kendall. I’m angry that you left me, that you didn’t believe in me enough to stick it out. I’m angry that the past eleven months of hell were basically for nothing. But what angers me the most is that despite all that…I get it. And I still fucking love you so much.” Cupping her cheek, I finally admitted, “I went to Maria Rosa, too. Just like you, I was desperate. The message she gave me was, ‘’A resposta está no céu.’ You know what that means?”

“No.”

“The answer is in the sky.”

Kendall’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding?”

“No. I took it as having something to do with Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Because of that message, I went to Lucy’s grave, cried my eyes out. I’d never visited her once. As much as it was painful, it gave me the bit of closure that was desperately needed. The timing of that trip, which broke up my normal routine, put me in New York at the exact same time that I spotted you in the airport. I would have never seen you otherwise.”

“We both got the same message.”

“Neither of us would be here right now if it weren’t for those words. Maria gave us a road map back to each other. We interpreted it in our own ways, took different routes, but ended up here. It’s up to us now to figure out the next leg of the journey, whether that’s together or apart.”

WE’D BOTH BEEN QUIET the entire drive to my apartment. It was only ten miles, but traffic gave me more than a half-hour to think. Carter was looking out the window, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. After our parking lot frenzy, I’d asked him if he wanted to come home with me. It surprised me that his immediate response wasn’t yes. He’d actually suggested that perhaps it was better for him to stay at a hotel in order to give us both some time. But I’d talked him into spending the night at my place. And now…I was beginning to realize it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. My head was spinning thinking about everything that had transpired over the last two hours. Especially what it meant for us from here.

I pulled the SUV into my designated parking spot and broke our silence. “It’s not as homey as Silver Shores, but this is where I live.”

Carter looked at the sign on the lawn. “The Charleston Chew Lofts, huh? Pretty sure no one at Silver Shores can eat Charleston Chews. Those things were always killer on the teeth. I chipped a baby tooth eating a frozen one once. Probably tougher on dentures.”

“The building is actually the old Charleston Chew Candy factory. It was converted into condos but still has a lot of the original factory details, like exposed brick and wooden beams. My place is small, only a studio that I can barely afford now that I’m a working girl, but the building has a great rooftop deck that I spend a lot of time on.” I pointed up to the top of the building. “I’ve spent hours staring up at the sky and thinking over the last few months.”

I had been looking up at my apartment building, and when I turned to Carter, I realized he had been staring at me. “What?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

Carter took our bags, and I led the way to my place. In the elevator, it felt almost surreal to be standing next to him again. Over the last year, I’d often dreamed of him being here with me. So it wasn’t surprising that I was currently feeling like I was in the middle of a hazy fantasy rather than reality. Which is probably why when the elevator doors opened on the third floor, I didn’t move.

“Is this your floor? You pushed three when we got in.”

“Oh. Yes. Sorry.”

I fumbled with my keys when I unlocked the door to my apartment. Once inside, I spun around holding my hands out. “This is your tour. You can pretty much see most of the place from here.”

Carter set our bags down and looked around. “Very nice. It’s modern but warm. It suits you.”

“Thank you. My neighbors on both sides work at the airlines, too. Gabby is in 310; she’s a flight attendant at Delta. Max in 314 is a pilot at American. We barbeque together once in a while on the rare occasion that our schedules are in sync.”