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This is it. I’m going to pass out.

I’m going to die.

Then, suddenly, the thrust cuts out. The jet grinds to an abrupt, unexpected halt right on the taxiway.

What is happening?

My mind instantly leaps to the absolute worst-case scenario. Mechanical failure? Engine fire? We’re going to crash before we even leave the ground. Sheer panic rips through me so violently and I begin to shriek. I can barely keep my eyes open through the blinding haze of spots.

“Lexi!” The deep, panicked shout echoes down the center aisle. Yet it barely cuts through the roar of my pulse rushing in my ears. The sound of footsteps sprinting down the thinly carpeted floor approach, fast and heavy. Before I can process what’s happening, a pair of large, warm hands grab my shoulders.

In a flash, the metallic click of my seatbelt echoes through the air. Strong arms reach beneath me, easily lifting my hyperventilating body out of my seat and pulling me straight onto a broad, solid lap.

“I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you,” Sam rasps, his voice is shaking. He pulls me tight against his chest, wrapping his massive arms around my trembling frame like an impenetrable shield.

“I’m so sorry. Oh god, Lex, I’m so, so sorry. I’m here. I’m right here.”

I bury my face into the crook of his neck, clinging to his shirt like I’m drowning, and he’s my lifeline. Part of me wants to fight it. I don’t want to need anyone. Him most of all. But his permanent scent of cedar, grapes, and rich earth envelope me. They instantly anchor me to the physical world when everything else is spinning out of control.

Sam cradles the back of my head, rocking me gently as I sob into his neck. His heart is hammering a frantic, matching rhythm against my cheek. He whispers endless, desperate apologies into my hair.

He continues holding me so tightly it feels as though he’s trying to physically stitch my shattered nerves back together. It takes more than a few long, agonizing minutes before the spots in my vision begin to fade. Eventually, the constriction in my chest eases into stuttering, shallow breaths.

Once my breathing finally stabilizes, Sam gently shifts me so I’m resting securely against him. He turns toward the front of the plane, raising his voice to call out to the cockpit.

“Captain? Can you give us just a few moments, please? Let me know when we’re cleared to get back underway.”

“No problem, Mr. Lee,” a professional voice replies from the cabin speaker. “We’ll hold on the taxiway until you give the word. Then I’ll update once we’re cleared for takeoff.”

Sam turns his focus entirely back to me. His deep blue eyes are brimming with an intense, agonizing emotion I can’t decipher. I hate that I’m so relieved to see his dumb face.

He envelopes my face in his large hands, his thumb gently wiping away the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Listen to my voice, Lex,” he whispers, his forehead resting gently against mine. “We’re going to do this together. I want you to count down with me. Five, four, three, two, one… Once you get to one, immediately tell me one thing you’re excited about for this trip. Focus on that. Not the fear.”

I swallow hard, my throat feeling like sandpaper. “The… the keynote speech,” I reply, my voice cracking. “I’m excited to stand in front of everyone and show them all I’m worthy of this.”

“Yes. Exactly. Because you are. And I can’t wait to watch it happen.” A fierce smile curls the corners of his lips. “You’re going to crush it. And I’m going to be sitting right there in the front row, holding your bag, and watching my wife shine. I’m not leaving your side for a single second of this trip. I swear it.”

I peer up at him, the hurt from earlier still burning beneath the surface of my relief. “You weren’t at the restaurant, Sam. You left me sitting there.”

His face contorts with genuine pain and remorse. “I know. I know. And I’m so fucking sorry, Lex.”

Sam takes a deep inhale, running his hand down his face. “Right before I was supposed to pick you up, Gavin called me. He was in complete hysterics. I nearly lost my mind. All I could think about was trying to help him in some way. Without having any time to consider it fully, I was overwhelmed with a fatherly need to protect him. I can’t explain it.” He looks away, his face drawn tight with emotion.

He turns back to me with a wry smile, that sexy dimple blinking at me beneath his scruff. “Once I arrived, I found him hiding behind a bush near Elm Street buck-ass naked because he had to jump out a girl’s window when her dad came home.”

A tiny, involuntary twitch hits the corner of my mouth despite everything, but I force it down. I can actually picture it. The thought comes to mind that the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“I had to go rescue him,” Sam continues, his voice completely vulnerable. “Lex… I felt like I was finally being handed an opportunity to build a real bridge with my son. I wanted to step up and do the fatherly thing. But I panicked. I got so caught up in the chaos and the aftermath of what happened, I didn’t call you. By the time I got home to tell you everything, you were gone.”

I drop my head. Remembering the pain of that night.

“I made a massive mistake. But I swear to you, Lex, you’re never second best. Not to anyone. Not ever. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way.” He tightens his grip on my waist, looking deep into my eyes. The sincerity I find residing there takes my breath away.

“I was proud he called me. That I had an opportunity to be there for him when he’d never had a father figure step up before. But it should’ve never been at your expense.”

His eyes hold mine. “I’ve made too many mistakes by not talking to you. Telling you everything.” Sam’s voice comes out broken, chipped away by the depth of his emotion. “I should’ve called right away to let you know Gavin was in trouble and needed my help.” He looks away for a moment, as if remembering the anxiety of that night. “He sounded so desperate… well, I wasn’t sure what I’d find once I got there. I wasn’t thinking straight. But it’s no excuse. I promise you, I’ll never let that happen again.”

Sitting in his lap, wrapped in his warmth as the jet’s engines slowly begin to spin back up, I want so desperately to believe him. Maybe it’s my history with this man.