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“Call me when you get in,” he said.

“It’ll be late.”

“I’ll be up. Sleep can wait.” His hand settled at her waist. “Call me.”

“All right. I will.” She smoothed the front of his sweatshirt. Friday. She’d see him Friday. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you more. Come here.”

Nicole went up on her toes to kiss him, and she let herself have a few more seconds before she got in the boarding line. Just before handing over her pass, she looked back. Drew was still there. He lifted his hand, and she smiled at him and turned toward the jetway.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Nicole spotted her father before he spotted her. At six foot eight, he wasn’t hard to find, even with a crowd around him, his head sticking up over all the people holding out boarding passes and scraps of paper for him to sign. He was posing for a picture with a woman who had both hands wrapped around his arm. Even after the flash went off, the woman seemed in no hurry to let go.

Nicole shifted her purse higher on her shoulder and waited beside a row of empty seats. The terminal had quieted down for the night, but passengers coming off her flight slowed when they recognized him, and a few joined the crowd. Her father signed one autograph and reached for another while someone called his name. She knew better than to expect him to get through an airport unnoticed, but she was tired and ready to have him to herself.

When he finally spotted her, his smile widened. “There’s my baby. Y’all excuse me.” He handed back a pen and started toward her, but another man stepped forward with a camera, asking for just one picture.

An airport security officer reached them before her father could answer. “Let’s keep this walkway clear, folks. Give him some room.”

The officer moved people back while her father thanked them and worked his way out, shaking one last hand. Nicole was already smiling as she went to meet him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest while he hugged her tight. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hey, Cole.” He kissed the top of her head. “You all right?”

“Mm-hmm. Just glad to be off that plane.” She hugged him a little tighter before letting go. Talking on the phone was fine, but she’d missed her dad.

“Let’s get your bag,” he said.

On the way to baggage claim, he asked about the flight. By the time they collected her suitcase and reached his new Mercedes G-Wagen, she was ready to take her boots off. Nobody sold G-Wagens in the States, which was exactly why he’d had one shipped over from Germany.

Cold air got under her coat while he put her bag in the back, and she climbed in. With the heat on and the radio low, she settled against the seat. There wasn’t much traffic now, and she watched the road for a while before her eyes started to close.

At the Ritz-Carlton, her father led her upstairs. Nicole had known where they were going, but following him into a hotel suite still felt strange. She’d been picturing him here for weeks, wondering what his evenings were like without anybody else around. Now there were his reading glasses beside a copy of Golf Digest, his jacket over the back of a chair, and another bedroom waiting for her down the short hall.

“You’ve got your own bathroom,” he said, setting her suitcase inside. “Need anything, let me know.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

He kissed her forehead, and she caught his hand before he could go.

“Good night, Dad.”

“Good night, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”

Nicole slipped out of her coat and tugged off her boots. She’d told Drew she would call when she got in, and tired as she was, she wanted to hear his voice. He answered, sounding half asleep.

“Hey,” Nicole said, leaning back against the pillows. “Did I wake you?”

“No. I was waiting up for you.”

A yawn followed, and she smiled. “Liar.”

His laugh came out low and sleepy.

“Your parents get in okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, they got here earlier. They’re staying at a hotel in town.” The line went quiet long enough that she thought he might’ve fallen asleep on her. “Nicole?”