Chapter 18 Traveling
Greyson was a whirlwind when it came to packing. Always in a rush, but this time, the destination was his old friend Brendan's wedding. He hadn't seen Brendan in ages and was surprised to learn Cassie was also on the guest list. As he sped towards the airport, a nagging question surfaced: How had he missed her? Or was he so consumed by his life with Viv that no one else mattered?
The realization landed in his chest like a lead weight. Had he truly been so blinded by a love that wasn't what he thought, that he’d overlooked someone truly remarkable standing right in front of him? The thought gnawed at him as he mechanically tossed clothes into his suitcase, his body acting on autopilot while his mind reeled with "what ifs" and regrets.
His phone buzzed just as he reached for his ride-share app.
"Greyson, thank God you picked up," Meagan's voice burst through, breathless and urgent.
"Meagan, I'm literally about to leave for the airport. What could possibly be so important—"
"Stop. Just stop and listen to me for once," she cut him off, her tone sharp enough to slice through his impatience. "I've watched you mope around for two days like a lovesick teenager, and I'm over it."
"I am not moping "
"You are absolutely moping, and it's about Cassie. Don't even try to deny it." Meagan's voice softened slightly, adopting the maternal tone she’d perfected over years of looking out for him. "Look, I know you're hurting from everything with Viv and the kids, but you can't let that stop you from going after what you want."
Greyson sank onto his suitcase, the wheels groaning under his weight. Meagan's words hit him like a punch. He had been moping, hadn't he? Haunting his apartment like a ghost, replaying every moment of that night with Cassie, dissecting every word, every look, every touch that had felt so right before everything went wrong.
"Meagan, it's complicated. I was just kissing Jenna after ghosting Cassie and my only son, Liam, is Jake's son by my dead ex-wife. And..."
"And you're making excuses."
Her voice hardened, shifting into the older-sister tone that had guided him through countless childhood scrapes and teenage heartbreaks.
"Jenna isn't the one, and you know it. You haven't even introduced her to the kids, for crying out loud. And as for Cassie, she needs someone who understands what she's going through right now."
The words stung because they were painfully true. He'd been leading Jenna on, using her as a comfortable distraction from the wreckage of his marriage. But with Cassie, everything felt different—raw, real, terrifying in its intensity.
"But the wedding..."
"Is exactly where you need to be. I was supposed to go with Cassie, remember? Well, I'm giving you my ticket. I'll handle things at the real estate company. The Morrison deal can wait, and I'll push the Patterson meeting to next week."
A fragile flutter of hope, like a butterfly's wing, stirred in Greyson's chest. "Meagan, I can't ask you to..."
"You're not asking. I'm telling you. Greyson, I've watched you drift through relationships for years, settling for 'good enough' instead of fighting for what you truly want. Don't let pride or fear or whatever this is stop you from going after her."
"What if she doesn't want me? What if I'm just projecting because we're both dealing with our own relationship disasters?" The vulnerability in his voice surprised him. He'd always been the one with answers, the one in charge, but Cassie had stripped away all his defenses.
"Then you'll find out. But at least you'll know, instead of spending the rest of your life wondering 'what if'." Meagan's voice softened, just as it had when she’d bandaged his scraped knees as a child. "You deserve to be happy, Greyson. Really happy. And from what I've seen, Cassie makes you laugh in a way I haven't heard in years."
As soon as he stepped onto the plane, he was ushered into first class, a jarring surprise. He usually stuck to business class, scoffing at first class as an unnecessary extravagance. This upgrade felt like a sign, though he wasn't sure if it was a good one or bad one. The 12-hour flight loomed, and he desperately needed to collect his thoughts, to figure out if these intense feelings for the woman he’d only just met the day before were real or just a reaction to recent events.
The plush leather seat swallowed him in unwanted luxury. He stared out the window as the plane ascended, watching his city shrink below. Each passing mile felt like a step into the unknown, a chance to either find something extraordinary or lose it forever.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him: they'd been moving in the same circles, yet he hadn't noticed her. Or perhaps his sister had deliberately kept them apart. Cassie wasn't just a good fit for him; she was the benchmark, the standard. The realization hit him like a gut punch. How many times had they been in the same room? How many conversations had they missed? How many moments had slipped by while he was focused on building a life with someone who was secretly dismantling it?
His relationship with Jenna was nothing more than a rebound. He was, frankly, growing bored with her. As much as he wanted to believe they were in a genuine relationship, it felt more like they were just fooling around. The fact that he hadn't even introduced her to his children as his girlfriend was a clear sign – he didn't trust her. The thought made him feel like a fraud, stringing along someone who deserved better while his heart clearly belonged elsewhere.
Cassie, on the other hand, seemed like the kind of person who would listen to both sides of a story, who would offer a fair chance to explain. But he was still reeling from what happened the other night, from that final goodbye. The memory of her walking away, the hurt in her eyes, the way she'd protected herself by rebuilding her walls—it all played on repeat in his mind.
There were no connecting flights; it was a direct journey, and from there, he'd take a ride-share to the hotel. Greyson fell asleep listening to albums he’d preloaded for travel, immersing himself in the music for the entire flight.
At some point, he forgot to plug in the plane's charger, and his phone died. Since he wasn't one for making new friends, and his mood was already sour from the previous night—and he couldn't reach the one person he desperately wanted to see—he decided to head to the airport lounge. The airport felt cold and impersonal, filled with strangers rushing to their own destinations, their own lives, their own second chances.
He was seated at a table for two, overlooking the bustling airport, when a familiar voice pierced through the din, making his heart skip a beat despite himself.
"Is it so hard to do what I asked? You had one job ,to give me a bottle of whatever I ordered because I don't want to keep ordering it, and you're not listening to me..."
Every fiber of his being, a primal sixth sense, knew who it was before he even scanned the room. His body recognized her presence before his mind caught up, like a tuning fork vibrating in response to the perfect pitch.
"Ma'am, we don't sell it by the bottle."
Greyson looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. She was here. Cassie, in the same lounge. Of all the airports, all the lounges, all the moments in time—she was here. The universe was either playing a cruel joke or handing him the opportunity he’d been praying for.
He walked over to her. The barman, visibly relieved, gave him a nod and left Cassie hanging.
"Cassandra Hunter."
Cassie spun around, her eyes widening in surprise before quickly veiling it with indignation.
"Are you following me? You're such a stalker. You're obsessed."
"No, I'm not. I'm about to take an Uber to a hotel for a wedding. And you're already causing a scene." But even as he spoke, he was taking her in disheveled in a way that somehow made her even more beautiful, vulnerable in a way that made his chest ache with the need to protect her.
"Am not!"
"Are too. I don't know why, but I care about you, and I'm not going to watch you embarrass yourself. You're better than this."
When Cassie looked up, everyone was staring at her. She never lost control or acted out of character, which was exactly what she was doing. She wasn't drunk, but she desperately wanted that bottle of expensive whiskey the waiter refused to serve her. The wave of shame hit her hard. She took a deep breath and offered a sheepish smile to the onlookers, a few of whom waved back. She turned to Greyson, who was pressing his lips together, trying hard not to laugh. She managed a small smile.
"I'm not doing okay, and I'm not in the right frame of mind. I was trying to get drunk, but since they won't serve me what I need, I might as well just go to the hotel by myself."
The raw, honest admission hung between them. Greyson felt something shift in his chest, a protective instinct so strong it surprised him.
"Misery loves company, and I'm just the right kind. Besides, we both found out things we weren't supposed to yesterday. And I can't believe we're in the same city and going to the same wedding. My sister was supposed to go with you, but she told me I should go instead. I haven't seen Brendan in a long time."
"Oh."
The single word carried the weight of understanding, of shared pain, of the strange cosmic joke that had brought them together when they both needed it most.
"I have a table for two, and I'm sitting alone."
Cassie remembered Jake was also invited, and the last thing she needed was for him to think she wasn't over him. The thought of facing him, of pretending to be fine when she was anything but, made her stomach clench with anxiety. She stood up with Greyson and followed him to his table. As soon as they sat down, a waiter brought him the burger he'd ordered.
"Fine. How did you get here?"
"My sister. Are you hungry?"
She looked at him and nodded. He cut the burger in half and handed a piece to Cassie. He signaled to the waiter for two glasses of cola.
"You just shared your food with me. No one's ever done that for me."
The simple statement broke something in Greyson's chest. How was it possible that no one had ever shown her such a basic kindness? Without thinking, without analyzing, he reached across the table and kissed her forehead. She felt a wave of warmth, a fuzzy feeling spreading through her, and for Greyson, it felt undeniably right, like coming home.
"Have you slept at all since the other night? I feel pretty bad about what I said. I wanted to come see you two days ago, which feels like yesterday, and my sister told you weren't home. Then she gave me her plane ticket."
Cassie swallowed her mouthful and washed it down with the cola. The simple meal tasted better than anything she'd eaten in days.
"I see. What about Jenna?"
"I seem to be crushing hard on someone I'm looking at right now, and they don't seem to notice it, so what I have with Jenna isn't the real thing. I think I might have fallen so hard for the person I'm looking at right now."
The words hung in the air between them, thick with electricity. Cassie felt her heart skip, felt the walls she'd built around herself begin to crumble despite her best efforts to keep them standing.
"I have the sudden urge to kiss you regardless of what's happened before, and it's something I need to fight because I've never lost control in public, and I'm not about to do that right now. So can we enjoy the meal and discuss your feelings for me a bit later?"
"I'm not a bad kisser. I've had practice. I am a good kisser, and according to the women I've slept with, I'm amazing in bed. But you know that because we have the urge to do something, and you won't act on it, so I'll respect your boundaries. On the other hand, I'm still reeling from finding out Liam, my only son, isn't my son and that he belongs to Jake, and that my wife cheated on me with her first love because I wasn't enough... so imagine how I'm feeling, and you telling me what you're telling me makes me feel a bit more rejected in a way."
The vulnerability in his voice, the way he laid his pain bare, made her heart ache. She could see the hurt in his eyes, the way he was trying to be strong while falling apart inside.
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not. What is it that you want to tell me?"
"Get over yourself and stop with the pity party. I'm knackered." But her voice was gentle, teasing rather than harsh.
"So am I, and for some odd reason, you're the only one that makes sense."
"Let's get out of here and get to the hotel. My car is waiting outside. You just saved me from making a bad decision; let me save you from logistical problems. Follow me."
Greyson paid for the meal, gathered his phone and luggage. As they both settled into the car, the intimate space making everything feel more intense, more real, Greyson spoke:
"Cassie, you're aware we're both going through something hard right now, and we shouldn't be making bad choices, especially in the state we're both in. I'm thankful you're around, and I hope I can be there for you as much as you've been for me."
"I understand."
Greyson took her hand, the simple contact sending warmth shooting up his arm, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The gesture felt so natural, so right, that it scared him how perfectly they fit together.
"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to find out what happened the way you did."
"I'm sorry too. Look on the bright side—at least we didn't crash a wedding."
She pulled back and looked at him, mischief dancing in her eyes for the first time since he'd found her in the lounge.
"I have an idea."
"I'm listening."
"Let's pretend to be guests at different weddings. I've never done that before."
"Not everyone knows who we are."
"You're a bad influence."
"We need to get over our pity party."
"Am I forgiven for the other night?"
"Yes, on the condition that you attend a couple of weddings we aren't invited to with me."
"Deal... Now I want to kiss you."
"I have a solution for that."
"You do?"
Cassie looked at Greyson, and he looked at her, the air between them crackling with tension and possibility.
"Yes. Close your eyes and come closer."
Greyson did as he was told and closed his eyes. Cassie gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled back, enjoying the way his face fell with disappointment.
"Is that it?"
"Nope. We just arrived at our first wedding. Come on, we have lots of eating and drinking to do. We don't want to be late."
"You are edging me on purpose."
"Yes."
"How do you know about weddings?"
"I kinda know this part of town."
As soon as they stepped out and he held her hand, the night air cool against their skin, he pulled her close, dipped her like they were dancing, and then kissed her like he meant it. The kiss was everything desperate, hungry, full of all the unsaid words and all the feelings they'd been fighting. When she finally came down from the high, catching her breath, Greyson was alight. He was falling in love, and so was Cassie, though she didn't want to show it.
"I don't like being edged."
"Wow." The word came out breathless, stunned.
"Indeed, you taste as good as you look. Even though you taste like the burger you just ate mixed with bad mints."
"You taste the same."
"A little less smart mouth. We have bad decisions to make."
"Who's the bad influence now?"
And as they walked toward the wedding venue, hands intertwined, both of them knew they were walking into something that would change everything. The night stretched before them, full of possibility and danger, and for the first time in days, they both felt truly alive.