1

When the plane landed in Tromsø, snow was whirling past the windows.

I was the last passenger to disembark.

Nathan stood at the cockpit door, seeing the passengers off. When he saw me, his professional smile froze for a second.

"What are you doing here?"

"Business trip."

I gripped my work badge and kept my voice as even as I could.

"The company's setting up a Nordic aviation emergency response station. I'm handling the initial site survey."

I hadn't actually needed to come in person.

But before I left, I'd seen on Nathan's schedule that he was flying this route.

So I volunteered for the assignment and made a point of booking his flight.

The honeymoon spot I'd been dreaming about for six years was now where I'd be working for the next two.

Nathan eyed my huge suitcase. "That's a lot of stuff for a business trip."

My throat tightened, and I looked down to avoid his eyes. "It's cold up here. I packed a few extra things."

He was about to press me when Lana hurried over and looped a gray scarf around his neck.

"Captain Ford, you forgot your scarf again.

"You've had that cough ever since you went back to flying. It flares up whenever it's cold, and you still never remember to bundle up."

Nathan murmured that people would talk, but his hand was already reaching over to straighten her hat.

Seeing that made my eyes sting.

Two years ago, I used to do the same thing after every one of his treatment sessions.

I'd fix his hat just like that, terrified the cold wind would set off one of his headaches.

Lana smiled as if she'd only just noticed me.

"Avery, you're here too? If I'd known, I'd have saved you the window seat. The northern lights were gorgeous over the Norwegian Sea today."

The window seat I'd chosen had been reassigned two hours before takeoff.

I swallowed my embarrassment and asked quietly, "Did Nathan switch it for you? That was my seat."

"It's my first time on this route, so he wanted me to get to know it. I didn't know that seat was yours."

Nathan frowned and cut in, "It's just a seat. You can see them next time."

Next time, again.

I dug my fingers into the suitcase handle to keep my voice from shaking. "Okay."

Outside the terminal, Nathan had just loaded my bag into the crew van when Lana pressed a hand to her forehead and said she felt dizzy.

He got her settled in the back seat right away.

That left one seat, and the first officer leaned out impatiently.

"The crew van isn't a shuttle for spouses. Ms. Lane can get her own ride."

Nathan glanced at his watch, then carried my suitcase back out into the snow.

"We still have a debrief. Don't hold everybody up."

Wet snow quickly piled up on the suitcase.

I looked at him, still clinging to some ridiculous hope that he'd at least ask how I was going to get there.

But he just shut the van door and sat down next to Lana.

My eyes still burned as the van pulled away.

The airport taxis had stopped running because of the blizzard, and more than 200 people were waiting for rideshares.

I dragged my suitcase onto three different buses. My frozen fingers could barely hold the ticket.

Then Nathan's text popped up.

"Lanie's not feeling well, so I'm taking her to the hotel first. Text me when you get there."

Another one came right after. "Bring my anxiety meds to the airport tomorrow morning. Don't forget."

Not one word asking if I was still out in the snow.

I stared at the screen, and the tears came before I could stop them.

I wiped them away twice, but more kept coming.

Before, whenever he had an episode, I'd bring him his meds in the middle of the night, no matter how tired I was.

But this time, my hands shaking, I deleted "Be careful getting there" from the message I'd been typing and sent something else.

"Your meds are in the inside pocket of your own bag."

This time, I wasn't bringing them.