Aiden needed something to distract him from thoughts of Sophie. From the memory of her guarded eyes and evasive manner. At least she’d returned his wave when he left instead of pretending she didn’t see him.

He settled into the seat at the airport gate and pulled out his earbuds. He had only himself to blame. He’d lived with his decision to leave her, but somehow coming face-to-face with the pain he’d caused her made it all fresh again. He’d spent the drive to the airport pondering why he ever left her.

Yes, the opportunity at Extreme Adventures had been an excellent one, and nobody loved the thrill of an adrenaline rush as much as he. But he loved Sophie and knew she couldn’t go to Charleston with him. He not only hurt her, he hurt himself. Even as busy as they were, getting the business off the ground, he was neck deep in heartache for months.

He was opening his favorite music app when a text came in from the airline. His stomach dropped as his eyes caught on the word canceled.

No.

He looked at the gate screen and saw the same word repeated there. A commotion began around him as fellow travelers realized their plans had been upended.

A line was already forming at the desk near the jet bridge. Aiden hopped on his phone and checked the radar. He knew he’d been cutting it close. But the storm was slow moving, hanging over Georgia for two days. Now it appeared to be moving faster, however.

Further investigation showed the Charleston airport had closed. He’d have to book another flight, no earlier than tomorrow—and that was if he was lucky. The timing would be tricky because once the Charleston airport was open, it would be only a matter of hours before the storm would close this airport.

Driving home was a last resort. Even without the storm, it was a five-hour drive. And with all the inlets and rivers, he could almost count on flooding. No, it would be better to take his chances with the airlines.

Tomorrow was Sunday; his business was closed anyway. The ESTA ceremony wasn’t until Tuesday, and since he was up for the award, he had to be there. But he should be fine. He waited in line at the desk and tried to be patient while other travelers rearranged their plans.

When it was finally his turn he rebooked for the next evening. The storm would be out of Charleston and not yet here, in full force at least. Maybe it would even dissipate, as often happened as they moved north.

New schedule in hand, he hitched his backpack onto his shoulder and turned his thoughts to accommodations. With the approaching storm and canceled flights, hotels would be booked. The Fosters’ beach house wasn’t far away. Everyone would be long gone by now.