by Gigi Marlowe
“Oh, Scott.” Kylie put a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to go through such a tragic loss.”
He nodded - a jerky motion, and stood up. “I just wanted you to know. Come on, let’s get you checked in.”
Kylie tried to keep up with the sudden turn of events, struggling to match his stride as he headed toward the ticketing counter. There were many questions she wished to ask, but it looked like the topic was closed by Scott for now. Maybe next time. Whenever that would be.
Scott walked with her as far as he could, stopping beside the zig-zagging security line. “Thank you for coming.” He gazed at her, his blue eyes warm and inviting. “I hope you enjoyed your time.”
“I did, very much.”
“Good.” He gave her a quick hug and kiss. “I’ll be in touch. Let me know when you’ve arrived safely? I don’t want to worry.”
“Of course.”
During the flight, Kylie reflected on the weekend and most of all on Scott’s abrupt news.
He’d been married.
It would take some processing to move past this new knowledge. But she needed more information in order to process. And she had an idea of who might have that information.
“Did you know Scott was married before?” she greeted Alex in the morning before she even made it to her desk.
“Well good morning to you, too, Sunshine. How was Philly?”
“Great. Now answer the question.”
Alex dropped the comedy and nodded thoughtfully. “I did. I wasn’t sure if you knew, and it didn’t feel like my place to ask.”
“Very respectful.” Kylie settled her purse on Alex’s desk, not planning on moving until she had what she wanted. “Scott didn’t tell me much, and I don’t want to be pushy. Do you know anything about his wife’s death?”
Alex dropped into his rolling desk chair, running his hands along the ornate cherry wood of the desk. It was new. “Scott was already married when I met him. Megan was a lawyer. They’d been married for four years when she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. It was‒” he paused‒“slow and painful. For both of them.”
“How awful,” Kylie said softly.
“And then‒well, nevermind. He took it really hard.To my knowledge, he hasn’t gone out with anyone since her death. Until you.” He pointed at her meaningfully. “I’m guessing that means he’s ready.”
Kylie hoped so. Because her weekend with Scott had shown her one thing loud and clear. She was falling for him more every day.
Chapter Six
They were in a rhythm, Kylie realized, like it was their very own song. Scott texted her around ten o’clock every day to say good morning, and she texted him back on her lunch break. Then she called him from the ferry as she traveled home, and they chatted until she got to her apartment. They took a break to eat dinner, but then he called her again at 9:00 to talk for an hour before bed.
Their life had followed this pattern for almost a month now, deviated from when necessary, of course. Like last night when she and Cass had gone to the movies, or last week when Scott was at a business conference. Kylie loved the sound of his voice and hearing about the latest developments in his ventures, and he was always interested in the events she was planning and even her mundane office routines. But she was missing the man in person. She longed to look in his eyes for real, instead of the screen, or just to touch him, or better yet, feel his touch. He hadn’t hinted at when his next visit might be, so he must be busy.
She’d wanted to bring up his wife’s death again, feeling like they ought to talk about it more, but she didn’t know how to bring it up softly, and he had steered far away from the topic since his very brief mention of it. She was okay with it, really. But she wanted to make sure he was.
That night as their discussion of local New York politics waned, Scott turned the conversation to their relationship.
“I have been ridiculously busy lately, as you know, but I am really missing you.”
“I miss you, too,” Kylie interjected quickly, and she heard his dear chuckle.
“Next month I am speaking at an event at the Kennedy Space Center. Would you attend with me? I would love to give you a private tour of the facility, and the following day there will be a rocket launch.”
A visit to NASA? Yes please!
“I can’t wait!”
When the day came, Kylie was pins and needles with nerves. She hadn’t seen Scott in so long, and he had chartered a private plane for her. When the aircraft touched down on the runway of the Kennedy Space Center itself, Kylie realized just how important Scott must be to NASA.
He was waiting for her on the tarmac, and he swept her into his arms for a long moment before holding her back at arm’s length. “Sorry, but I need to drink in this sight,” he said jokingly. “Philadelphia was too long ago.”
“Definitely. And you didn’t tell me I was flying straight to NASA!”
“I didn’t? My apologies. They give me the use of this runway whenever I fly here. Come on, I’ve got a car waiting to take us to the hotel.”
They settled into their separate suites at the Hilton in Cocoa Beach, a short distance from Cape Canaveral, and went down to the dining hall for dinner before a stroll along the beach to watch the sunset. This must be a dream, Kylie thought, warm waves washing over her feet as she walked hand-in-hand with Scott.
“Remember our walk along the beach in the Philippines?”
“Yeah.” He held up their entwined hands between them. “We sure weren’t walking like this, though. A lot can happen in six months!”
Indeed. A lot of good things.
The next morning Kylie dressed carefully, knowing this was an important event for Scott, followed by a press conference. As chief investor, he was giving a speech and was also expected to be available for questions afterward. She could hardly wait to see her man in action.
He didn’t disappoint. After introducing her to myriad other important people, he escorted her to the front row before taking his place on stage. He looked all business as he sat reviewing information on his tablet, but he looked up and caught her eye as the room filled up and gave her a wink, special just for her.
After a glowing introduction from a NASA program director, Scott took the podium.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank my friends at NASA, especially Mr. Director‒” he gestured with his hand to the man sitting behind him on stage‒“for inviting me here to speak on a topic that is so near and dear to my heart that I dream it, think it, and speak it endlessly, a fact that my girlfriend Kylie can attest to.” Another gesture that took Kylie completely by surprise, accompanied by gentle laughter from the audience. She couldn’t believe Scott had mentioned her by name in his speech. As his girlfriend! He hadn’t made their relationship actually official with words. Until now. In front of a room full of people!
She forced her focus back to his words. His passion was evident in his speech, and the audience grew excited with him as he explained the technological advances that had recently been made toward successful landings on Mars. He ended with an appeal for funding, saying with conviction, “I would donate every last penny of my many investments for this cause, and it still wouldn’t be enough‒because this mission is not just important‒it may be vital to our survival on earth. So if that is important to more than just me, then more than just me should be supporting this cause. Thank you very much.”
Wild applause swelled in the room as he returned to his seat. He fielded many questions during the press conference that followed, and Kylie could see that his enthusiasm never faltered even when his energy did. By the time the last question had been answered, the corners of his eyes were wrinkling with fatigue.
“You were amazing!” Kylie gushed as soon as she could get to him. “I’m so impressed and proud of you.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her breathless.
“You didn’t have to mention me, you know,�
�� she said once she could get a word in.
“I know, but that’s what made it special. Having you here in that audience was the best part of my day.”
Kylie’s heart thrilled with his words. “So where’s this private tour you promised me, Rocket Man?”
His eyebrows arched. “Rocket Man? Wasn’t Elton John a little before your time?”
“My dad’s favorite singer.” She grinned broadly. “I can’t wait to tell him I have my very own Rocket Man.”
He looked bemused as he slipped out of his suit coat. “If that makes you happy.” He folded it neatly into his briefcase and tucked the tablet into a pocket. “Come on. I have so much to show you!”
Kylie followed Scott through the various mission zones the space center had organized by chronological era. His favorite was obviously the most recent developments, and for good reason, but Kylie’s pull toward history made her favor the early stories of NASA and space exploration. Without that history, they wouldn’t be standing where they were right now.
In the later afternoon, while Scott attended a closed meeting with council members, Kylie wandered the grounds by herself while catching up with her parents by phone. She hadn’t told them about Scott until now, and they were most impressed and already begging to meet him.
“Eventually. We’re still getting to know each other, Mom. But once we make it to the meet-your-family stage, you’ll be the first to know.”
By the time they left the space center, Scott was yawning incessantly. He shot a sheepish look at Kylie as James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go” filled the backseat of the limo. “Mind if I take a little nap before we go out again? This type of event gives me a huge adrenaline rush, and then I usually crash afterward.”
Kylie thought a moment. “Why don’t we stay in, then? There are beautiful views from your balcony, and we can order room service.”
“Really? You don’t mind? I didn’t bring you all the way to Florida to sit in a hotel.”
“But I’ll be sitting there with you, and that’s what matters.”
“Has anyone ever told you how sweet you are, Kylie Mitchell?” He leaned over from his seat in the limo and kissed the bridge of her nose. “Just say you won’t let go…” He softly sang along with the song, and Kylie closed her eyes in perfect contentment.
After dinner in Scott’s room, they moved to the balcony where they could hear the waves crashing as the tide came in. Scott sat down and pulled Kylie onto his lap. They sat quietly, enjoying the view, while Kylie thought over what she wanted to say. She needed to get some feelings out, so she turned her body to face him.
“Scott? I…really like you.”
He smiled, his eyes tender on her as he raked his fingers through her long dark tresses.
“Glad to know this relationship isn’t one-sided.”
Kylie leaned her back against his chest with a satisfied sigh. That had been his way of saying he felt the same about her. She hadn’t doubted it, but it was good to hear it in his own way. They cuddled in comfortable silence for several minutes, enjoying the soft rock filtering up to them from a balcony somewhere below.
“What are you thinking?” Kylie asked, pulling his arms closer around her midsection.
He tightened them to her liking. “About how I must be the luckiest guy in the world to have you in my life.”
She angled her head back to see his face, and he was all seriousness, an intent focus in his eyes when she met them. “When‒when Megan passed, I didn’t know if I would ever have feelings like this again. But I do, and I’m very glad. Thank you for teaching me that I can lo‒” He stopped quickly, but not fast enough for Kylie’s heart. It lurched at his almost-confession. Was he in love with her? Her heart beat so fast she was certain he must hear it. He looked away, but his embrace never loosened. “What I mean is, thank you for helping me see that I have healed.”
A strange mix of relief and disappointment sizzled through Kylie when he chose not to finish his declaration. She wanted to hear it, but she wasn’t sure she was ready. Did she love Scott? She didn’t know. Maybe. Probably. But she wanted to be absolutely, 100 percent sure, because she had a feeling about it, and it was a feeling she wanted to keep. She wanted to keep him.
The next day she waited with anticipation for the rocket launch. Scott introduced her to more important-looking people and explained in understandable terms how the rocket launch worked. She appreciated his patience with her questions.
“Oh, it’s time!” There he was, the excited little boy again. He grabbed Kylie’s hand. “It never gets old to me.” They watched as the crowd began chanting the countdown.
“Nine, eight, seven, six.”
All other sound was drowned out by a roar as a huge plume of white billowed around the base of the rocket.
“Three, two, one, and lift-off!” Scott nearly shouted as the white cloud grew into a mountain and the rocket glided straight up into the air on a blast of fire. It rose into the atmosphere at a slower speed than Kylie had imagined it would, but the power of it was palpable, and the trail of fire was visible for a long time after.
“That was super amazing!” Kylie clapped her hands together like a schoolgirl. “Wow. How many launches have you seen?”
Scott didn’t even appear to think, simply shrugging his broad shoulders. He was dressed much more casually today, and Kylie liked the look. She liked him in anything. “I lost count a long time ago. I went to my first as a kid and never stopped.”
“I can see why.” The experience had been one of the most exhilarating of her life.
“Well, we better get out of here.” Scott sounded reluctant. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”
As he was seeing her off a few hours later, this time at a small, private airport nearby, he hovered with his face close to hers.
“I’ve decided I need to make more time for you.”
Kylie’s stomach did a somersault. He was definitely getting serious about her. This trip had proven it on many levels. “That would be nice,” she managed to say.
“Good. I’m going to spend the last week of June in Manhattan, and then we can finish out the week with 4th of July in Philly. What do you say?”
She dazzled him with a smile. “I say yes.”
Chapter Seven
Kylie had seen most of what New York City had to offer before, at least once if not more. After all, the first billionaire she had dated lived in New York, too. But somehow viewing the same old with Scott was exciting and new. He spent a full week in New York, working during the day from his computer and waiting outside the office of Alex Dunne with a limo for Kylie every evening at five o’clock. Alex found himself suddenly hard-pressed to get even five minutes of overtime out of Kylie, she thought with a grin as she rode the elevator down the building on Scott’s fifth day in town. What new adventures did he have up his sleeve tonight?
She couldn’t count how many times she’d been to the Guggenheim, wandering its incredible spiraling design as she admired the contemporary collections. When their limo had dropped them off at the museum on their first evening out, she had been a tad disappointed. Scott could do better than that, surely. But just being in his presence had made the evening like a dream, and she knew the Guggenheim would never be the same again. After that night she didn’t question any venue Scott chose. She had no doubt her time with him would sparkle no matter where they were.
A private tour of the Empire State Building. An intimate, night-time viewing from the One World Observatory. A ballet performance at the Lincoln Center. A chartered private sailboat ride around Manhattan. Nothing new, and yet it felt entirely different and amazing with Scott at her side.
“Where to tonight, sir?” she teased as she slid into the white limousine awaiting her appearance. He greeted her with a kiss.
“It’s a surprise. The drive will take a bit, so I brought some snacks and drinks.” He pointed to the tray of fancy cheese and crackers that also held two wine glasses. “I also bought you a change
of clothes. You can change when we get there.”
“Bought me?”
He smiled slightly, a sheepish look on his face. “I didn’t want to give away my plan.”
“How do you know my size?” Kylie challenged, ever intrigued by this man.
He hesitated. “I asked Alex.”
That must have been an awkward conversation.
Scott graciously changed the topic, and they talked the drive away, Kylie hardly noticing the congested traffic barring their progress. It was nearly two hours later that they pulled down a long drive in the up-state countryside.
“Where are we?” She exited the limo with Scott’s assistance, and then stopped short at the sight of the giant hot air balloon in a nearby field undulating in the wind.
“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” Scott asked, grabbing her hand and tugging her in the direction of the balloon. “Because the view from this thing is out of this world.”
Now, this was something she had definitely not done before.
Kylie pulled him to a stop, tucking hair behind her ear that the breeze insisted on plastering across her face. “You know you don’t have to go to all these lengths to impress me, right? I’d be just as happy sitting beside you on a couch with some jazz in the background.”
His smile lit up his whole face, transforming his eyes into glowing topaz gemstones. “You really are a special woman. A billionaire is trying to woo you by pouring money into memorable outings, and you’re trying to convince him to sit and snuggle. Any man would fall for that. Maybe tomorrow. But tonight‒we fly.”
Kylie grinned and let him drag her across the field. The small office had a bathroom where she changed into the jeans and top Scott had chosen for her, which fit her with perfection. He had good taste.
He nodded at her approvingly when she emerged, then climbed the mounting platform to get into the balloon gondola and reached a hand out to help her. It was just the two of them with the balloon pilot, and with a loud whoosh of fire, they floated up into the air. Kylie’s grabbed onto Scott as her stomach lurched, and he surrounded her with both arms.