Bearly Beloved (Love Sync Mates Season Two)

Chapter Four

Spencer

Wandering around the crowded airport looking for the most remote place to hide, I quickly discovered there was no such area that night. All around me were tired and frustrated travelers who longed to be home but instead were stranded in an overstuffed building. Many of them were still trying to complain loudly enough that they would allow a plane to fly off into the oncoming storm.

Idiots.

The planes were not going anywhere, and that meant neither were any of us. I’d been so focused on getting to my wedding that I ignored all the broadcasts and alerts on my phone until it was too late to change my plans. If I was forced to spend what should be my wedding night with strangers far from home, I’d rather it only be one stranger and bonus for him being related to one of the best people I knew. At least I could control some things if I was going to be at his house, like being able to find a room to be alone in and putting my earphones out to cancel all noise and not fear that someone would take advantage of my inability to hear them approach. Living with my anxiety and sensory issues was not easy, but if I could have some control over my environment, then I could still function. The airport was becoming too much too quickly and I needed out.

Looking at my phone, a message came through from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey, this is Liam. Isaac’s brother. I am at the airport now, circling the gates. Do you want me to come in and help with any luggage, or do you want to meet me outside at a pickup gate?

That was an easy question to answer. I had only one backpack and my laptop bag with me. I traveled light, luckily. I headed toward the doors that would lead out of this building to the pickup areas, updating the contact information for my savior.

Me: Meet me at the pickup area for gate 8. Thank you again for the inconvenience.

Liam: No problem at all. I am driving a black truck and am wearing a red-and-black flannel with a matching beanie.

Me: See you there. I’m wearing gray slacks and a dress shirt, and a black sweater vest and tie. I was out here for work and didn’t bring a lot of downtime clothes. Don’t judge.

Liam: No judging at all. Just feel bad you didn’t pack comfy clothes. I might have some you can borrow, or we can see if there is a store open still on the way back.

Liam was a lot like his brother, it seemed. Caring about others’ comfort even when a storm was barreling down on us. Looking down at my clothes, I seriously considered the offer of stopping. We’d have to see if the stores closed early or not. Otherwise, I would be wearing borrowed sweats, I guessed. Sensory wise, I struggled to figure out what was better, a stranger’s clothes or this itchy fabric I had to wear for work meetings. I should have packed better, but I figured when I was at the hotel, I just needed my boxers, or a robe. I should have listened to my anxiety this time and overpacked for what-ifs. Alan had told me to stop being silly. I think the only silly part was me listening to him instead of my instincts to pack loungewear.

Thinking of my fiancé, I tried dialing him again, but this time it was sent directly to his voicemail. What the hell? Isn’t he at least a little concerned? Enough to maybe answer the damn phone?

Honestly, I should have been used to it. He hardly ever answered when he went out with his boys every weekend or had to work late. Yet, he expected me to answer within three rings. A nasty pain shot through my stomach thinking about Alan and all the rules he wanted me to live by, while he just flowed with his own. When I got back home, I needed to talk to him about this before we rescheduled the wedding. I knew I should have brought it up before we got to the wedding-planning stage but I was afraid. Anxiety of trying to communicate my issues with his double standards without him flipping it into me nagging had kept me silent. No relationship was perfect and the good moments with Alan were really good. Right at this moment though, I questioned if that made up for the negative aspects, like him not being reliable enough to even pick up my calls.

Reaching the area Liam and I had agreed to meet at, I looked around for Isaac’s brother but realized black trucks must be common in this town because there were a lot of them. When I scanned the area a second time, I saw a tall and muscular giant jump out of one of the trucks wearing the clothes Liam had described. I strode to the truck, ready to greet my bestie’s brother, only to stop dead in my tracks the moment he lifted his head in my direction and I got my first look at the most devastatingly handsome man that ever crossed my vision. I had known Issac for about eight years. We went through college together, and worked together, yet I never met his family. While I never once thought of Isaac as anything other than a friend and at best, thought he was attractive in an objective kind of way, his brother Liam was the type of gorgeous that made my mouth water and my eyes bulge for a second. Raven hair with almond-shaped eyes, the color of amber, this man could have walked out of a romance novel. If I was still a teenager and adding images to a spank bank, I would abandon all other photos and only look at Liam’s picture every single time.

He spoke.

And I melted.

Goddess, help me. This was like when my favorite characters found each other and instantly connected. Did I fall asleep and wake up in a dream?

I pinched myself.

Fuck that hurt.