Ch 2
Amy and Dan were waiting outside gate 15 as eagerly as they could without jumping up and down. They hadn't seen Jake and Atticus since New Year, though they had texted almost daily. Jake had taken the last two weeks to be on a dig in Indonesia with his famous archeologist father, Dr. Mark Rosenbloom, a man who was very respected the world over, but who hated Amy and Dan Cahill. He had a merited hatred of the entire Cahill family due to his suspicions that his wife, Atticus' mother, Astrid had been poisoned by Damian Vesper, the psychopath who was out to destroy the Cahills. He didn't want either of his sons getting mixed up with the likes of Amy and Dan.
She could understand why, after dealing with the Outcast, aka, Nathaniel Hartford, her grandfather, Amy wasn't so sure she wanted to have anything to do with the Cahill family either. Amy had tried extremely hard to dissuade Jake from pursuing a relationship with her for this very reason, but Jake wasn't having it. He loved Amy in spite of her family and he had become her rock, her stronghold and her best friend.
If it hadn't been for Dan, she would never have met Jake. Dan and Atticus were best friends and were online gaming buddies. Early into their hunt for the Vespers, Dan had contacted Atticus to help solve a riddle with his knowledge of Latin. That had led to them inadvertently meeting at the Colosseum and starting the beginning of their friendship. They had fought hard alongside the Cahill family to defeat them and had proven their loyalty to them and had been welcomed as honorary Cahills.
Amy couldn't help thinking that one day Jake would be a full-fledged member of the Madrigal branch if they got married. This thought made her blush scarlet. She loved Jake desperately and he really did complete her. He was the strength she needed. He had proven over and over again that he was there for her. It had been hard for her to learn to trust him; her previous boyfriend had gotten killed because of his involvement with her. She felt directly responsible for his death even though he made the decision of his own free will.
Evan. Her first love. She'd had a crush on him since freshman year and it took her almost two years before she worked up the nerve to talk to him. Turns out, he was as crazy about her as she was of him. He had proven a valuable asset in the battle against the Vespers. The problem was the more time she spent with Jake, the more she fell in love with him. She was spared having to choose between them as Evan was fatally shot just as the Vesper device was being destroyed. She would never forget holding him as he bled out in her arms. He was her first love and she would always have a soft spot in her heart for him. As much as Amy loved Evan, Jake was her soul mate. What she felt for him was entirely something else; their love was for all time, not a high school infatuation or teenage love. What they had was real, lasting and permanent.
Dan was the first one to spot them coming out of the tunnel, "Atticus!" Dan shouted and began to run for the gate. Amy felt the eager feeling of anticipation growing inside her and she couldn't stop her feet from running. She spotted his perfectly disheveled brown hair among the passengers and she began to pour on the speed in earnest. A giant smile spread across her face then she was in his arms. They wrapped tightly around her and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he instinctively put his hands under her to support her. A surge of longing coursed through her. Then he was kissing her. The whole rest of the airport disappeared and it was just the two of them.