“What?…No.”
She was fading again, so he quickly grabbed his overnight bag and darted into the aisle, blocking the path of an irritated passenger from the back of the plane. He set the rolling case in the seat in front of him and grabbed Megan’s purse off the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. “Let’s stand you up and get going.”
She didn’t answer, already asleep again.
He leaned over and pulled the blanket off her. “Megan.”
She startled and jumped up, the top of her head hitting the bottom of his chin.
“Oww!” He jerked upright and whacked the top of his head on the ceiling over the seat. Frustrated, he stopped and took a deep breath. How the hell did he get himself into this situation? He briefly considered running for the exit. Without her. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t leave her with Tiffany.
“Hey, buddy,” an irritated man behind him grumbled. “Some of us want off the plane.”
“Just a second,” Josh barked as he glanced down at Megan and found her staring up at him. Or as much as she could through squinted eyes.
He reached for her arm, pulling her into a standing position. “First we walk off the plane, then we’ll figure out the rest.”
“Okay,” she murmured, but her limbs were limp. He’d be lucky to get her down the short aisle. Somehow she found some inner reservoir of energy and managed to stand and maneuver her way around the seat and into the aisle.
He knew things were going too well, especially when the almost-future Mrs. McMillan stopped her. “Miss, are you leaving of your own accord?”
Megan shook her head and Josh’s heart slammed into his chest. If she told them no, could he be arrested for kidnapping? “I don’t have an Accord,” Megan slurred as she began to wobble. “I have a Civic.”
The flight attendant scowled. “Do you know the man you’re leaving with? Do you want to leave with him?”
Megan’s eyes widened as she tried to focus on the woman in front of her. She said in a mock serious tone, “Yes, I know this man.” She winked up at him, then turned back to Tiffany. “He’s Mr. McMillan and we’re leaving here together.” She stuck out her tongue at the flight attendant, who had a horrified look on her face. “So no little McMillan babies for you.” Then she tried to tap the other woman on the nose, missing and jabbing her cheek instead.
“Okay…” Josh grunted, pulling Megan toward the door while he tried to maneuver his rolling carry-on bag with one hand. “Let’s save the birds and the bees speech for later.”
He hadn’t waited for permission to take her, so he half expected to be stopped as he coaxed Megan out of the plane and down the tunnel to the terminal. They were ten feet from the door when her knees buckled. He pulled her up against his chest, his arm wrapped around her back to support her. He glanced down at a wheelchair at the entrance to the plane. One of the baggage handlers was watching him with wide eyes.
“I don’t suppose I can use that wheelchair?” Josh asked.
The man shook his head, grabbing the handle. “No can do, Mr.”
“Thanks for nothing.”
The airline employee chuckled.
“Megan?” Josh gently shook her. “Can you keep walking?”
Her eyes were tiny slits as she flopped her head back to look at him. “No, thank you. I don’t want any peanut brittle…”
He supposed that answered his question. He needed to figure how to get her, her purse, and his bag down to arrivals.
Squatting, he pressed his shoulder into her abdomen, then stood, carrying her in a fireman’s hold. Her upper body dangled down his back, her drooping arms swinging and brushing his ass. This was going to look suspicious as hell, but it was the only way to get her out.
He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and set her purse on top of the bag, hurrying for the door once he had her steady. He’d never flown to Kansas City, so he wasn’t expecting the small area and the dense crowd waiting to board the next flight. Thankfully, he saw the exit twenty feet away.
Megan’s upper body still dangled down his back. He knew they were a spectacle, and the outright stares confirmed it. “She’s my fiancé,” he muttered, breaking one of his cardinal rules—never explain yourself, especially not to strangers. But he knew that some of the stares were from people who were worried that he was kidnapping her. “She’s not feeling well.” He tugged on her legs. “Tell the people you’re not feeling well, Megan.”
One of her dangling hands waved around as she spoke. “I’m the one helping you. I saved you from that awful woman.” The she patted his backside. “You have a really nice ass. No wonder she wanted to have your babies.”
To his horror, Josh’s face began to burn. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed. “Megan, there are children around us.”