Step by Step Love: The Complete Collection by Emma Fox Read Free Book Online

Jacquelyn asked, gesturing towards a blonde woman walking through the double doors.
    Ryan peered over the conveyor belt and raised an eyebrow. The woman that Jacquelyn had pointed to was certainly not Veronica. Her skin was much darker and she weighed probably forty pounds more than his beloved stepsister. He had no idea how Jacquelyn could not even recognize her own daughter.
    “That's not her, Jacquelyn,” Ryan murmured.
    Jacquelyn frowned and held up her hand over her forehead, shielding her eyes from the bright, incandescent lighting. She squinted.
    “Are you sure? It really looks just like her, I think.”
    “It's not,” Ryan insisted in an annoyed tone. “Can't you even recognize your own daughter?”
    Jacquelyn rolled her eyes and approached the conveyor belt, looking for her luggage.
    “She's a mess, dear. She looks different all the time,” Jacquelyn muttered. She peered inside of the large machine from which the luggage was emerging. “Does that look like mine?”
    “Jacquelyn! Stop putting your head in there,” he scolded, tugging on Jacquelyn's blazer. “You're going to get hurt for Christ's sake.”
    She pulled her head out of the machine and looked around the large room again, craning her neck so she could see over the crowd.
    “Is that her?”
    Ryan rolled his eyes.
    “No, ma. That's not her.”
    ***
     
     

Veronica honked her car horn. She did not realize how bad traffic could be near the airport, but she was quickly learning that she should have left the apartment a little earlier than she did. Looking at her car's digital clock, she tapped her foot impatiently and peered out her open window. The line of cars in front of her seemed to go on for miles and she was already late to pick up Ryan and her mother.
    Suddenly, her cell phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her center console. A picture of Ryan flashed across the screen and she cursed under her breath. She already felt incredibly guilty for being late. After taking a deep breath, she swiped her thumb across the touchscreen and held it to her ear.
    “Hi babe, I'm in my car,” she said. “I can see the airport right now. I'm just stuck behind a line of traffic. I'll be there as soon as I can.”
    “Yeah, that's fine,” Ryan replied, softly. “Your mom has mistaken four different women for you, so I figured I would just call to take the mystery out of it.”
    “She driving you nuts yet?” Veronica asked.
    “Well, she—”
    “Hey, we're moving!” Veronica exclaimed, cutting off his voice. “Sorry, we've just been stuck here for like five minutes and we're finally making some headway.”
    She put her foot on the accelerator and her car crept forward, following the slow-moving line of traffic.
    “You're fine,” Ryan replied. “Yeah, your mom has just been a little bit much most of the trip. She's in the bathroom now but I really just can't wait to be back at home with you. It's been a bit of a nightmare all week.”
    Veronica frowned as she turned her steering wheel and came to another abrupt stop.
    “Damn!” she shouted. “Sorry, we stopped again. Anyway, how has she been a nightmare?”
    “Just being, you know, herself,” Ryan retorted. “Listen, you're going to be here soon, right?”
    Veronica pressed her foot down the accelerator once more, urging the car in front of her to catch up to the rest of the traffic jam.
    “Yeah, babe. I can't see it being more than twenty minutes or so. Some idiots just double-parked and it's kind of an uphill battle to get through all the cars. I'm really happy you're back home and I can't wait to see you,” she said. “It's been really boring around here without you.”
    Ryan sighed.
    “I wish I could say the same on my end,” he murmured.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Nothing,” he lied. “I can't wait to be home is all.”
    “I can't wait for you to be home either.”
    ***
     
     

When Veronica finally arrived at the airport, her mother and her stepbrother were already