“For one very important reason.” He purposely pauses, keeping me in suspense. “To elope!”
My jaw hits the floor. “Elope? You can’t be serious.”
“It’s so much easier if we get married in America. You’ll still have to apply for a new visa but lucky for you, your husband-to-be is wealthy and willing to pay to expedite your application.”
“You’ve been doing research!”
“No, I’ve just got friends in immigration.”
“Why are you doing all of this?”
His brown eyes soften a bit. “Milly, I’m willing to fight for you. I’m not Brandon or some other tosser. I won’t let you go so easily because I’m madly in love with you.”
Ben
For days, I watched Milly fret over the whole visa situation. All I had to do was make one phone call to my friend Spencer and I had the answer to all our problems. Elope. Will my family consider this another black mark against my name? Yes, but honestly, will I ever be redeemed? Probably not.
But now, I need to worry about Milly’s forgiveness because I lied to her about Alistair. My brother is notoriously vindictive and petty. When we land in Boston, I’ll call my lawyers in case he pulls anything while Milly and I are in America.
Milly is suspiciously quiet for a woman who is going to elope. Isn’t she curious about what I’ve planned so far? One glance tells me she’s nervous about something because she’s gnawing at her fingernails.
“What’s the matter?” I whisper, catching her off guard.
“It feels like forever since I’ve been home,” Milly answers. “But I don’t feel like I’m going back home though.”
A smile fills her face briefly before it disappears. Like every woman, I’m sure Milly wants a big, traditional wedding with all of her friends and family in attendance. “Does eloping bother you, Milly?”
“What?” The look on her face guts me. She looks stricken. “No, it doesn’t. We can have a big reception and invite all of our friends and family, right?”
“Yes, of course. But something is bothering you. Tell me.”
“It’s just hard to imagine getting married and not having my best friend Holly there.”
“So, invite her!” God, that was such an easy problem to fix! I know not to get used to it though; marriage is not going to be this easy.
There is still a look of uneasiness in her eye and I wonder what exactly is bothering Milly, but I let it slide. She’s never kept anything from me for long.
I spend the rest of the flight wishing we had joined the Mile High Club, picturing all of the ways our bodies can contort to fit in one of those tiny airplane toilets. When our flight finally lands, I’m ready to haul her into a dark corner of the airport because we’ve spent too many nights apart.
I follow Milly through the airport and when she starts heading in the direction of public transportation, I stop her. “Do you really think we’re going to take the bus? I’ve arranged for a rental car.” She looks slightly uneasy which makes me chuckle. “Even without my family’s money, I’m still pretty well off so just get used to it, ok?”
“Well, can you drive in America? ‘Cause I can’t.”
My jaw drops. “What? What do you mean you can’t drive?”
She shrugs like not having a driver’s license isn’t a big deal. “I just never learned. No one was willing to teach me when I was younger.”
“But how do you get around?”
“Boston has some pretty great public transportation. Now, can you drive or not?”
“Yes, I can drive,” I grumble.
By the time we reach the rental car center, I’m still gobsmacked over Milly’s lack of a license. “But what exactly do you mean no one was willing to teach you? Surely your mum or dad could have taught you.”
Milly slips into the passenger side and waits for me to get behind the wheel. She watches me carefully as I familiarize myself with the car’s controls.
“Milly, I’m not leaving this car park until you explain yourself.”
