“Seriously?” he interrupted, his hands on the back of the chair as he frowned at me. I swallowed and shook my head no.
No, he hasn’t.
“I’m sorry. I just heard you speaking to another woman and—”
I looked up to see a smile playing at his lips as I struggled to finish the sentence.
“I just didn’t like it.Argh, now I’ve ruined my surprise,” I folded my arms as he walked around the table, pulling my arms apart and wrapping them around his waist.
“This isn’t like you. You know no other woman compares to you,” he kissed me softly and I sank into his arms gratefully.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled into his chest as he rubbed my back tenderly.
“It’s fine, just act surprised when it happens,” he growled into my ear as I giggled. “How was your bath?”
“Angry and short,” I grumbled as I yawned again. “I’m going to lie down for a while, are you coming with me?”
“You sleep, babe. I’m going to go get some food to cook for us all, do you want anything?”
I shook my head as I walked up the stairs, my head suddenly feeling too heavy for my shoulders.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Snapping at Cal, falling to sleep constantly, now headaches.
I frowned when I realized I had barely eaten today. It dawned on me that I was probably dehydrated and hungry. I mentally checked in with my stomach, my brain showcasing food for it like a damn buffet whilst it churned in protest.
Maybe I was getting ill. I pulled back the duvet as I slid between the sheets, my limbs embracing the coolness of the bed as my eyelids dropped.
Part Two: Chapter Twenty-Five
GRETCHEN
The flight back to New York was relatively painless.
Even Cal managed to doze most of the way back, which gave me the opportunity to reflect on the summer. I realized that I had grown so much in the time away from my childhood home, unable to believe that I had once thought I was going to marry Luke and spend my life in that little town without ever really wanting anything more.
Luke.
Even thinking his name made my skin crawl. I couldn’t help but pity him, I had hoped he would have changed a little in the time I’d been gone. But he was still a creep, playing football and hanging out at The Lounge. He lacked ambition but had buckets full of sleaze—what a combination.
I stole a glance at Cal and my heart physically ached with the love I felt for him.
The difference between Cal and Luke was astounding—but then again, the difference between Cal and any man was. I didn’t need to travel the world to know there would be no one like him, no one who could look at me the way he did, make me feel like I was the only woman in the world like he did.
I couldn’t imagine my life without him, and that terrified me.
His eyelids fluttered as the pilot announced our descent into New York and I was greeted by those captivating green eyes.
“Did I really fall to sleep on a plane?” He mumbled in disbelief as I littered his face with soft kisses.
“You did. You slept like a baby.”
He yawned as he stretched, the cabin stewardess pausing by our seats to remind us to wear our seatbelts. I was used to the effect he had on women, the way their eyes widened at his breathtaking good looks, the way they would struggle to compose themselves when he shot them that panty-dropping smile. But this one was greedy, her professionalism slipping as she gazed at him openly, her eyes locked onto his body until he finished stretching.
“Sir, your seatbelt.”
He nodded as he waved her away with disinterest.
