"Shay—"
"Really, Andy, I'm okay. I don't need a pep talk. My mom is a grown woman. I don't even live with her anymore. I don't need to get invested in her life."
"Good, because that's not what I came to talk to you about."
"No?" Shay asked, but she couldn't bring herself to meet Andy's gaze.
Andy shook her head. "Matt slept at Derrick's last night."
"Good," Shay said, and then decided to unzip her suitcase and check her jeans pockets for her cell.
"Good?"
"I'm glad he's safe. I was worried about him."
"Worried about him because..."
"Because he's a human being and he didn't come home?"
"Because you love him?" Andy shot back, and Shay stalked across the room to check inside the dresser drawers.
"So you're not denying it?" Andy asked.
"What do you want me to say?" Shay said at last. "It was a temporary agreement that's come to an end. Yes, I have feelings for him. Who knows what the hell they are. They could go away at any time. I'm not going to get myself tied up in knots over them, especially not over a man who, I'll remind you, currently hates my guts."
"Do you find yourself smiling when you think about him?"
"What?" Shay asked, and then shook her head. "I'm not playing this game with you." She got down on her knees and searched for the phone underneath the bed.
"Come on, just for fun."
"Just for torture, you mean."
"For me, then. As a wedding present."
Shay sighed. "I guess yeah, I do smile when I think about him sometimes."
"And do you feel protective of him?"
She thought about the call from Lou, and her gut twisted. She'd worried about him, sure. And a fat lot of good it had done her, too.
"Yeah, I worry about him." She nodded.
"And you like spending time with him? Even if you're doing nothing?"
She thought of their night on the beach, staring out at the crashing waves. Of their mornings entwined in bed, simply lying together as their chests rose and fell in unison.
"Yeah. He's fun." Shay shrugged. "But look, this isn't making anything better. Matt was clear about how he feels. He doesn't want to see me."
"Matt doesn't know what he wants."
"He knows a hell of a lot better than I do," Shay burst out, and though she hadn't meant to say it, she knew the words were true. "Look, Andy, if this is love, I'm in it. But that doesn't mean anything. I'm not you and he's not Logan. For normal people, love fades just like everything else and then you're left flat on your ass with nothing but the memories of the bad times. This feeling doesn't stay. It's not real. It's just... it's just—"
"Stop it. You might not be me, but you're not your mother, either," Andy said, and Shay stared at her. She'd never heard her friend sound so fierce before, so confident.
"I didn't say—"
"You didn't have to. Don't think I don't know where all this is coming from, and you know what, you're right. Love will fade if you let it. Love can die just like anything else. The trick is to find two people who are stubborn enough to work on it every day to make sure that fire never dims or goes out. You may be a lot of things, but I know stubborn is one of them. You can do this; you just have to let yourself believe you can," Andy said.
"It doesn't matter now. I'm leaving in an hour, and we don't even know when Matt will be here. I don't have my phone. Maybe we just need some time to think things over. I'll see him in San Diego. It'll be fine."
"Shay, I'm telling you: don't get on that plane without telling him how you feel." Andy was practically begging.
"We'll see what happens, okay?" Shay offered a little smile, but inside her heart was curling up into a little ball and cowering.
She knew Matt wouldn't be here in time to say goodbye.
She was counting on it.
Because then?
She wouldn't have to say goodbye, either.
Chapter 13
Shay wasn't sure what she'd been expecting when she got to the airport, but with every passing step he couldn't shake the deep, insistent urge to look behind her. Like maybe, just maybe, Matt had come to his senses and run after her like someone out of a movie.
Not that that was plausible.
Even if he'd tried, he had roughly thirty minutes to find her before she went through the security gate and out of his life.
No, she reminded herself, not out of his life. This is just a redefinition. It was what they'd agreed to.
It was what she wanted.
The lady at the security window scanned her boarding pass and yawned while she eyed Shay's ID before finally waving her off into the early evening line of bankers and businessmen taking off their shoes and hauling out their laptops for screening. Again, she glanced behind her, but instead of Matt she found a familiar red headed stranger.
"Oh, hey," Shay said and the woman blinked at her curiously for an instant before the realization clicked into place.
"Hello. You'll be glad to know I'm not sitting next to you this time. I've got my rabbit wrangler." She nodded to a tall, balding man standing in the bag check line.
"Glad to hear it." Shay smiled, then glanced at the line of people that very clearly was not going to move.
Good, it shouldn't move. The longer I'm here, the longer...
She rattled her mind internally. She just had to distract herself. Keep herself from staring at the revolving door and wishing that Matt Archer would come traipsing through it.
"How was your trip?" Andy asked the woman, her mind still focused on the unmoving door and the unmoving line and the unmoving hands of time.
"It was great, actually. Phillip was a little late with work, but we managed. It was a nice anniversary."
"Oh, anniversary." There was a celebration she hadn't been part of often. "How long have you guys been together?"
"Ten years." The redheaded woman beamed at the gawky man who was clearly arguing about something with a disinterested looking customer service member.
"That's sweet. What line of business is he in?"
"Oh, he never lets me tell anyone." The other woman rolled her eyes.
"What, is he a secret agent or something?"
"May as well be. Half of what he says is Greek to me." She shot her husband another look, then shrugged and said, "I don't see how it could hurt, and I do owe you one."
Dropping her voice, the other woman went on, "He's in entertainment. Nothing big, but sports casting. For some reason people always seem to want--"
"Favors." Shay nodded, knowingly.
"Yeah, but only because he's such good friends with the team's owner. It's amazing how people can just come out and ask you for anything. They don't even have to know you." She shook her head, "What's the world coming to?"
The line in front of them budged a fraction, but Shay stayed where she was, glancing from the redhead to her husband and weighing her options. The woman had said she owed her one, hadn't she?
"Which team is he--you know what, no, it's too personal. I wouldn't want you to think--"
"No, no, it's quite all right. He works in San Diego." Phillip was walking toward them now and his wife made a little motion as if to say "you didn't hear anything from me."
Following the other woman's lead, Shay turned around and stuffed her belongings in a tray before turning on her heel and saying, "Phil, so good to meet you. Your wife and I rode here together on the plane."
He smiled, if somewhat confused, and took her outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you--"
"Shay Meyers. A & M Publicity." She grinned wider and the redhead did her best to look impassive.
"Right, well, like I said. Nice to meet you--"
"Wait!" A loud, deep voice rumbled through the security line and then she saw him--tall and blond and sprinting.
In the airport.
"Matt, don't--" she shouted, but it was too late. The security detail was swarming him from every direction and soon she coul
d hardly see him through the fog of uniforms and stern faces.
"Sir, you're going to need to come with us to answer a few questions," one of the men said.
“Wait, no, there’s a simple explanation.” Shay jogged out of the security line, leaving all her belongings in her wake. A beefy security guard had tackled Matt to the ground and was now? laying on top of him like they’d just gone on a particularly successful first date.
“We’ll be the judge of that, ma’am.” Another officer nodded toward her while they hoisted Matt up and guided him none-too gently to a back room.
“Shit,” she murmured, then grabbed her things. But before she sprinted off after them, she pulled a card from her purse and handed it to a very confused-looking Phillip.
“Was that Matt Archer?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yep. And if you want the rest of the story, call me at this number.” Not waiting for his response, she took off after the last straggling guard.
* * *
They detained him for three hours. Three hours of watching the clock while they went through everything on his person, asked him every question they could think of, and then, eventually gave up.
The whole while, all he could do was stare at the clock and wonder if Shay had gotten on the plane. Not that it was much of a question. The likeliness of her hanging around for a guy who'd gotten tackled in the airport, after all, wasn't very good.
"So you're telling me you just thought it was a good idea to 'wait' and run into the airport?" the fifth security officer, a ginger man with a huge mustache and beard , asked on a sigh.
"Yeah," he said.
"Right. Well, you're free to go. Just...be more careful next time, okay buddy?" The guard opened the door and he walked out with slumped shoulders, his hands in his pockets. He couldn't even call her. He'd just have to wait until--
"Matt." He turned to find her sitting just outside the room, her laptop perched on top of the bench beside her.
"Shay, I..." He speared a hand through his hair. "I guess my big gesture didn't go off exactly the way I'd hoped."
She laughed. "Guess not."
They stood there, staring at each other for a long moment, and then she said, "Look, I've had a lot of time to think about this. Especially while I was sitting here. I should have--"
"No, no. I don't want your apologies. I know why you did it. It wasn't meant to hurt me. I overreacted and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for everything I said and most of all I'm sorry for ever agreeing to your terms in the first place."
"You're..." Her smile fell. "Oh. Right."
"I never should have let you tell me that we could only be together for these past couple of weeks. I should have known even then that it wouldn't be enough. That I would need more time with you."
"Matt--"
"No, let me finish. I need you in my life. I don't care if it scares you. Hell, we don't even have to call it a commitment if that's too much for you, but I want to be near you. I want you to be my woman. Always."
She swallowed hard, and nodded. "I do, too. But you have to let me apologize. I should have trusted you with the news. I knew how strong you were with your mom and I should have trusted you to be strong with this, too. You were right. I was being selfish. I just wanted to be with you, but now I know that I'll always want that, no matter how good or bad things get. I can make the commitment. I can be yours."
"Good. Because there's something else I have to tell you."
"What?" she asked.
"I destroyed your phone."
"You..." She blinked.
"I took it accidentally and then I read your texts from your mom. It was an accident and I shouldn't have, but I thought it would be better off if she didn't think you ignored her. I even called to tell her what happened."
"You called my mother?"
"I did." He nodded. "I hope I didn't overstep."
"No, no. I mean, thank you. That was...good of you."
"Well, I got you this to make up for it." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a brand new phone complete with a case.
She looked it over, then turned it in her hand. "This case has your number on it."
"Of course it does. You're my woman, remember?"
She smiled. "I am."
He walked toward her, leaned down, but then stopped. "Oh, and one more thing."
"What's that?"
"I gave your mom my number. If she wants to bother someone about you, it should be me."
"You're asking for trouble there."
"No more than I deserve." He grinned, and then finally closed the space between their lips.
Epilogue
"At least the anniversary will be easy to remember," Shay murmured, sidling past pew after pew of relatives while making her way to her seat in the front row. Luckily, her mother had opted not to have a bridal party this time, so Shay got to sit back and enjoy the wedding the same as everyone else.
"You remembered to call your sister and congratulate her, didn't you?" Shay nudged Matt, who had apparently zoned out while taking in their surroundings.
"Yeah, I called her. This is a nice place, don't you think?"
"It's beautiful." Shay nodded.
It was simpler, too, in comparison to all the other elaborate affairs her mother had hosted over the years. The church was bare save for a small sprinkle of red rose petals on either side of the aisle and an archway of twinkle lights under which her new stepfather, Blake, was already standing.
"What do you think the over under is on this one?" Matt asked.
"I think it could work this time." Shay surveyed the man under the arch, and a slight smile tilted her lips.
This time, he really was different from the kinds of guys her mom usually chose.
He was a widower, father of two, and sturdy. Not in the way that he could take a punch (though he probably could considering his military background), but there was a dependability about him that Shay could sense even within the first few minutes of meeting him.
Maybe that's why her mother seemed so different now, too. More grounded, more secure.
Shay glanced at Matt. Of course, the rose-colored glasses she'd worn for the past year could just as likely be the reason for her sudden optimism. Somehow, though, she didn't think it was.
"Do you think our wedding would be like this?" Matt asked, almost absentmindedly.
"Our wedding?" Shay cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah. When I make an honest woman of you." He grinned.
"I didn't know that was in the cards." A secret thrill shot through her just at the idea.
"Only if you answer my question," he shot back.
"Fine. No, I don't think it'll be like this."
"You want one like Andy's?" he asked.
"No, I want one that's like you and me."
"Dysfunctional and fun?"
She nodded. "In a way. I don't know, I always sort of had this idea that we'd get married on a baseball field."
"Oh, you always had that idea?"
"Well, I—"
"Oh no, tell me. How long have you been scrawling Mrs. Shay Archer in your notebooks? Since the second you met me or did you wait a couple of minutes?"
She rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."
"You meant that you've been thinking about marrying me."
"Maybe I have. So what?" she said.
"So... I can probably arrange a wedding on the field, if that's what you really want. Hell, for you I can do it during the seventh inning stretch."
Shay grinned. It was always so nice to see the sparkle in Matt's eye when he talked about baseball. At the end of the previous season, there'd been a bidding war for his contract, but he'd opted to stay in San Diego with her.
Not that he said it was for her. He didn't have to. She knew.
The bridal march began, and Shay watched as her mother joined with husband number eight, grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Then when they were at last pronounced and introduced, she walked back down the aisle
with Matt's hand in hers.
"We might have to get married sooner than we planned." She swallowed hard. This was the moment—every part of her mind screamed it at her—but she was still beside herself with nerves. And with excitement.
"Why? You just can't wait any longer?" Matt grinned.
"Something like that." She smiled. "I just think my dress size is going to change too much to do it nine months from now."
"Nine..." His voice trailed off, and then he glanced from Shay's face to her stomach and back again. "Are you sure?"
She nodded, and then he grinned so broadly that she was forced to beam back.
Not caring about all the parishioners behind them, he enveloped her in a hug so tight that for a moment she struggled to breathe. When the little old ladies behind them started to grumble, Matt set her back on her feet and asked. "How long have you known?"
"Only a week. I wanted to make it special, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore."
"I couldn't imagine being any happier about it than I am right now," he said, and then he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the coat closet just off the church's foyer. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a tiny velvet box and sank to one knee.
"Oh my God," she murmured, and her heart, which had already been beating double time, thudded so fast that she worried it might just beat out of her chest.
"I wanted to wait, too, but I can't imagine a more perfect moment than this. I know you're going to be the perfect mother to my child, and I hope I can be just as good of a husband to you."
She stared at the ring, dumbstruck. The tiny facets of the princess cut glimmered even in the low light of the room, and she plucked the ring from the box without thinking twice. "Of course I'll marry you. I'll marry you right now if you want."
"Then it's settled, we're going to Vegas. Tonight." He grinned, but she could tell he was only half kidding.
In truth, she was, too. Because she would take any chance she had at a life with Matt Archer she could take. She always would have.
They were bound to be together. She was bound to be his.
It just took her a while to realize it.
Bound to Be His (The Archer Family Book 2) Page 11