Always & Forever

by Scarlett Avery

  Was I ready when I bumped into my Danish hunk? Hardly. But when he threatened to walk out on me in Barcelona, suddenly I was. I had started to fall hard for him and I realized my outdated dating rules no longer applied. I believe that’s exactly where my blonde bombshell has found herself. She just needs to meet the right guy.

  “My God, I’m sounding more and more like my sister,” I gently scold myself.

  I’m replaying all of this in my head as I walk through Charles de Gaulle Airport on my way to the passenger exit to meet Jerome. I landed a few minutes ago after spending the day in Berlin. I’m so immersed in my thoughts, I’m not paying attention when I slam into a wall of muscles.

  “Crap.” I close my eyes at the impact and it takes me a few seconds to compose myself before opening them again.

  The impressive frame of the tall man standing in front of me blinds me momentarily. “I’m terribly sorry,” I babble as I snap out of it. “I should watch where I’m going.”

  My intention is to look up at the stranger as I apologize to him, but I’m totally mesmerized by his stylish, expensive cognac-colored Italian shoes. As my eyes glide up his body up to his face, I’m shocked when I recognize the handsome man standing in front of me.

  “Logan?”

  Of all the people to bump into in such a huge airport.

  “If anyone was going to run me over, I’m glad it was you, Ciara.”

  After my fiancé, I’d have to say Logan Ellison is one of the sharpest dressers I know. Walker follows him by a hair. The two brothers put most of the men in New York to shame and let’s not forget Manhattan is the Mecca of well-dressed men. It’s tempting to think Logan uses the services of a stylist, but there’s something slightly rebellious in the way he puts everything together. You know it’s his trademark and not the work of a professional.

  “Forgive me. I feel like such an idiot for walking and thinking at the same time.” I giggle.

  “Don’t be silly. Your brain is as sexy as, if not more than, the rest of you.”

  What an incorrigible flirt. “You say that because I come up with amazing designs for your properties which allows you to sell them at an exorbitant price or charge an insanely high rent.”

  “Partially true. But you and I both know your fiancé is an extraordinarily lucky man to have been able to catch a woman who’s not only drop-dead gorgeous, but smart as a whip.”

  Damn, he won’t let it go.

  “Are you off to Germany?” If I don’t change the subject, Logan will find a way to turn this conversation into something inappropriate.

  “Did I make you uncomfortable?” he asks innocently, curling up his lips.

  As if he doesn’t know.

  “Not yet, but why take chances?” I grin.

  “You’re right. I would most likely put my foot in my mouth when it comes to you. I’m still hurt I didn’t make a move on you before the Danish billionaire cast a spell on you.” Logan winks. “Nah, I’m off to New York.”

  “And you’re flying commercial like the rest of us?”

  “Heavens, no.” He chuckles. “Seriously, I’ve been known to fly first class when my brother or sister needed the company jet, but not today. I wanted to buy a few cigars I only find at Charles de Gaulle before heading home. My assistant will come and get me when the crew’s ready.”

  “Ah. That makes a whole lot of sense.”

  “As if you can talk. Don’t you also own a private jet?”

  “Technically it belongs to my fiancé. I don’t have a problem flying commercial, but I’ll admit nothing compares to the luxury of owning your own airplane.”

  “Ain’t that the truth?”

  We both laugh.

  “Are you going back to the Big Apple for business or pleasure?”

  “We’re acquiring new developments there and I’m going to pop in to make sure the negotiations are running smoothly. Since these are such huge deals, I’ll most likely end up working from our Manhattan office for the next two or three months. Walker and Kayla can take care of business on this side of the Atlantic.”

  “Oh. Two or three months?” I ask anxiously.

  Logan takes a few steps closer to me and brings his hands to my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Ciara. I’ll be back for your big party, even if I have to fly in for the weekend. I’m truly touched you invited Kayla, Walker and I to your family party. I wouldn’t dream of missing this for the world.” He smiles warmly. “Not to mention I really want to see how my sister’s idea of buying that château in the South of France and turning it into the premier wedding destination in Europe for wealthy brides-to-be came to life.”

  Nikolaj and I decided to invite the Ellison clan to our family dinner to thank them because we’re so pleased with how flawlessly everything is running. Even though Nikolaj insisted on paying for the venue, Kyla vehemently refused, stating this was her wedding gift to us.

  “I’m sure you’ll be as dazzled as Nikolaj and I were when we first set foot on your majestic property. It’s absolutely magnificent and after visiting your castle, we couldn’t think of any better place in the world to make our union official.”

  “Kayla keeps bragging about it, but it’s good to hear it from another person. It’s my job as her big brother to give her a hard time, but I know how sharp my sister is. I’m sure she’s hit it out of the ballpark again.”

  “Let’s say you won’t be disappointed.”

  “How was your day in Germany?”

  “It was short and productive. The best part is that I’m headed home early. There’s not much for me to complain about.”

  “Is hubby-to-be across the globe conquering the gaming world?”

  “No,” I say, biting my lower lip, trying my hardest not to show Logan how giddy I am to see Nikolaj again. “He’s at home waiting for me.”

  Nikolaj got back early this morning from Copenhagen. He barely touched Parisian soil before Jerome whisked him away to his office because he’s still dealing with his main competitor poaching his best talent. Howard Kincaid is a callous menace who’ll stop at nothing to aggravate Nikolaj.

  Nik’s pressing seven o’clock meeting this morning coincided with the time I had to be on a business-class flight to Berlin. He texted me a couple hours ago while I was at Berlin Tegel Airport waiting to come back home to let me know he was cutting his day short.

  “My God. That’s what I call a whipped billionaire.” Logan chuckles. “Ciara, you’ve got him all wrapped around your manicured little finger.” He’s totally mocking me.

  “Tsk.” I roll my eyes at him. “Logan, Nikolaj isn’t whipped at all. He’s in love. You should try it one of these days. It might suit you.”

  Logan widens his eyes, terrified. “What? Love? Relationships? Me?” He looks at me as if I’m an extraterrestrial before his laughter rips through the airport.

  “I didn’t realize I had said something funny,” I reply, feigning being insulted.

  “Ciara, the only thing that suits me is variety. I like my freedom. A lot. You gave up yours, you’re a convert and now you’re on a crusade to rally unsuspecting souls to your cause. I get it.”

  “You’re such a cynic, Logan.”

  He narrows his eyes. “So were you.”

  He’s right, but I’m so not letting him win this one. “Were. Past tense.”

  “This leopard ain’t changing his spots.”

  “Didn’t you declare a few weeks ago when I first visited your Paris headquarters that you would’ve changed for me?”

  He flashes me the smile of a man who knows he’s been one-upped. “You got me,” he sneers. “Absolutely. But you’re taken now,” he says, grabbing my left hand until my diamond engagement ring is at eye level. “And there are no others like you.”

  “Smooth. Bullshit, but smooth nonetheless.”

  “I do my best.” He grins.

  “One day, you’ll slam right into her and you won’t even know what hit you.”

  “Doubtful. If I see Cupid walking towards m
e, I’ll sprint the other way. Love suits you well, but I’m a bit too jaded for that.”

  I open my mouth to reply, but someone approaching Logan from behind forces me to hold my repartee.

  The serious-looking man clears his throat before speaking. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ellison, but the jet and the crew are ready for departure.”

  Without leaving my gaze, Logan responds. “Cedric, please give me a minute and I’ll be right there.”

  “Of course. I’ll be standing over there waiting for you, sir.” Cedric points behind him, but Logan’s eyes are still on me.

  “Saved by the bell, I guess.” Logan grins. “You heard Cedric. It’s time for me to board.”

  “Lucky bastard.” I shake my head at him. “Have a safe flight.”

  He leans in and drops a friendly kiss on each cheek. “I will and I’ll see you when I get back.”

  I watch Logan and Cedric waltz away from me and I can’t help but notice once again how even the Ellison staff is so well put together. Logan’s assistant is clad in a beautifully fitted suit and his impeccable shoes could easily fool you into believing he’s the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

  When I catch sight of a chauffeur holding a large white sign with a name scribbled on it in black marker looking for his passenger, I’m reminded that Jerome must be waiting for me since I texted him the second we landed. I should really make my way to the passenger exit. I turn on my heel to make my way through the crowd when my phone rings. Surprised, I fumble inside my handbag, searching for it at the very bottom. After a few annoying seconds, I finally pull it out and I’m excited when Harley’s name flashes across my screen.

  “If it isn’t my favorite blonde bombshell.”

  “Favorite? I thought I was your only blonde bombshell? Not to mention your sister is back to being a brunette.”

  “There’s only room in my heart for one of you.”

  “Good catch. Are you in the middle of a creative brainstorming session perched on the top floor of a swanky office building in the middle of downtown Berlin?”

  “Funny. I just landed. I’m still at the airport, but I’m back home.”

  “So you weren’t lying this morning before Sofia and I left when you said you were going to be in and out of Germany?”

  “Hell, no.”

  “You missed your fiancé’s cock that much?”

  “I’m pretty sure you already know the answer to that, Harl.” I smile into the phone.

  Today was a pivotal day because we received samples of our Milan-produced design, which will hang from the ceiling of every room in the Ellisons’ newest acquisition in Berlin. If it weren’t critical for me to be there, I would’ve gladly stayed in Paris. Since being away from Nikolaj for too long is more and more insupportable, I arranged my schedule so that I’d be able to escape as soon as my presence was no longer needed. I caught a two o’clock flight back home in order to sleep in Nik’s arms tonight.

  “If my man was as fine as yours, I would’ve done the same thing.” She giggles.

  “How was the flight back to the Big Apple?”

  “I always thought flying first class was the be-all and end-all, but now I know better. A private jet is the bomb.”

  “I take it you had a great flight.”

  “Damn right I did. I stand by my words. The Herrera sisters are living a charmed life.”

  “I know you just left a few hours ago, but it’s really great to hear your voice again.”

  “Same here, Ci.”

  “Did you call just to let me know you got back safely?”

  “No. I was actually thinking about you. Did you have a chance to talk to Nikolaj at all today about his mom?”

  She’s so selfless. Here she is dealing with her own problems, but she still takes time to find out how I’m doing in the midst of all this uncertainty around Nicoline’s reaction.

  “No.” I shake my head, fully aware she can’t see me. “He’s been putting out fires all day today. I’m sure we’ll talk about it in the next couple of hours when I get home.”

  “Still worried?”

  “Yup. Despite the fact he tells me everything is fine, his reluctance to go into details makes me slightly concerned.”

  Nikolaj texted me right after he had spoken to his mom on the first night of his arrival in Copenhagen. I’m grateful he bit the bullet by telling her over dinner surrounded by her entire family for support. We’ve chatted on the phone and he’s assured me I have nothing to worry about, but every time I press him to divulge more, he insists on waiting for us to be face to face to delve into the full story. There’s a part of me that’s extraordinarily nervous that Nicoline hates my guts for having robbed her of the royal wedding she had envisioned for her son.

  “Ci, remember, she’s not your ex-monster-in-law.” I hear the compassion in Harley’s voice and I love her so much right now for being so supportive.

  “I keep telling myself that, but I have such a terrible track record with soon-to-be mother-in-laws, Harl. I most likely won’t be at peace until Nikolaj ’fesses up to the whole story.”

  “Call me or text me when you know where you stand.”

  “I will, sweetie. Once I talk to Nikolaj, I’ll Skype my mom and Diego and then I’ll get in touch with Emilio to let them all know. I don’t want anyone else to know other than you and Sofia just in case we have to revert back to the original plan.”

  “Fingers crossed.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears. Enough about me. How are you?”

  She sighs heavily. “The truth?”

  “We’re always honest with each other.”

  “As the great Gloria Gaynor once said, I Will Survive.”

  “Hello!” Right on cue both Harley and I start singing the bridge to the iconic disco song. After a few hilarious minutes, I put an end to our fun. “So you’re holding up then?”

  “I’m sure the next weeks won’t be easy and I’m pretty certain I’ll feel lonely, but I’m not going back to Lamar. And I can’t keep jumping into these types of relationships anymore. It’s time for me to make some big changes in my life when it comes to men.”

  “I’m sure everything will fall into place.”

  She snorts on the other end of her iPhone. “If you’re dishing out advice, make sure to take your own, girlfriend.”

  I hesitate when I realize she’s absolutely right. “You’re the best. I love you.”

  “Right back at you.”

  “Okay, Harl, I better go. Jerome must be waiting for me.”

  “And we wouldn’t want the chauffeur to wait too long, would we?” It’s impossible to miss the sarcasm in her comment.

  “No, we wouldn’t, you smartass.”

  * * *

  There’s only a short window of time when the roads aren’t crazy in Paris. Lucky for me, I landed at four o’clock in the afternoon, right before the rush-hour insanity starts. The ride from the airport back to our home only took an hour. I had prepared myself for a much longer ride, but Jerome maneuvered through side streets and back streets, avoiding a lot of the stressful gridlock. After waving our chauffeur goodbye, I nearly skip home knowing that Nikolaj is already there waiting for me.

  When I slide the key in the door, the most delicious aroma immediately engulfs me. Nikolaj must be reheating one of Pierre-Henry’s delectable creations. Whatever it is, I won’t stop at one serving. I’m absolutely famished because I refused to even stop for lunch in order to zoom through my meetings. I’ve survived all day on the early-morning breakfast I had with Sofia and Harley before we all left. Although we usually have dinner much later, I’m so up for a snack.

  It’s only when I take a few steps towards the living room that I hear the soft music seeping through the surround-sound speakers. Is that Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down? My eyes tear up the second I make out the words to the lyrics. All this is becoming so real. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to marry Nikolaj, but I’m also a bit overwhelmed that a long-time non-believer like myself ends with h
er happily ever after.

  I missed Nikolaj so much that last night after Sofia and Harley had fallen asleep, I spent hours searching YouTube for the song for our first dance. After narrowing it down to six ballads, I texted the list to him before passing out in our bed. Sam Smith’s Like I Can and Stay With Me were also on the list along with the songs of a few other British crooners I love, but I guess Nikolaj likes this one. I almost added John Legend’s All of Me to the list, but since Nikolaj proposed to me to that song, I decided to guard it close to my heart and to his. If we dance to that one, I’ll surely crumble because that song is so poignant, deep and so moving, I’m sure I’ll lose myself in a pool of my own tears. If you add the fact that we’ll finally be husband and wife, there’s no way I’ll be able to keep it together.

  Considering how busy he’s been all day today putting out fires, I didn’t expect to be greeted by one of those selections. Not only is Sam Smith’s song heartwrenching, when he sings about lying next to the woman he loves and taking care of her, I can only think of Nikolaj. From the day he came to rescue me on the corner of a street in Barcelona after Diego had shattered my world, he’s been my rock, my pillar and my unwavering knight in shining armor. I’m just about to sprint and jump into his arms when his handsome face peers from the kitchen.

  God.

  Seeing him hits me all over again, like a warm gust of wind blowing over a sandy Hawaiian beach. I love him madly. I relish every inch of this hunk, every emotion that passes through his deep blue eyes, and every thought I read in his intense gaze. Yup, he owns me.

  “Baby, you’re finally home.”

  “Nikolaj,” I exhale, running to him.

  He lifts me in his strong arms and I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist. “Five days apart is way too long, love.” Within a beat, his lips are crushing mine.