by Melissa West
“Around noon.”
My heart began to pick up speed, worry zooming through me as I frantically searched my purse for my phone. Crap. I’d forgotten to turn it back on this morning. I held down the power button, my hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped my phone to the floor. The screen came up, an image of Aidan and me in the background—and a plethora of texts and calls, all from Aidan. Without looking at them, I hit his name and jumped to my feet.
Something happened. Something was wrong, I could feel it. He would never call me so many times unless something had happened. I waited for the call to connect, but instantly it went to voicemail. I called again, and again, praying for a different response, but each time hearing his deep voice as he said his name.
Panic worked its way up my spine, crawling to each of my muscles until my entire body shook.
“Cameron, sit down before you fall down.” Lauren led me to the couch, and I sat down, my brain searching for possible explanations as to why he would call so many times and not be available now.
The texts.
I started through them, each more disjointed than the last.
I need to talk to you. It’s important. Can you call?
Cameron, please?
Call me?
Are you okay? Why aren’t you responding? I’m calling Lauren.
Lauren didn’t answer. Fuck it, I’m calling the office.
The admin said you left early. Please tell me you’re all right.
I’m really worried here.
Damn, new admin! She doesn’t even know my name. How would she know if I left early? I hit his name again, pacing the room as I worked my bottom lip between my teeth. Voicemail. Dammit. Frustrated, I threw my phone to the floor, then quickly grabbed it, checking to make sure I hadn’t broken it, my mind whirling.
“What do you think happened?” Lauren asked.
I shook my head, tears burning my eyes. “I don’t know. He’s never like this. Something had to have happened, and now I can’t get him on the phone and— What if he’s been hurt? What if he was at the hospital when he called? What if he’s in surgery now, and I have no idea what’s going on and—”
Lauren pulled me into a hug. “No, honey, I’m sure it’s nothing big. He just probably needed to talk to you, and now he’s in a meeting.”
“It’s eight thirty here, and he’s five hours ahead. He should be calling me or asleep. This…I can’t just sit here.” I spun around and started for the door, reaching down to grab my purse, my phone still in my hand as Lauren chased after me.
“Cameron, stop. Stop. Where are you going?”
“The airport.”
“What? You can’t go to the airport. Who knows when the next flight is to London? You could be there all night. Just stay here. Just wait.”
“I can’t wait here. At least if I’m there, I’m doing something. I’ll worry myself sick if I stay here.” I started for the door just as my phone rang in my hand. Without thinking I accepted the call and pressed the phone to my ear. “Aidan?”
“It’s me.”
“Oh my God. I was so worried. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. God, I—”
A soft knock interrupted my rambling and for a moment I wasn’t sure if it had been at my door or coming from the phone. I waited, and then the knock sounded again, this time clearly from both my door and through the phone.
“Aidan?”
I ran for the door and threw it open to find him standing there, cell phone to his ear. He slowly lowered the phone.
“Are you crazy—what are you doing here?”
“I had something important to tell you.”
“What?”
“I love you.” He took a step toward me. “I couldn’t wait another moment to tell you, but then you didn’t answer my texts or calls, and I thought something happened. And before I could convince myself to be logical, I had a plane ticket and was headed to the airport.” Another step. “And that’s when I realized that I didn’t want to be an ocean away from you if something happened. I want to be right here, protecting you—loving you. I am in love with you, Cameron Lawson. Every fiber in my body aches when I’m away from you, and these last few weeks have been the worst of my life. I don’t want to spend a minute without you, forget a day or a week or a month. And I know this is a lot to take in, but I can’t do this anymore. Forget the job, I need you.”
Tears raced down my cheeks, and before he could say another word, I launched into his arms, my lips on his, every emotion pouring out of me. I couldn’t wait another second, because he was right. These weeks brought on a pain I hadn’t felt since my dad died. An emptiness that couldn’t be filled.
I kissed him harder, desperate to taste and feel every bit of him, then I pulled away. “I love you, too. And I don’t want to do this either. I’ll quit. I’ll email Gayle tonight. I’ll—”
“I sent my resignation in to the partners this morning.”
“You what? No, you can’t.”
He peered into my eyes as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “No, what I can’t do is spend another moment away from you.”
I rose onto my toes and kissed him again. “So you’re here? For good?”
Aidan pulled me into his arms. “As long as you’re here, I’m here. I love you. You’re my home now.”
And he was mine.
Epilogue
Eighteen months later
The DJ switched from the classic wedding dance songs to Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” I smiled as Lauren and Patrick went to the center of the dance floor. I had never seen her more beautiful or more genuinely happy.
The summer heat had worried me when Lauren selected July for her wedding, but like always, she had been right. A soft breeze blew through the air during the outdoor service, and when day turned into night and the candles were lit for the reception, I found myself dreaming about my own wedding. Or the hope of a wedding someday. Lauren’s happiness made me hopeful in a way I had scarcely allowed myself to hope before. But now, here, watching her and Patrick dance, knowing that I was with someone I loved made me giddy inside.
I glanced around for Aidan. Ever since he quit Sanderson-Lowe and opened his own agency, he had been working around the clock, making calls, setting up meetings, expanding his business. Once the non-compete time frame lapsed, many of his main clients with Sanderson-Lowe followed him to his agency. At first, he worked out of his apartment, but then he took out a lease for a small office and hired Dorothy, his assistant from Sanderson-Lowe. Before long, his office became fully functional, complete with an art department and an account manager—me. We were living our dreams, together.
I had just started for the dessert table when a strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back, and a deep voice whispered, “Dance with me.”
“I was looking for you,” I said, spinning in Aidan’s arms.
“I’m sorry. I’m waiting on a call from an investor.”
“Oh! That’s wonderful. Who is it?”
“I don’t know, actually. Which has me skeptical. Dorothy said he would be calling me today to discuss the terms.”
We danced until the song ended, and then Aidan flashed me a guilty look. “Is it okay if I step outside for a bit? The call should come in any second.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
I waited until Aidan was out of sight, then walked inside the banquet hall to the bride’s quarters and pulled out my cell phone from my purse. The time rolled over to 8:00 p.m., and I scrolled through until I found Aidan’s name, then clicked call. The phone rang once before he answered with an urgent, “Are you okay?”
“Mr. Truitt. My name is Cameron Lawson. I would like to discuss Truitt Advertising, and my interest in becoming a silent partner.”
I continued through the banquet hall, where we’d enjoyed most of the reception, and out onto the front porch, where Aidan stood, a look of shock on his face. “You’re the investor?”
Ending the call
, I started for him, a smile stretching across my face at his expression. “I’ve spent the last two years trying to think of something worthwhile to do with Dad’s money, something that would make me happy, but make sense financially. This is that thing. The firm’s growing faster than our space can hold, and we need to invest in marketing efforts to better get our name out there. Let me help. I want to be a silent partner.”
“I can’t take your money.”
“You aren’t. I’m investing in the business. If it continues at the pace it’s at now, I’ll be able to replace the funds in no time.”
Aidan worked his lip between his teeth, his eyes on me. “You’ve thought through everything. You’re serious? I thought the call was Eric.”
“Eric? My Eric?”
Aidan nodded. “We had actually talked about it over Christmas, but at that point, the business was just an idea, nothing more. He liked my concepts, so when I made the leap, he called me. I wasn’t sure at first, so I thought he called back to try to convince me.”
“Wow.”
“I know.” He pulled me close. “We were actually talking about something else, too.”
“Oh?”
He lowered his head to my ear. “I asked him for permission to marry you.”
I jerked back, suddenly wide-awake.
“Before you freak out,” Aidan said with a laugh, “not today. Or tomorrow. Or even next year. I will wait as long as it takes for us to be ready. But I love you, Cameron. I love the way you refuse to sleep with your hair down. I love how you drink tea at night and coffee first thing in the morning. I love the soft sounds you make when you’re watching a movie you especially love. I love everything about you, and I want you to know that I’m here, yours, whenever you want me.”
I closed the distance between our lips and tightened my arms around his neck. “I love you. And I would love to marry you someday. Please let me do this for you. For us.”
He kissed me again. “Well, since you’d be a partner in the business, it only makes sense for you to spend more time at my place. You know, make sure I’m working around the clock to return those funds.”
I grinned up at him. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”
“I’m asking you to spend every moment with me, but I will settle for sleeping hours. I want to come home to you every day for the rest of my life.”
“I hate when you say things like that.”
“You love it when I say things like that.”
My smile spread across my face. “I do.” And then I pressed my lips to his once again.
For a bonus scene between Aidan and Cameron, please leave an honest review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, then email me the link to the review at [email protected], and I will send you a bonus scene!
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Acknowledgments
Thank you God for guiding me day after day.
None of my books would be possible without the support of my amazing agent, Nicole Resciniti. Thank you for always being there and talking me off the crazy ledge.
There were lots of hands on this book, and each person offered wonderful insight. The most influential, who understood the characters and gave this book her all, was my fantastic editor Kate Brauning. Thank you for your enthusiasm and advice and continued love of this story. It would not be half the story it is without you! And thank you to Liz Pelletier, Stacy Abrams, and Alycia Tornetta for offering early edits on the story and forcing me to push myself to make it better. I owe each of you lots of chocolate.
Behind every one of my books is the love and support of my family. Thank you to my husband, Jason, and my two girls for forever believing in me and for eating lots of takeout so I can do what I love. Thank you to my extended family, my parents, and my loved ones for making me feel accomplished even on my worst days.
Thank you to early readers of the book Siobhan Clayton, Kayleigh Gore, Jessica Mangicaro, Staci Murden, and Jennifer Jabaley. Thank you to Teresa Mary Rose and Jennifer Marmo for offering insights into all things New York. And a million thanks to Rachel Harris and Cindi Madsen for reading the book, for telling me you loved it, and for being such wonderful friends. I adore you both so very much!
Lastly, thank you to the Book Boyfriend Anonymous Facebook group, the Mel’s Madhouse Facebook group, and all of my amazing readers. You are the reason I write. Hugs always.
About the Author
Melissa West writes heartfelt Southern romance and teen sci-fi romance, all with lots of kissing. Because who doesn’t like kissing? She lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two daughters, and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.
Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com or on Twitter @MB_West
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Also by Melissa West…
the Taking series
Gravity
Hover
Collide
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