Connectivity

by Aven Ellis

  And as I am considering this option, William breaks the kiss. “All right, we need to go. I have a schedule to keep for our last night in London.”

  My stomach lurches with that thought. I cannot bear the thought of it, of never coming back here without William, of this truly being our last night here. All I can do is pray his heart is growing the same way mine is and this is just the first of many trips we will have here to—

  “Mary-Kate?”

  I blink. “Yes, let me get my coat,” I say, reluctantly letting go of him. I pick up my trench, and William helps me slip into it. I grab my clutch and we are ready to go.

  We get into the elevator and William reaches for his iPhone. “Excuse me, just have to send a quick message on my mobile.”

  I laugh and punch the elevator button for the lobby. “Cell. It’s called a cell, William.”

  He gives me a sideways glance. “Have you forgotten what country you are in?”

  I laugh, and he finishes his text. Then I hear my phone going off in my purse as we reach the lobby.

  I pull it out and see the text is from William. I look at him and furrow my brow.

  “Um, I am right here,” I say, confused. “Why are you texting me?”

  “It’s more fun that way.”

  Puzzled, I turn and look back at my phone to see what he wrote.

  Please know that while in public I will not display any outward form of affection toward you—just in case we are seen—but I am holding your hand right now in my head. WC

  I read the text and melt. I glance over at him and he winks at me, and my heart just is . . . is . . . over the moon for this man, and this man only.

  “And I am holding yours,” I whisper back to him.

  We share a gaze and right now he is the only person in the world to me. And I cannot believe I am so lucky to be in this moment with him.

  We exit the hotel and his car is waiting for us. We slip inside, and William doesn’t say a word about where we are going. Which is making me crazy.

  “William, you have to give me a hint as to where we are going,” I say.

  William keeps his eyes straight ahead. “Do I?”

  “William!” I cry, exasperated.

  Which makes him laugh.

  “Seriously, I must know!”

  “Seriously, you will know soon enough,” William counters.

  Arrrrrrrrrgh.

  “Fine, you win. Be William Cumberland, International Mogul Man of Mystery tonight,” I say, gazing out the window.

  “The mystery,” William says slowly in his sexy baritone voice, “will be revealed shortly.”

  We drive through London and as we do, I realize we are getting close to the London Eye, the famous wheel on the banks of The River Thames.

  “London Eye!” I scream excitedly.

  “I promised you I would take you,” William says, “and I will always keep my word to you, Mary-Kate.”

  Ooooooooh, I really like the sound of that sentence, that he will always keep his word to me.

  “But first,” William says, “we are headed to the Royal Festival Hall. I have reservations at Skylon before the Eye.”

  “What kind of food is it?” I ask. Then I laugh. “But you know I really don’t care. I’m just so excited to ride the Eye!”

  “Bloody hell. Then why I am I taking you out for modern European cuisine in a posh setting overlooking the Thames? I could have gotten a pizza.”

  We both laugh. The driver stops at the Royal Festival Hall, where Skylon is located. We slip out of the car and head inside. And as we enter the restaurant, I am once again awed by how chic and beautiful the setting is. Lots of white, beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking The River Thames, gorgeous light fixtures . . . everything is perfect, just perfect, for a chic date night.

  Once we are seated next to one of the windows overlooking the river, we decide on some wine and then William proposes a toast.

  “To you, Mary-Kate, and your very successful tour of London,” William declares.

  I incline my head and clink my glass against his, savoring the taste of the fruity pinot noir as I swallow it.

  “William, this whole trip has been beyond my dreams,” I say with all honesty. “I appreciate you letting me sit in on all those meetings, hearing everything that is going on, but most of all, asking for my input.”

  William’s brow creases. “Why wouldn’t I ask for your input? I’d be a bloody idiot not to ask for it.”

  My heart leaps at his words. Of course, I love the fact that William finds me beautiful and sexy, but I really think he finds my brain just as sexy as well. And I love hearing him say that to me just as much as when I hear him say I look gorgeous.

  “Thank you,” I say softly. I hold my eyes steady on his. “And I want to thank you for sharing your world with me. For letting me into your home every night, for letting me meet your family . . . ” I trail off for a moment, swallowing before I continue. “And you have been nothing but a complete gentleman to me when we are alone.”

  William’s eyes remain fixated on mine, and I can tell he is trying to read what I am saying. But I feel like I have to address the issue of sex, because I know that is the direction we are heading, but my head is overruling my heart on this one. No matter how much I desire him, and, oh God I do, I just can’t go there yet. Not without knowing there could be some kind of chance at a future with him first.

  “What I mean is, I know . . .” I pause, looking for the right words, “. . . that you might expect more as far as a physical relationship at this point. But you have not once pushed me or even acted like it was an issue, and I want you to know I deeply appreciate that. Because . . .” I feel my face grow warm as I grapple with this. “. . . I can’t rush into something like that. Even if I deeply want to, I have to make sure it is right.”

  Then, I grab my glass of wine and take a big sip. I look at him, praying he understand this.

  William traces his finger around the rim of his wine glass as he stares at me across the table.

  “Thank you,” he says softly, “for being so honest with me. Because the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable about anything. There is no timetable for this. When it is right, we’ll both know it. I . . . I respect you too much for anything less to be acceptable.”

  I exhale in relief at his words.

  William’s eyes flicker and then he laughs. “Were you nervous about that?” he asks, grinning.

  I blush furiously. “Very,” I say, taking another sip of my wine.

  “No need to be,” William says, his eyes holding on mine. “And while there is no timetable for that, there is a timetable for tonight, so we should think about what to order.”

  We move on to the menu, and this time I get the fillet of beef and William gets the rack of lamb. Dinner is exceptional. The view of The River Thames is stunning, the food spectacular, and having William as my date—I still think I am the luckiest girl in London as I gaze at him across the table.

  After dinner, we decide to walk to the Eye. William arranged for us to be on the last ride of the night. The wind is chilly tonight, and I’m glad I am bundled up in my trench. I take in the view around me, of London lit up, of The River Thames and the Houses of Parliament, and I still can’t believe I am here. The Eye is so glorious in lights, and I can hardly contain my excitement about being able to ride it tonight.

  There is a line, of course, but with William having a certain kind of ticket, we are bypassing a lot of things. Finally, we board, and I notice we are the only two people in our capsule.

  “Private capsule,” William explains, helping me take off my coat.

  “Oh my God, William! This is so cool!” I cry happily.

  William grins and takes off his trench. “I am glad you
find this most appropriate, Mary-Kate.”

  I laugh. “Oh, William, I do find it most appropriate!”

  We are greeted by a host and served champagne and pink champagne truffles. I truly cannot believe this. I am not only on the London Eye, but in a private capsule, being served champagne, and sharing it all with William.

  I stand at the window, completely captivated by the city lit up below us.

  “Show me everything!” I cry to William. “Be my tour guide!”

  “Ah, yes, my second job as a narrator on the London Eye,” William quips. But then he moves behind me and pulls me to his chest, his beautiful hands wrapping around me and holding me protectively to him.

  Oh God. Suggesting he be my tour guide was the best idea ever.

  William narrates to me, pointing out all the things I might not recognize on sight, and we talk about all the other amazing buildings of London that are now magically lit up below us. William leans down to talk into my ear softly as he does this, and this is beyond romantic.

  As William is holding me in his arms, I see Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, and St. Paul’s Cathedral twinkling in the black night sky, and I am just in heaven, talking a mile a minute, listening to William point out other things to me that only a native would know.

  “This is everything I dreamed it would be,” I say, delighted as we near the top of the Eye. “Just breathtaking. I am so, so, lucky to be here, William.”

  “I am lucky, too,” William murmurs in my ear. Then he brushes his lips against my temple in the sweetest of kisses and I feel my body just go weak from his touch. Then he clears his throat. “Would you like some more champagne?”

  I turn around to say yes. But then I see it. Next to my champagne glass, on the table, is a flat, square box from Tiffany & Co. The infamous Tiffany Blue box with a white bow on it is sitting on the table.

  “William!” I gasp, my heart pounding. “Is . . . is . . . that for me?”

  “Yes,” he says simply. “A little gift from me to you.”

  Oh. My. God. I move over to the table, stunned. I pick up the blue box and stare at William.

  “William, this . . . you didn’t have to do this. Don’t you know being with you is enough for me?”

  I watch as William’s blue eyes go soft, very soft. He approaches me and cups my face in his hands, and then brushes his lips against my forehead.

  “I know you mean that,” William whispers. “So that is even more of a reason why I wanted to give you something.”

  I stare back at him. Oh, William Cumberland, I think this just might be the night I fall in love with you.

  “Please, Mary-Kate, open it,” William encourages.

  With a shaking hand I undo the ribbon. I lift up the top of the box and break the silver seal on the crisply folded tissue paper.

  And as soon as I see what is inside I gasp.

  It is a gorgeous silver and Tiffany blue linked charm bracelet. I hold it in my palm, staring at it in shock.

  “Each charm has meaning in regards to our time here,” William explains quietly. “The blue Tiffany bag charm is because this is the first gift I have given you. The double-decker bus is one of the things you did on your tourist day, the London taxi is what you took all over the place because you refused to let me drive you, the Bond Street charm because it is famous, and last, but not least, that is a silver Chinese Zodiac rooster. Closest thing I could find to a chicken. Which we both know has significant meaning from Berkshire.”

  I am stunned by this, by the thought William put into this gift, that every single charm represents our time in London together.

  I gaze at it, knowing full well this cost him at least $2,000 dollars, but I also know that the money is irrelevant to him. He wanted me to have something significant, something special, something that only we would understand and nobody else. A gift about our private time in London.

  William is this beautiful man with such a beautiful heart, and tears escape my eyes.

  “I have never received a more thoughtful and meaningful gift in my whole life,” I say, my voice cracking. “This means everything to me, William.”

  “So it meets with your approval?” William asks as he gently brushes away my tears with his fingertips.

  I nod. And then I can’t help it. I squeal excitedly and throw my arms around him in total joy.

  “I love it!” I cry excitedly. “I love it, I love it, I love it!”

  I step back, use the lapels on his Burberry blazer to pull him closer, and kiss him while our capsule is at the top of the Eye. I melt into him, and William responds to my lips on his, and he kisses me slowly and sweetly. I taste the champagne on his lips and let my right hand reach up to the nape of his neck, where I play with some of his silky curls as he kisses me.

  He breaks the kiss and takes the bracelet from me. William puts it on my left wrist and then extends my arm out to take a look at it.

  “Perfect,” he says, looking at it.

  “Yes, perfect,” I say, looking at him.

  We finish our ride of the Eye and I almost feel teary getting off the ride. Because now I know, with us stepping out of the capsule and back into the city, that my time in London with William is almost over.

  William takes me back to the hotel and escorts me back to my room. He steps inside, but I notice he doesn’t take off his coat.

  “You can stay,” I say hopefully, not willing to let go of this time, not yet.

  William pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly. “Mary-Kate, you have an early flight back to Chicago tomorrow. You need to sleep.”

  It is all I can do not to laugh. Right. Like I am going to be able to sleep after this evening?

  William steps back from me. I bite my lip. So I am going back to Chicago and he is on his way to Sydney. I hate this. I don’t want to be away from him now, not when we are starting to build something so amazing together.

  “I’ll be back to Chicago before you know it,” William says, reading my mind. He gently cups my face in his hands and gazes into my eyes. “And I’ll text you the minute I get to Australia. We’ll figure out a time to a Video Connect on Connectivity.”

  I nod. “Okay.”

  “I should leave you now. You are going to have to be there early to get through customs as it is.”

  I am really biting down hard on my lip now. “Right.”

  William puts his hand on the door. Then he changes his mind. He comes back to me, slides his hands through my hair, and kisses me. We are kissing passionately, embracing, touching each other, not wanting to let each other go.

  Finally, William breaks the kiss and we are both out of breath.

  “Okay,” William says, raking a hand through his hair. “I am really going now.”

  I walk him to the door. He opens it and steps through. William gently touches my face one last time.

  “Thank you for this evening, and all the other ones, Mary-Kate,” he says, his eyes intently on mine.

  “Thank you, William. For making London the best experience of my life,” I say with all my heart. “And thank you for the bracelet. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  William smiles softly. “I do know what it means to you. And I know what it means to me to give it to you.”

  We stare at each other for a moment, and it is obvious neither one of us wants to say goodbye.

  Finally, William sighs.

  “I need to go,” he says reluctantly. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” I say.

  Then William turns and walks away.

  I shut the door and lean against it. I take off my coat and look down at my beautiful charm bracelet, the one that is now my most treasured possession in the world, and clasp it over my heart.

  My heart, which now belongs to
William.

  And I just pray that somehow his heart can belong to me before he leaves Chicago for good in June.

  Chapter 20

  “I’ll have the mascarpone and strawberry buttermilk pancakes,” I tell the waitress. Then I close my menu and hand it to her.

  Reese and Emily give their orders to the waitress and she walks away. We are sitting at a booth at a hip Lincoln Park eatery, having a Saturday catch-up brunch.

  Except from the way both of them are sitting across the table staring at me, I feel more like this is going to be a CIA interrogation about my time in London.

  Or more specifically, the time I spent with William in London.

  I pour some cream into my coffee and stir, keeping my eyes down. Then I glance out the big window that overlooks the street. It is cold and windy on this March morning. Rain is pouring down and blowing sideways, pelting the glass. I swallow and watch as people hurry down the block, desperately trying to keep umbrellas from folding inside out against the gusty wind.

  I bite my lip, wishing I were elsewhere. Specifically, in Sydney. William and I had talked once already, but, God, I miss him so much. It is still hard to believe just a day ago I was in London. Just a day ago I was with William—

  “MK,” Reese says, breaking the silence. “We’re both really worried about you.”

  I turn and stare at my friends. “You have no reason to be worried,” I say honestly. “Actually, I have never been better.”

  I watch as Reese and Emily share a glance. Now I feel like I have learned something from William, as I am quickly able to deduce that they have practiced this conversation before I came home from London.

  “MK, please just hear what we have to say,” Emily says gently. “You have to understand why we are concerned. You go to London. Someplace you’ve always wanted to go. Yet you haven’t posted one thing about it on your Connectivity page. Not one picture, not one quote, nothing. And you have barely said anything at all about it since you’ve been back. That’s weird, MK. Really weird.”