“Jim!” I cried when he answered, making the cabby jump. “Do you know what airline Rick was flying?”
“Airline?” he shouted back, the sounds of the club loud even over the phone.
“Yes!”
“Rick always flies Virgin. Gets his frequent flyer miles—”
“Thanks!” I hung up before he could ask me any questions. I couldn’t remember ever being so keyed up. I was almost convinced that I’d be able to run faster than this cab. I did a quick search on my phone to see what terminal Virgin flew from. “Virgin Airlines,” I told the cabby. “Terminal three.”
“Right, right.” He looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Might as well sit back and relax, sweetheart. It’s gonna be a few minutes.”
I sank back into the seat, taking deep breaths. I could hardly wrap my mind around the events of the last hour. Had he really sent that message? I pulled up the email and read it again, then again, my heart beating faster with each read. He had heard me talking with Jim that morning. I racked my brain, trying to remember what I had said. Something about not being able to give up. I closed my eyes, trying not to feel mortified. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing you wanted to admit to a guy—that you’d been obsessing over him for ten years. But, apparently, it hadn’t turned him off. Because he loved me.
Holy shit. Rick Wentworth loved me. I slapped a hand over my mouth to cover the giggle that was desperate to escape. I could see the cabby eyeing me warily again. Poor guy probably thought his longest fare of the night was a nut job.
Finally, finally, we pulled up in front of the Virgin departure entrance. I tried to count out the bills for the driver, but my hands were shaking so badly by then, I was pretty sure I overpaid him by at least twenty. But I didn’t care, because Rick was in there, and he loved me, and he was about to get on a plane.
I burst through the entrance to the airport, running toward security before stopping in my tracks. I didn’t have a ticket.
“Damn it,” I hissed through gritted teeth. My eyes scanned the area—there was a ticketing counter right there. I would just have to get the cheapest flight I could so I could get to the gates. A quick glance at the clock told me it was only eleven. He wouldn’t be boarding yet. I had time.
Then I saw the ticketing line.
It was too much. I was exhausted and half-hysterical with emotion from the email, and after all of this running around, I was going to miss him because the airline couldn’t see fit to staff more than two employees at the ticket counter.
So I stood there in the middle of the airport, put my hands over my eyes, and cried for what felt like the hundredth time that day.
“Hey,” a soft voice at my side said, and then there was a hand on my shoulder, and I knew, knew, without even looking, that it was him. That he had found me. “Why are you crying?”
“Because I thought I was going to miss you.”
That hand came up to take both of mine, moving them away from my face, and there he was in front of me. Those familiar brown eyes, that crinkly little smile. Rick.
“You didn’t miss me. I’ve been sitting around out here waiting. I figured I could go through security at the last possible minute, just in case you came.” His little smile suddenly widened. “You came.”
“You love me?”
He nodded, his face turning serious. “I love you.”
Then I was throwing myself into his arms, taking us both off guard, but he didn’t hesitate, his hand reaching around to the small of my back, the other trailing up to the back of my neck, pulling me in close. And I fit there, the same way I used to, as if no time or pain or distance had passed between us.
He held me like that for a long time, without a word, and I clung to him as tightly as I could, the relief rushing through me so strongly, I was pretty sure I would fall if he let go.
I left home when I was fourteen to attend one of the best private schools in the country. In the years since, I traded one dorm room for another, and that room for an apartment, and the apartment for a condo. I had traveled the world with a family that loved me, but to whom I did not belong. And no matter where I went, all those years, nowhere had felt like home. It had always felt temporary, the latest stop in the journey toward some goal that I couldn’t even name.
Standing in that crowded airport, wrapped in Rick’s arms, I finally felt like I had stopped moving. Like it wasn’t just a pit stop on the way to something else. It felt like home. For the first time in years, it felt like home.
“You haven’t said it, you know,” he whispered in my ear, and I barked out a laugh, the joy in my heart so overwhelming it almost hurt.
“I love you,” I whispered, against his neck, the only bit of his skin I could reach when wrapped so tightly in his arms. “I never stopped.”
Only then did he pull back. He stared down at me for a long moment, that familiar feeling that he was reading my face, and then he was kissing me. His lips weren’t the slightest bit gentle, as if he was trying to make up for all the kisses we had missed over the years, pressing his entire body against mine. Again I clung to him, afraid I might fall, for completely different reasons this time.
“I love you,” he said again, his lips moving against mine. “I’m so sorry, Annabelle.”
“No sorries,” I said. “It was just as much my fault.”
“I left.”
“I didn’t give you much reason to stay.”
He shook his head, his eyes dark and worried. “I should have trusted you. It’s like what you said today—you never gave me a reason not to.”
“I changed my mind about Europe.”
“You had a right to. I was asking you to give up a lot.”
“You thought it was just because of Emma.” He nodded looking ashamed. “You were partly right. I didn’t know how to stand up to her.”
“So I should have helped you. Not left.”
I wrapped my arms around his middle, resting my head against his chest. “So from now on, we’ll help each other.”
He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. “I can handle that.”
We stayed like that for another long moment, just holding each other. “I came back, you know. That night.”
I pulled back, astonished. “You came back?”
He nodded, and I could see the regret—the same regret I’d felt for the past ten years—clear in his face. “I came back, ready to beg you for forgiveness. But…Emma’s car was there.”
I shook my head, unable to comprehend that he had been there that night, that I’d been that close to a second chance. “So you didn’t come in.”
“I’ve regretted it every day since. I was so stupid, Annabelle.”
I wondered what I would have said to him if he’d come in with Emma there. Would I have been strong enough to stand up to her—to defy what she thought was best for me, given a second chance like that? Or would I have made the same mistake all over again, failing to follow my heart and what I wanted for my life?
“It doesn’t matter, “ I said, surprised by the certainty in my voice. “Everything turned out the way it should have. I’m done feeling sorry for the past. I just want to think about now.”
“I like that plan.”
He kissed me again, more gentle this time, his hands cradling my face as if it was precious to him. “I can’t believe we’re here right now.”
“Thank you for today, Rick.”
He snorted. “Are you kidding me? I totally sold you out yesterday. God, I’m an asshole. I thought… I thought it was history repeating itself. Me getting caught under your spell while you—”
“Did whatever best served me?”
“I’m an asshole.”
“You’re not. You were mad, and hurt.”
“I was also jealous as hell.” I felt a shudder go through him. “I can’t tell you what it did to me to see that punk with his arm around you.”
“I only started dating him because I was so jealous over you and Lucy, I co
uld hardly think straight.”
“Nothing ever happened with Lucy. I…may have paid her more attention than I should have. I thought I’d be able to deal with seeing you again, but I… I’ve been a mess this whole time. I thought maybe Lucy could help me keep it together.” He made a scoffing noise. “See? I am an asshole. I used her and I betrayed you.”
“Lucy is happy. As for me… You had my back today. That means everything to me.”
“I was so proud of you.”
It was my turn to look up at him. “You were?”
“God, Annabelle. You should have seen yourself. That presentation you did, it was perfect. But the way you stood up to them, to all of us… It was amazing. I was amazed by you.”
I blushed, looking down, but he reached up and gave my chin a gentle nudge so he could look me in the eyes. “I mean it. You should be proud.”
“My dad told me to kick ass.”
He laughed, long and loud, the way I remembered. “You succeeded. That was totally kick ass.”
I grinned, burrowing my face into his chest again, trying to inhale his scent, imprint it in my mind. “Damn it,” he said suddenly, and I looked up, alarmed. “They’ll be boarding soon. I should get through security.”
I felt a rush of panic. “I need to get my ticket! And the line is—”
“Wait, your ticket? What ticket?”
“I’m coming with you,” I told him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“To New York?”
“To wherever.” I looked up into his eyes, careful not to blink or blush or look away, wanting him to know how completely serious I was. “It’s this new promise I’m sticking to—to always go with you, wherever you go.”
His face softened, and I thought there might have been tears in his eyes. But then, he was kissing me again, so long that it took my breath away. Finally he pulled back and whispered, “We’ll wait in line together.”
“But you’ll miss your flight.”
“There are other flights. See, it’s this new promise I’m sticking to—to never leave you ever again.”
There was no question about the tears in my eyes, but he wiped them away with his thumbs, kissing me softly. “Have you been to New York?” he asked.
I nodded. “But I’ve never been with you.”
“Then it will be a new adventure for both of us.”
He tucked me under his arm, grabbing the handle of his abandoned bag, and led me over to the ticketing line. It didn’t matter where we were going—New York, Madrid, back to Detroit, some nameless city in the middle of nowhere. I had meant what I said. I would go with him wherever he went. That was the way it should have always been.
And I had every intention of making up for lost time now.
The End
Join the mailing list for updates and exclusive content!
Interested in reading more from Rachel Schurig?
Her best-selling romantic comedy series are available for ebook and in paperback.
Three Girls Series
Come along for the crazy ride as Ginny McKensie and her best friends deal with an unexpected pregnancy in Three Girls and a Baby.
Follow Jen Campbell as she struggles to plan the perfect wedding—and find her very own happily ever after in Three Girls and a Wedding.
Join Annie Duncan as she continues her search for the perfect leading role—and the perfect man to go along with it in the third and final book of the series, Three Girls and a Leading Man.
Reunite with Ginny, Jen, and Annie and catch up with Kiki Barker-Thompson as she attempts to create the perfect fairy tale life in The Truth About Ever After (a Three Girls book).
Ginny, Jen, and Annie are back for the next chapter in Three Girls and a New Beginning.
Love Story Series
In Search of a Love Story is the first in the three-book series, in which you meet Emily Donovan, a self-described romance novice, as she searches for her very own love story.
An Unexpected Love Story, is the second in the Love Story series, where we follow along with Brooke Murray as she attempts to save her parents' inn, find true love, and run a business-all while wearing the perfect pair of heels!
In the final book in the Love Story Series, An (Almost) Perfect Love Story, we learn more about Ashley Phillips. She has always believed in love, but does she have what it takes to fight for love when her perfect love story turns out to be not so perfect after all?
Lovestruck Series
Lovestruck in London
When Lizzie Medina settles in London for a year of post-graduate studies, she’s sure she’ll be able to start a whole new life. But falling unexpectedly in love with up-and-coming actor Thomas Harper causes Lizzie to re-think… everything. When Thomas’s career suddenly explodes to superstar levels, Lizzie finds herself forced to navigate the fame game of red carpets, catty co-stars, gossip magazines, and paparazzi in Lovestruck in London. When she wished for a new life, she had no idea it would be anything like this!
Lovestruck in Los Angeles
Lizzie Medina is living a fairy tale life. Ever since she left home for an adventure in London—and fell in love with movie star Thomas Harper in the process—her world has become brighter. More exciting. The kind of life she’s always dreamt of. When Thomas is required to temporarily move to Los Angeles for his new movie, Lizzie joins him without hesitation. But it doesn’t take her long to realize than in Hollywood, not everything is quite what it seems. Will she and Thomas succumb to the pressures inherent in their new life? Or will they find a way to create a perfect Hollywood ending of their own?
Lovestruck Forever
Lizzie Medina’s dreams are about to come true. She’s finally about to marry her true love, the internationally famous movie star Thomas Harper. Her career appears posed for a break out of its own. And, maybe best of all, her family actually seems to have accepted her relationship with Thomas. Just when it seems that it might be possible to actually get everything she ever wanted, Lizzie’s perfectly constructed world starts getting complicated. Now she must decide, once and for all, what really matters to her—and what she’s willing to fight for.
A brand new Lovestruck book is coming in Spring 2014!
Love New Adult Contemporary Romance?
Don’t miss the Escape series, available now!
Escape In You Jet Taylor is the quintessential bad boy. The type of guy most girls do their best to avoid. But Zoe Janes is no saint herself and the more time they spend together, the harder it is for Zoe to stick to her “fun only” mantra. Jet is getting under her skin, making her believe things could actually be different, that freedom might be possible. And that makes him the most dangerous boy of all.
Escape With You Ellie is not a serious relationship kind of girl and Fred has made a career out of worrying. When the two start hooking up they’re both ready for nothing more than some no-pressure, worry-free fun. So long as they stick to the plan, both can get out unscathed. So long as they stick to the plan, both can get what they want. But life has a way of messing with the best of plans…
Check out the first rocker romance book in the brand new Ransom series, available now!
Ransom It’s been a year since Daisy has seen Daltrey. A year since he and his brothers left town to pursue their dreams of rock and roll superstardom. A year since he left Daisy behind—left her to watch as everything she knew crumbled around her. She’s been running from Daltrey ever since, desperate to keep her secret. But she can’t run anymore. And now that Daltrey has found her—the girl he’s loved his entire life, the girl he’d give up everything for—he’s determined never to let her go again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Schurig is the best-selling author of the Three Girls series, available now in paperback and ebook. Rachel lives in the metro Detroit area with her dog, Lucy. She loves to watch reality TV, and she reads as many books as she can get her hands on. In her spare time, Rachel decorates cakes.
To find out more about
her books, visit Rachel at rachelschurig.com
Join the mailing list for updates and exclusive content!
Visit her author page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RachelSchurigAuthor)
Follow her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/rems330)
Persuaded Page 29