It’s just after 1 a.m. when our plane lands at Williamstown airport in Newcastle. It’s been a very long day for us both, and I’m pretty sure Ryan is just as exhausted as I am.
We walk in silence towards the parking bay. I’m too tired to even talk.
He stops at the pay machine, pulling the ticket out of his pocket and inserting it.
“Let me pay for the parking,” I plead, reaching for my backpack that is slung over his shoulder. He insisted on carrying both our bags when we disembarked the plane. I’m not used to his thoughtfulness. Sure, I’ve had other boyfriends before Wade came into my life, but they were nothing serious. Wade was the first person I actually lived with, and quite possibly the last. “You haven’t let me pay for anything today.”
“I can claim it all through work.”
“Even the food you refused to let me pay for earlier?”
He chuckles at my response. “No, that comes out of my own pocket.”
“Ryan, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, but I’m not a freeloader. I’ve always paid my own way in life.”
“I know,” he says, reaching for the parking ticket and receipt once the machine spits them back out. “Come, let’s get you home. You need some sleep.”
Home? “I don’t have a home,” I remind him.
“You have a home in Paterson. Mum said you’re welcome to stay with her for as long as you want, until you find something more permanent.” He drapes his arm over my shoulder, tucking me neatly into his side as we head to his car. It’s a simple gesture, but I love when he does things like that. This will probably sound pathetic, but he makes me feel special. “There’s also a spare room at my place that you’re welcome to use.”
“That’s really sweet, but I’ve disrupted your life enough.”
“I feel like you’ve enriched my life more than disrupted it,” he says.
I look up at him and see a touch of hurt in his eyes. It makes me feel bad. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt him.
“Thank you,” I say when he opens the passenger side door for me.
“You’re welcome.” He gives me one of his beautiful smiles before closing my door.
I swear he has the kind of smile that could melt your panties right off. He’s not only sinfully good-looking, but kind, loyal, and hard working—all the attributes I’d want in a man. It makes me wonder why he’s single. My eyes follow him as he walks around the front of the car, before climbing into the driver’s side.
He’s watching me intently as he pulls his seatbelt over his shoulder, so my gaze moves down to my lap. I don’t want to see his reaction when I say this. “It’s probably just best for everyone if I move on, Ryan.”
“Move on to where, Morgan?”
“My original plan, Tasmania, I guess,” I say with a shrug. In my heart I already know that I’ll never find the happiness I’ve found since being here.
“What’s waiting for you in Tasmania?”
“A fresh start.”
“You can get a fresh start anywhere. You can have a fresh start in Paterson.”
“The further away I am from my old life, the better.”
I still can’t bring myself to look at him. I know if I do, it will be my undoing. I’m fighting so hard to leave, when my heart is screaming for me to stay.
“Your old life is always going to be a part of you, no matter where you are. Memories are one thing you can’t run from. Trust me, I know.”
I exhale a large breath because I know he’s right.
“Look at me, Morgan,” he says, placing his finger under my chin and turning my face to meet his. His touch is just as gentle as it was the first day we met. “Stay.” There’s a pleading look in his beautiful blue eyes as they lock with mine. “Please. I don’t want you to leave. I know we’ve only known each other a few days, but I honestly do care about what happens to you.”
Tears sting my eyes because my self-loathing won’t let me believe I’m worthy of someone as beautiful and as kind as him.
“I’m not your responsibility, Ryan.”
“I know that. I want to keep you safe, but that’s not the only reason I want you to stay. I like having you around.”
“I like having you around too,” I admit.
“Then don’t go. You have a place to stay, a job if you want it, friends. You have nothing in Tasmania except the bitter cold. I’ve heard it’s freezing down there.”
His words make me laugh. “I’m really not a fan of the cold weather.”
I see the corners of his lips turn up into a smile. “It snows in Tasmania too. I can’t believe you’d consider a place like that over the beautiful sunny countryside.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Officer Mitchell.”
“What can I say, Miss Abraham. I’ll stoop to any level to get what I want, and what I want is for you to stay.”
“Do I really have a choice? If I say no, you’re liable to fabricate more issues with my car so you can slap another defect on it.”
He throws back his head and laughs. “In my defence, your tyres were bald, but I reckon if I look hard enough, I’m bound to find more problems.”
Reaching across the centre console, I playfully slap his leg. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” he says, but I can hear the humour in his voice. He places the key in the ignition, starting the engine. “So, it’s settled, you’re staying right?”
“I guess I am.”
“Good.”
I’m pretty sure the smile on his face matches mine as he reaches for my hand, interlocking our fingers together. He usually holds my hand for comfort or reassurance, but this time it’s different—more intimate. It makes my stomach do a flip-flop. I don’t know where things are going between us, but I’m actually excited at the prospect of sticking around to find out. I’m not ready to jump into another relationship—I need to heal from my last one first—but in time, I hope something can become of this.
Although I’d never want to relive my time with Wade, in a strange way he did me a favour. Without his actions, I never would’ve ended up in this town, and I never would’ve found my saviour, and what I hope may one day lead me to my happily ever after.