HANNAH JUMPED IN the cab with Anne Marie. It was her friend’s first trip to London and she had been talking nonstop about it. As they neared LaGuardia, Hannah had to squeeze her eyes tight to keep from crying. This should be one of the happiest times of her life. Her first London show was several days away. There were hundreds of designers who would kill to be where she was.
I am grateful. She said the mantra over and over.
And she was.
Except for one thing. She didn’t get to say goodbye to Will.
Filling her lungs, she took a deep, cleansing breath.
“Are you excited, too?” Anne Marie asked.
Hannah didn’t trust herself to speak. She didn’t open her eyes, but she nodded. She refused to whine. First, she was afraid if she did, she might never stop. And second, she didn’t want to ruin her friend’s enthusiasm.
It almost felt as though she’d left her heart somewhere. No more Will. His tour would begin soon and she might not see him for months, possibly years. It was hard for her to think of it.
“I can’t believe…” Anne Marie began.
Last night Will was supposed to have come over and they had planned to say their goodbyes. But a security breach had him stuck at the United Nations and he hadn’t been able to leave. Rafe used Will’s phone to text her to explain.
The captain is furious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this mad. But turns out the threat was coming from the ambassador’s own security team. The captain has several men left to interrogate. It doesn’t look good.
She asked Rafe to tell Will she understood. And that she would miss him. Maybe he could call her in London if he had the time.
But the text had depressed her deeply. She hated that she’d grown to need him so much and she cared more than she ever thought possible.
Before last night, she’d planned how she would say goodbye to him. She would make sure she had his favorite meal and that they made love until they were so sated they could barely breathe. Then she would lay atop him soaking up every bit of his strength to tide her over in the months to come.
Then she’d received the text.
It was the suckiest way ever to say goodbye to someone she cared about. She had plenty of boyfriends in the past, but never had she shared such a level of intimacy. Leaving—
“I can’t believe we made it here so fast,” Anne Marie chirped. The cab door opened and cold air rushed in.
Hannah opened her eyes.
Something about stepping out onto the curb would make it all real. She didn’t want to go. Will. She needed him. She was a grown woman so tied up in a man it was ridiculous.
Pull yourself together.
Forcing herself to move, she got out of the cab. Would it be like this every day? Would she have to force herself out of bed each morning after spending her nights worrying if he was safe?
“Hannah!” Will’s voice boomed.
He was coming out of the airport.
She dashed toward him and he caught her.
“I thought I missed you.” He squeezed her so tight she lost her breath but didn’t care.
“I can’t believe you’re here. How did you get away?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m here. Sorry our goodbyes have to be so public.”
“I don’t care. I—” She glanced up at him, the words stuck in her throat.
“Come on, let’s get you checked in. Besides, you aren’t really dressed for this kind of cold. I know, fashion before comfort. But you’re going to end up with pneumonia someday.”
“You’re such a fast learner.” Hannah refused to let go of him, but he picked up a couple of her bags with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around her.
“I’ve had a great teacher.”
They didn’t talk as she checked in at the VIP counter. While she was budget-conscious about the business, she wanted Anne Marie to have the first-class treatment on British Airways. It was a far different experience than traveling coach.
The luggage was taken care of and Will took both of her hands in his. They shared intimate gazes, trying so hard to say everything inside them with their eyes.
“Now that that’s all taken care of, I’m going to head to the gate,” Anne Marie said.
“I’ll be there soon,” Hannah promised as Will led her to a corner near the line at security.
“This isn’t how I imagined we would say our goodbye.” He folded both of her hands in his.
She leaned in to him. “Thank you. I don’t know what you did to get here, but I’m grateful.”
“The idea of you leaving without—” His mouth captured hers before he finished his sentence.
The airport was crammed with people but she didn’t care. Hannah opened her mouth to his and teased his tongue with hers.
Roping her arms around his neck she held on tight, filling her soul with as much strength from Will as possible. The strength of those powerful arms, the tender looks…she wasn’t sure how she would live without him.
He raised his head and stared at her as if he were trying to memorize her face. She did the same to him.
“Give me your phone,” she ordered him.
He gave her a questioning look but handed it over. She held it away from them and took a picture.
They were both smiling but there was a sadness in their eyes. She texted the picture so she would have it, too.
“Remember that day I said this was all in fun and that when our time was over we would walk away?” she said. “I was wrong. I mean, we talked about it before. About us caring for one another. But…don’t think I’m one of those clingy women who—” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m not doing this the right way.”
“I love you, Hannah,” Will said softly.
Did she hear him right?
“This isn’t the right time and I’ve probably scared you. But I want you to know before we part. You’ve become so important to me and I’ve loved you from the first moment I met you. Though, it took me a little while to figure out what it was. You’ve brought me such comfort and made me believe there is good in the world. I’ll be taking you in my heart wherever I go.”
“Oh, Will.” She kissed him hard, giving him every piece of her heart that she could.
He loved her. Tears dropped to her cheeks and Will pulled away.
“I didn’t want to make you cry.”
“You didn’t. I’m so happy it’s spilling out of my face.”
He chuckled. “I don’t want to let you go but you’re going to miss your flight.”
“They have more flights. I can take one tomorrow.”
Will frowned. “We’re being deployed tonight.”
“Oh, no. But the summit isn’t over.” Somehow if she left him in New York, she felt he was safe.
“That’s the thing about being a marine, everything can change in a heartbeat.”
“Do you know where?”
“Yes, but—”
“You can’t say.” She sighed and then gave him a bright smile. She wouldn’t make him feel worse. He’d done so much for her and she wanted him to see her smiling.
“You’re such a fast learner.”
“I’ve had a great teacher.”
“I’ll email you daily if I can. And I’ll let you know when we can chat online. Though, the hours may be squirrelly.”
She choked back tears and forced a smile. “Anytime. I mean it. There isn’t anything I’ll want to do more than talk to you. Except maybe kiss you.”
She kissed him again. Then she stepped away. “You better come home to me, Will Hughes, or I will hunt you down. Do you understand me?”
He gave her a quick salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I want you to know that I’m going to go now and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. But I’m going to be a grown-up if it kills me.”
Taking her in his arms he kissed her again, this one lasting a full minute. “I needed to fill up my soul with you, Hannah. And know this is just as hard for me.”
She walked away from him, taking shallow breaths to try to steady her emotions.
She made it through the other side of security before she realized something.
Oh, no. I never told him I loved him, too.