I DON’T KNOW what I’m expecting. One of the brothers. Maybe a hotel maid. Not Barrett, even though I’d been wishing for him with all my heart a second ago.
He pulls the door open and smiles at me, a smile that is familiar and understanding and so filled with kindness despite the awful things I said to him that my knees almost fail to support me. Six weeks compress into nothing in the blink of an eye. I stare at him, feeling every moment we shared like they’re happening all over again, and feeling every single moment we’ve been apart like each one is a kind of eternity.
‘Barrett? What are you doing here?’
‘I thought you might need a friendly face.’ He looks over his shoulder, moves a little closer to me. ‘Is that okay?’
As though I might not want him here. I can’t blame him for feeling doubt on that score, after what I said. I hate that we argued like that. I hate what I said to him. I hate that I hurt him. I hate that he left. More than anything I hate that I want to apologise to him, but this isn’t the time because I can’t pull him outside and be alone with him when there’s a host of Harts waiting to see me.
‘Yeah.’ My voice is hoarse. ‘I’m...glad you’re here.’ It doesn’t come close to saying what I really feel. I am beyond glad. His presence is everything to me in that moment. ‘Thank you.’
He drops his head in a silent nod. ‘Of course.’ It’s businesslike, almost as though he’s simply discharging an obligation. ‘You ready?’
I’m more ready now, with Barrett here, than I was a moment ago. ‘I just want to get it over with.’
He opens the door a little wider and, deep inside the penthouse, in a beautiful living room framed by windows that showcase the water like a sparkling backdrop, are the notorious Harts.
‘Oh, God.’ My stomach loops. He reaches down and squeezes my hand reassuringly—at least I presume that was his intention but it’s not reassuring because it sets off a cacophony of feelings inside me, like being buzzed with a live wire.
My eyes jerk to his and it’s even worse. Electricity sparks between us. I pull my hand away then smile awkwardly, apologetically. Fuck, I’m a mess. How could he have ever thought he was in love with me? He is such a great guy. So nice and kind and mature—Exhibit A, him putting aside that night, that fight, and coming here today just to support me. Who does that?
Barrett, that’s who. The same Barrett who listened to a throwaway comment about Disneyland and understood that it was a dream of my heart and so made it happen for me.
At the entrance to the lounge my nerves become almost deafening. The room is full of people. I look from one to the other, trying to see familiarities in them, things about myself that I can recognise, but there’s nothing really.
They stand up. My stomach loops. Barrett’s hand in the small of my back propels me forward.
‘Avery, this is Jagger.’ He starts by introducing one of the brothers. He has blond hair, cropped close to his head, and eyes that are thoughtful. ‘And Grace.’ He indicates the woman at Jagger’s side. She’s pregnant, about six months along, I’d guess.
‘Hi.’ Her smile is loaded with warmth. Jagger is just staring at me, like he’s seen a ghost.
‘Hi.’ Anxious. High-pitched. I swallow.
‘Theo and Asha.’ He draws me to another couple. They’re holding hands, and I feel Theo’s anxiety. Somehow, it’s relaxing to me, that they might be nervous about this too.
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Again, it’s Asha who speaks, not the Hart.
I nod jerkily, not quite able to return the sentiment.
‘And Holden and Cora.’ Cora’s smile lights up her face. Holden regards me with the same sense of hesitation I’m feeling. That relaxes me even further.
‘Some family reunion, huh?’
A couple of them laugh.
I feel Barrett’s breathing beside me. I feel his heart beating, somehow. I feel everything.
‘Have a seat.’ Jagger gestures to one of the armchairs. I choose the sofa instead, hoping Barrett will sit beside me.
‘Would you like a coffee?’ Barrett offers, his eyes warming me to the tips of my toes.
I bite down on my lip, so close to tears at his perennial kindness, and even more so because I honestly don’t deserve it.
‘Or something stronger,’ Theo offers over Barrett’s shoulder.
I’d love a coffee—just to have something to do with my hands—but I don’t want Barrett to leave the room. I shake my head jerkily.
‘No, thanks.’
His eyes narrow almost imperceptibly and then perhaps he understands, because he takes the seat beside me, not close enough to touch but he’s there, a wall of strength at my side.
‘This must have come as quite a shock,’ Grace says after a few quiet, awkward moments.
I look at her gratefully. ‘You could say that.’
‘We didn’t know about you.’ It’s Holden. His voice is gruff, his bearing defensive. I warm to him. I get the feeling we’re kindred spirits, and not just because of the surprises we’ve borne. It’s strange, given that he’s the one I don’t actually have a biological connection to.
I nod. ‘Barrett told me.’
‘It was an accident we even found you.’ Theo now.
I nod once more.
‘The thing is—’ Jagger takes over ‘—our father was a bastard. He never saw a beautiful woman he didn’t want to take to bed.’
Grace lifts her hand and runs it over Jagger’s back, soothing him, her smile sympathetic.
‘He was selfish and pretty much didn’t give a shit who he hurt. We saw that time and time again,’ Jagger continues.
‘Our home was pretty much a warzone,’ Theo explains further. ‘It gave a new meaning to the term “honeymoon period”, because for a brief time, after he’d first married a new wife, or moved some woman in, there’d be peace and happiness. But it never lasted. He’d cheat. A lot. Some women turned a blind eye to that, others made him pay non-stop.’
Sympathy shifts inside me. Honestly, I’ve been so focused on my own fallout from this that I didn’t really stop to think about these men, and the boys they were, and the way they were raised.
‘He knew he wasn’t my father,’ Holden cuts in, his eyes boring directly into me. The woman at his side, Cora, moves a little closer to him, and something strikes me about these six people. They’re a family—and their love is so completely apparent. Their love as couples, the way they’re supporting each other, helping each other through this, and the way the brothers finish each other’s sentences.
It makes me feel completely empty and alone—and not in a good way. Not in the way I’ve spent the last ten years boasting about, like being alone is a sign of independence. Maybe independence is about strength, and strength comes from relying on some people, sometimes.
‘But he never thought to tell me that,’ Holden continues. ‘He didn’t leave a note, he didn’t give Barrett a heads-up, even knowing Barrett would keep it confidential until after Ryan’s death.’ Holden shakes his head in frustration. ‘I have no idea who I am because the man who raised me never thought about it. He was careless and that carelessness has left a path of destruction in its wake.’
‘We’ve all hated him on and off for years.’ Jagger’s smile is laced with grief. ‘Though we’ve loved him too.’ He sighs. ‘But we understand why you’d hate him.’
I look to Barrett without meaning to. His eyes meet mine and it’s a literal shot in the arm. I smile—just a very small lift of my lips. He smiles back. My heart stutters.
‘I hate what he did to my mother,’ I say softly. ‘But, from what Barrett’s told me, I don’t think it’s likely he knew anything about me.’
‘We’ve come to the same conclusion.’ Theo nods. ‘He would have insisted on raising you.’
I swallow, sweeping my eyes across the men in the room, thinking how different that would have felt, growing up with them, not with my mom. Tears bring a taste of salt to my mouth; I swallow it away.
‘That’s what Barrett said.’
‘Barrett knew Ryan as well as we did.’ Holden stands, moving to the bar. ‘You sure you don’t want something?’ he offers, grabbing out a sparkling mineral water for himself.
‘A water would be great, thanks.’ He grabs another bottle for me, walks across and places it in my hand. I stare down at the label, overwhelming emotions filling me.
‘The thing is, Avery...’ Jagger again. ‘We’ve already paid for the sins of our father. A lot. And we don’t want to keep doing that. You’re our sister, and we want you to be in our lives.’
Barrett clears his throat softly, warningly.
‘I don’t mean right away,’ Jagger hastens to add.
‘We don’t want to scare you,’ Theo corrects.
I laugh, despite the seriousness of this. ‘You guys, I’m not—there’s no rule book for this. We’re all flying completely blind. I’m way outside my comfort zone, as I’m sure Barrett’s told you.’ They all look at each other a little quizzically.
‘Actually, he’s given us frustratingly little information about you,’ Holden throws in. ‘Probably why we kept harassing you for this meeting.’
My heart turns over in my chest. I don’t risk looking at Barrett again.
‘The whole Hart thing is a bit overwhelming,’ Cora says gently, and I wonder then about these women and their paths to love with some of the highest profile billionaires in the world. ‘But you get used to it.’
‘The planes and private islands kind of make it worthwhile,’ Grace interjects, with a grin that shows me she’s joking.
‘It’s not—’ I shake my head. ‘I understand how you feel. You’re curious. Blindsided, right? But I’m not—’ What? In the market for a family? I look at all of their hopeful faces and feel something shift inside me. Something hard and sharp, something that I’ve carried for a long time gives way, leaving me with a sense of confusion and uncertainty, a worrying niggle that I’ve been very wrong for a long time. I sigh. ‘I’m not sure what we should do next.’
‘I am.’ It’s Theo.
We all look at him expectantly.
‘Avery, will you join us for dinner?’
I thought dinner might mean eating out but, instead, they cooked and I watched in awe as the Hart family became like something out of a telemovie, the kind I used to watch an inch from the set as a kid, unable to believe the quick conversation, the affectionate ribbing, the sentences not finished because it wasn’t necessary—they understood what they were saying without voicing all the words. I watched while they cooked and we ate together, and the whole evening was surreal and wonderful but also it existed in a kind of dream state because Barrett was there and I found my eyes tracking him constantly, watching him and how well he fit in with this family—if I didn’t know differently, I would have thought he was one of them, but he’s not; he’s an outsider like me.
Except neither of us is an outsider really. He grew up with them, and knows them intimately. And I’m their sister. My heart begins to pound as that explodes through me—no longer just an abstract concept I can weigh in my hands and decide if I want to grab hold of it. I am their sister—fact, reality, my existence. My pulse rushes. Trying to deny this was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Did I really think I could pretend this wasn’t happening?
My eyes dart to Barrett. He’s talking to Asha—Theo’s wife—and she’s laughing at something he said, leaning close conspiratorially. I watch with curiosity. It would be stupid to be jealous—she’s married to Theo and clearly adores him. But I’m reminded of Barrett’s universal appeal, his charisma and charm, of how completely he stood out that night in the bar.
My gaze lingers on them for a moment, my pulse a deafening tone in my ears, but not because I’m jealous. No, it’s because I’m seeing everything so much more clearly, like accepting the reality of this—that I have a family, whether I want them or not, makes it impossible to keep pretending certain other things aren’t a part of who I am.
I’ve been trying to control every aspect of my life, including my feelings, but that doesn’t make them any less real. Not wanting to get hurt doesn’t make me any less likely to love—it just makes me a coward for not acting on it. What was it my mom used to say? Only fools don’t feel fear. Only fools let that fear control them.
Was that what I was doing?
He lifts his gaze to me and for a moment there is just him and me in this gorgeous penthouse, our eyes locked, our breathing in unison. And then I look away because I’m terrified of the strength of my feelings—and I have no idea if I’m going to let that keep controlling me or not.
‘I’ll walk you down.’ It’s Jagger, his smile kind, his wife Grace busy tending to their baby Felicity, who’s just woken with a bad dream.
‘Oh, you don’t have to—’
‘It’s fine.’
I look past him to Barrett, who’s sitting watching me, his expression guarded as though he’s waiting for me to say something, but I have no idea what. My stomach loops.
I want Barrett to come with me—to walk me down so we can talk. But I don’t know how to manoeuvre that and he’s not offering. Uncertainty rushes through me. He said goodbye to me with the others—just a general goodbye, nothing special, nothing to indicate he feels anything at all for me now, except for kindness—the same kindness he’d feel for anyone.
Someone says something to Barrett but he keeps looking at me for a couple of seconds, offering a small smile that is laced with resignation and farewell, and then turns towards Theo and Asha.
My gut swoops to my toes.
‘So we’ll see you tomorrow?’
It takes me a couple of seconds to catch what Jagger’s said, let alone what he means. Then I remember—we’re having dinner again.
My heart speeds up. Barrett.
‘Yeah, sounds good. Let me know what I can bring.’
‘We’ve got it covered.’
The elevator doors ping open; we step inside. I mull over this, looking at him a little uncertainly then focusing on the shiny metallic doors.
‘How long did you say you’re in town for?’
‘Just a week.’
I nod. ‘All of you?’
‘Holden and Theo might stay a few days longer—we’ve got to get back to Sydney for Grace’s dad’s birthday.’
Despite the knots in my tummy, I smile at that—at the picture of happy domesticity and normality it paints, the idea that, even after a childhood marred by the mistakes of Ryan Hart, Jagger has found his way to a happiness that is real and genuine, to an extended family that is full of love.
But the knots in my tummy don’t dissipate; if anything, the fast movement of the elevator makes them worse, so when the elevator lands on the ground floor and the doors ping open to the lobby, I rush the question, ‘And Barrett?’
If Jagger thinks it’s odd, he doesn’t show that at all. ‘He flies out tomorrow morning.’
My chest feels as though it’s being split wide open. ‘Oh? So soon?’
‘He’s got a meeting in Amsterdam.’
I nod, trying so hard not to show how I’m feeling, even when I’m sure it must be written all over my face. ‘Right.’ A bright smile. ‘Of course.’ I step into the foyer.
‘Thanks for coming tonight, Avery. We know how hard it was for you.’
‘It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, actually.’ I can barely smile. I’m numb at the idea of Barrett going away again so soon. ‘See you tomorrow.’
I turn and leave before I can do something really stupid like cry, or ask Jagger for advice on how to fix everything with Barrett.
An hour and a half after leaving the penthouse, I’m starting to think waiting for Barrett was a really stupid idea. Three cups of coffee and I’m restless and uncertain and wondering if maybe he’s going to stay in the penthouse rather than leave it—or perhaps he’s got another room in this hotel? I was banking on the fact I thought he’d follow me out, but ninety minutes have passed and there’s still no sign of him.
Which leaves me with what? What are my options? I lift my phone from my bag and open our messages. But when I scan up through the history and see the last ones we sent each other, my heart feels like it’s going to break.
There’s a place in South Beach—The Lighthouse. Do you know it?
I can Google.
Great. Four o’clock?
Sure. See you then.
That’s what we became in the end. I hurt him on the Disneyland night. I did everything he accused me of—pushed him away, because he’d broken through so many barriers by then I was terrified of never being able to put them back in place.
Now my biggest fear isn’t that I’ll get hurt or be left alone, it’s that I’m incapable of being in a relationship with someone and not hurting them. And the idea of hurting Barrett like I already have, of doing that again and again and again because of who I am is enough to turn my blood to ice.
I love him. I really do, but when I think about it I realise loving him means walking away from him—for his sake. Barrett Byron-Moore is one of the kindest, sweetest guys in the world and he deserves a woman who will bring him only happiness.
That’s not me.
‘Oh, crap.’ Tears sting my eyes. I stare at the coffee cups for a second and feel like a total fool. Pulling a twenty from my purse I slide it under one of the saucers and stand up, blinking my eyes furiously. Out of habit I scan the foyer, right as the elevator pings open and Barrett strides out, his head bent, his eyes fixed on the ground before him. I stay where I am, staring at him, my body paralysed into inaction, watching him walk across the lobby.
This is it—the moment to let him go, to do what I know I should. Am I really strong enough though? At the doors he lifts his head, looking towards me without intending to find me, with no idea that I’m still there. I can see that on his face—the genuine shock in his features. He stops walking, turns to face me, stares for several long seconds so I have no idea what he’s going to do, and then, finally, he walks in my direction.
My heart leaps and leaps. My stomach crunches.
‘Avery?’
I nod. Then feel like an idiot. He wasn’t actually asking my name—it was shorthand for ‘why are you still sitting here?’
‘You left hours ago?’
‘An hour and a half,’ I clarify defensively, then grimace because it’s not a substantive fact to dither over.
‘Right. Did you—?’ He frowns. ‘Were you wanting to see them again? To go back up?’
I shake my head, words failing me.
Crap. Don’t cry. Just—hold it together.
‘No, I—’
Make something up! Tell him you had an urgent work call! Anything other than admit the truth.
‘Didn’t feel like going home yet.’
He nods, like this makes perfect sense even when it’s quite absurd.
‘And now?’
‘I—’ He’s going to call me a cab. He’s going to help me get home, because that’s what Barrett does. He helps, he’s kind, he’s awesome. Suddenly, the fact he once loved me makes me want to weep because the gift of his love is just about the best thing in the world and I threw it in his face as though it were worthless.
‘Want me to walk you?’
Something snaps in the region of my heart. ‘To walk me...to my place?’
‘Sure. Why not?’
I frown. It’s only a mile or so from here. ‘Where are you staying?’
His lips compress in a line and for a second I see something like sadness shroud his expression. ‘I’m not asking to spend the night with you, Avery. I’ll grab a cab from yours.’
‘I didn’t mean that.’ Exactly. You can’t even open your mouth without saying the wrong thing to him. I close my eyes for a second, regrouping. When I look at him, I hope he sees genuine apology in my face. ‘I’d like it if you’d walk me home.’
He nods, but there’s tension between us now, and I hate it. My chest hurts. ‘How did your presentation go?’ I ask as we step out of the sliding glass doors onto the street. It’s late, but there are still a few people around, cars humming past.
‘It went well, thanks.’
‘I’m glad.’ Silence. Awkward, heavy, accusatory silence. ‘Jagger says you have a meeting in Amsterdam.’
‘Day after next.’ He nods, pausing beside me at a set of lights.
I consider this. ‘So you—?’
‘Yes?’ He looks down towards me, our eyes meeting, my heart pounding.
‘You came just for this?’
Something shifts in his expression, something he tries to suppress. ‘Sure.’ He jams his hands in his pockets.
‘I—’
‘How did you—?’
We speak at the same time. He lifts his brows, urging me to continue.
‘No, you go.’
‘I was going to ask what you thought of them.’ We cross the road side by side, a careful distance apart, not touching. The coldness of that, the difference to how we’ve been in the past, fills me with a deep ache.
I bite down on my lip. ‘I think they’re...nice.’
‘Nice?’ His brows shoot up.
‘Normal. Just a family, and a happy family. I think I was fighting this whole situation without really thinking about what I was doing.’
I want to expand on that, to tell him I did the same with him, but I’m so freaking nervous I can barely string two words together. I’ve never done this before and it’s not like six weeks ago—it’s not like the night he told me he loved me. I have no idea how he feels about me now—I only know that I reacted to him in a way that most people would struggle to forgive.
‘I’m glad you feel that way. They’re good people, Avery. And they care about you; they want you to be a part of their family.’
‘I know.’ I smile at him, the smile costing me because my heart is breaking apart.
‘I—’
‘They—’
He laughs now, a soft sound that makes my insides squeeze. So familiar, so different.
‘Your turn.’
My nerves increase exponentially. We keep walking and with every step I hope some form of clarity will come to me.
‘I was glad to see you tonight.’
Silence. We walk side by side for a while, and then his voice emerges, gravelly and deep. ‘I wasn’t sure you would be.’
‘Really?’
‘Sure. We didn’t exactly part on friendly terms.’
My chest squeezes.
‘So why did you come?’
‘Because I knew how huge this was for you.’ He shrugs. ‘I thought a familiar face might make it easier, and I figured if you didn’t want me there you could just tell me to go away.’
‘Right, like I did last time.’
‘Technically, you just told me not to call you, but yeah, more or less.’
I stop walking and close my eyes, wanting to blot the memories out and bring air into my lungs. I feel as though I’m drowning on dry land, right here in the middle of Noe Valley.
‘Barrett—’ When I open my eyes he’s watching me. That doesn’t help. ‘I’m sorry about that night.’ The stars twinkle overhead. He doesn’t move; it’s almost as though he’s not breathing. I search for what else I want to say, but then he gives a half-smile and turns, beginning to walk again.
‘It’s fine.’ His words come from over his shoulder. I move quickly to keep up. ‘I mean, you were pretty clear all along. I don’t know why I thought things had changed between us.’
He’s still ahead of me. I reach out, grabbing his wrist so he stops walking and turns to face me. ‘Because they had, Barrett. Everything had changed and I fought that so hard.’
His expression tightens. There’s wariness there, a look of confusion. ‘It doesn’t matter, right?’
Right. Because he doesn’t love me any more. I missed my opportunity. Except—he’s here. To support me. He didn’t say he came to make this easier for the Harts. He came for me. Why would he do that if he didn’t still care? And isn’t love supposed to be more robust than that? Barrett’s never met a woman that he fell in love with. Do I seriously think it would have evaporated at the first hurdle? Or is that just my attempt to throw excuses in my way so I don’t have to be brave and tell him that I love him too? Because maybe he doesn’t love me, but I think he still does, and unless I’m brave he’s not going to do anything about it.
This is all down to me.
‘I messed up.’ Jeez, it feels so good to say those words. ‘I mean, I really messed up.’
He stops walking again, and I see from his back that he’s drawing in a deep breath before turning to face me. ‘Yeah?’
Still there’s that wariness. Man, I need to get him to trust me. I need to—‘I’ve never known anyone like you. Even from that very first night you were so different, and fascinating, and you challenged me in every way. I have no idea what love is meant to look like. I’m not like you. I didn’t grow up with parents hugging on the sofa or whatever. I have no experience of this. I just know that seeing you became an obsession with me. I thought about you constantly—I think about you constantly—and the more entrenched you became in my DNA the more I wanted to send you away and get back to my “real” life because needing someone like I needed you is the antithesis of what I think of as safe.’
My words settle between us, sharp and urgent. He stares back at me, his mouth opening as his mind works to process the things I’ve said.
‘I wasn’t ready to admit that to myself, and I sure as hell didn’t know how to put it into words. That night, when you told me you loved me, I freaked out. I panicked and I did the one thing I know how to do really well—I pushed you away, just like you said. But if you don’t think I’ve spent every single minute of the last month and a half missing you like wildfire then you’re crazy. I love you, Barrett. I think I started falling in love with you the minute we met and I know I’ll never stop. I’m sorry I didn’t understand that, and I’m sorry I hurt you. Most of all I’m sorry that maybe you won’t want to trust me again, but if you’ll give me another chance I promise I won’t mess this up again.’
He continues to stare at me. Panic and pain writhe inside me. ‘I get why you’d—’
His finger presses to my lips, silencing me for a moment. I stand there, looking up at him, my eyes filled with all the hope I carry in my heart.
‘I love you,’ I say, muffled against his finger.
He keeps staring at me, and then he drops his hand, putting it on my shoulder.
‘These last six weeks have been the worst of my life and I have no idea why I haven’t called you but, seeing you tonight, everything slammed into me and I don’t want you to leave here without knowing how I feel.’ A frown pulls on my lips. ‘I don’t know how that works. You’re in London and I’m here but I want to make this work, somehow. If you want to.’
He makes a noise—a laugh? A groan? And then he’s kissing me, his lips crushing mine, his arms wrapping around me. Thoughts become impossible to hold onto. I surrender to this—the physicality of our togetherness, feeling everything, loving it, loving him, needing this. I know it’s complicated but I don’t care. We’ll work out complicated.
I pull away, just so I can look at him to make sure this isn’t a dream, and he smiles at me, a dazed kind of smile, like he didn’t see this coming.
‘You have no idea how much I wanted to hear those words,’ he says gently, running his thumb over my lower lip. ‘I didn’t come here with any agenda, and I sure as hell didn’t hold out any hope, but I wanted, with every fibre of my being, for it not to be the end for us.’
He weaves his fingers through mine, so we start walking towards my place once more. My heart is about a thousand times lighter now, though.
‘I couldn’t tell how you felt about me,’ I admit. ‘I didn’t know if you still loved me, or if you were angry at me—’
‘Angry at you? Are you kidding me? When I opened the door and you were on the other side it took all my willpower not to barrel you back into the elevator and whisk you away somewhere.’
‘I didn’t pick up on that.’
He shakes his head ruefully. ‘I felt it, Avery.’ He angles his face towards mine. ‘Why did you think I was there?’
‘Because you’re a great guy—kind and sweet and thoughtful—and you wanted to do the right thing by me?’
‘That’s true.’ He laughs. ‘The bit about me wanting to do right by you. I would always have come today, to try to support you, but every word you said was like sandpaper against my flesh because I wanted you to talk just to me! I wanted to be the only one in the room, hearing all your words and thoughts. I desperately wanted to be alone with you.’
‘You barely spoke to me at all.’
‘Yeah.’ He squeezes my hand. ‘I was afraid if I started I wouldn’t be able to stop. And I didn’t want to monopolise you. This night wasn’t about me.’
My heart spins inside me. ‘You really are a great guy.’
‘You’re not so bad yourself, Avery.’
But that sobers me. ‘The thing is, I’m not like you. I’m worried—’
‘What is it?’
‘Part of what scares me is that I might hurt you. That you...’
‘Go on.’
‘That you deserve someone better.’
He smiles, a dazzling smile, and begins to walk. We turn a corner and I see my home, just a block away.
‘Well, that’s an easy one to answer.’
‘Yeah?’
‘There is no one better. Not for me.’ He pulls me back into his arms. ‘You are my other half, Avery Maxwell, and I’m really hoping you’ll agree to be that for the rest of our lives.’
My jaw drops. ‘Are you—?’ Is he proposing?
He grins. ‘Not yet. I mean, unless you want me to.’
I’m silent—surprised by how much I do want that.
‘I’m saying you are everything I’ve ever wanted in life, and that one very long lifetime with you won’t ever feel like enough. We can work out where we live and how we make this work, but not making it work isn’t an option. I’m saying you’ve made me the happiest man on earth right now and I want to think of an appropriate way to thank you.’
My heart turns over in my chest. Tears fill my eyes. ‘I can definitely think of one way.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Come home with me?’
He grins, pulling me closer to him. ‘Really? You don’t want me to catch a cab back to my hotel after all?’
I punch his chest playfully. ‘I never did! That was all you.’
He drops his head so our brows are touching. ‘Well, if it’s okay with you then Avery, do you mind if I spend the night?’
‘And every night for the rest of your life,’ I agree, lifting up so my lips can brush his. ‘I promise I won’t ever send you away again, Barrett.’ And I’m earnest and honest, meaning everything I say. He carries me the rest of the way home and I honestly doubt my feet will ever touch the ground again.