by R. S. Kovach
He put down the bag and kennel before scratching his nose. “Well, I guess I could say one of two things. Either A, I’m going to fly across the country and enjoy a long weekend in the Big Apple visiting an old friend of mine from basic while doing the obligatory tourist stuff, or B, I’m doing something very romantic and coming with you to New York on two days’ notice in the hopes that you’ll realize that what we could potentially have is worth fighting for, and then we spend the next few days trying to figure out how to make things work. It’s your call.”
He waited for her reaction, but Ali was frozen to the spot. This was it. He couldn’t have been any more direct about how he felt, and she could still change her mind.
“Well?” He raised his brows. “Say something.”
A or B. That’s all he needed to hear, but she couldn’t speak. Instead, Ali’s hand trembled as she reached under her collar and pulled out the thin silver chain around her neck. Dangling the charms in front of Hank’s eyes, she waited while he leaned toward her to get a proper look at the inscription.
“How long have you been wearing this?” he whispered, rubbing the flat disc between his fingers.
Ali swallowed before finding her voice again. “Liz gave it to me Saturday before we left for dinner, but I didn’t open it until after the party.”
He lowered the charm and cupped her face with one hand. “And is that how you feel? Does your heart belong to an airman?”
She nodded, fighting back tears. “You filled a hole in my life I didn’t know was there until you were gone.”
The corners of his lips began to turn upward, but then his eyes became serious again. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He stroked her jaw with his thumb while reaching around her waist with his free hand. “I never doubted your feelings for me, but are we just dragging out the inevitable or are you willing to give us a chance?”
“I can’t control everything, but I do want to be happy.” Ali steadied herself against his chest as the thought of saying good-bye again loomed overhead. Taking another deep breath, she said, “And you make me happy.”
His eyes smiled first, but Ali didn’t see it reach his lips before they were locked onto her own. She wrapped her hands around his neck and let herself fall into the kiss, knowing that now Hank would be there if she happened to fall again.
Acknowledgments
I’m grateful to the wonderful team at Wattpad for creating a welcoming community and providing a platform for emerging and veteran writers alike to connect not only with readers but also with each other. Wattpad’s partnership with XOXO After Dark for a flash-fiction contest gave me the opportunity to write this book, and my thanks goes to everyone who helped make it happen. Among them are Abby Zidle, senior editor at Pocket Books, who oversaw the competition; my acquiring editors, Elana Cohen and Becky Prager, who guided the original pitch into a draft manuscript; Melissa Bendixen, who took over editorial duties midway and whose invaluable advice vastly improved the final story; as well as all of the designers, copyeditors, and other staff at Pocket Star who transformed a simple document into an actual book.
A huge thank-you goes to my dear friends and beta-readers Debbie Goelz, Allyson Handley, and Liz Kepferle for their eagle eyes and sympathetic ears. I don’t see you nearly often enough, but you’re always close to my heart. A special thanks also goes to Vic James for having faith in me not once but twice to publicly tell my publishing story at WattCon and for being an all-around amazing person. I’m so proud of your successes and am honored to call you my friend. Finally, I would like to thank my family for their continued love and support. I know I can get cranky when I’m on a deadline, so you don’t have to point it out every time, but I couldn’t have finished this book without you. Love you lots.
About the Author
R. S. Kovach is slightly obsessed with Pachelbel’s Canon, but not so much with splitting infinitives. An art historian by training and a senior financial administrator by trade, she has worked at universities across three continents. Her native language of Hungarian has been only slightly more useful than her other obscure skill of quoting The Princess Bride, but being a Wattpad Star and featured author on Wattpad has given her the opportunity to write commissioned works for several movie promotional campaigns, as well as have a short story published in the fairy-tale retelling anthology Once Upon Now (Gallery Books). She lives with her husband and three boys in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/R-S-Kovach
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Lumaer, LLC
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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition March 2017
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Interior design by Bryden Spevak
Cover design by Emma A. Van Deun
Cover photo by Getty Images/Caiaimage/Agnieszka Olek
ISBN 978-1-5011-4565-0
