“No, thanks. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay.” Turning to Brynn he closed with, “Nice to meet you, Brynn.”
“Yeah,” she replied. “You, too.”
As he walked away, all broad shoulders and narrow hips and perfect ass, I couldn’t help but wonder how this incredible man came into my life, and how fortunate I was to be loved by him. I wouldn’t be here, talking calmly with my sister, if he hadn’t reminded me of the important things in life.
“You love him,” Brynn said, noticing my reaction to him.
“Yeah,” I admitted, joy welling in my heart. “I do. And for some weird reason, he loves me, too.”
Her eyes smiled, “I’m so glad to hear that. And stop it -- there’s absolutely nothing weird about that. You’re quite loveable, you know.”
“So,” I said, my cheeks heating as I changed the subject, “what are you doing here? Are you and Ryan going on a vacation?”
“No,” she shook her head, her gaze dropping to the floor. When she looked back up at me, pain was evident in her eyes, but it was mixed with a certain amount of excitement…determination. “I love him, Chloe, I do. But loving him doesn’t change how our story started. It doesn’t change what I did to you. Ryan and I just need some time apart so that we can fix ourselves before we even attempt to repair our relationship. If I’m going to be any good to anyone, I need to figure out who I am when I’m not the girlfriend, or the daughter, or the—”
“Mom?” I interjected.
She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. As much as it hurt, I had to let him go. At least for now. It’s what’s right for both of us.”
“Oh,” I had no idea what to say. “I’m so sorry, Brynn.”
“Please, don’t be.” With a sigh, she placed her hand on my arm and gave it a quick squeeze. “I’m so glad you came to the house when you did. Thank you for that. And thank you for forgiving me. I can’t even begin to tell you what that did to heal my heart. But I still have this emptiness inside that I can’t seem to fill, no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard Ryan tries to fill it for me. I’ve still got a long way to go and it’s not fair to Ryan if I try to accept his love without feeling worthy of it, without feeling like he deserves someone better. Someone whole.
“So, I’m doing what I said I’d do in my letter. I’m going to spend some time in Europe. Experience life. Figure my shit out without worrying about disappointing anyone. That probably sounds selfish, but it’s important to me. After years of feeling like everything I did was wrong or not enough, traveling…being alone for a while…feels right.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” I said, genuinely excited for her. “You’re going to have a great time.”
“Hope so,” she said wistfully, straightening her shoulders with a determined smile. After a brief silence, she continued, “Well, I better go. I’m sorry for rambling. That was way too much information, wasn’t it?”
I laughed, “Not at all. That’s what sisters are for, right?”
She raised her brows. “Absolutely. What about you? Are you really okay?”
I didn’t have to think twice. “Yeah, I am. Matt is amazing. And I’m excited about starting school next week. I know it’s unusual to start classes in the summer, but with the check you sent to me from the sale of the house, I can finally get started. And I’d rather start now than wait for the fall semester.”
“Oh? What are you studying?”
“Child psychology. I may suck at it, but I’d like to try. Maybe I can help kids who have had it—I don’t know—rough.”
“You will be incredible with that, Chloe. Really. Good luck with everything.”
“You too, Brynn. Be careful, okay?”
“I will.”
I gave her a brief hug, holding her a moment longer than I think she expected. As she walked down the concourse, carry-on bag rolling behind her, I called out, “Hey, Brynn!”
She turned around and looked at me expectantly.
“I have a feeling Ryan already knows you’re worthy of all the love in the world. Because you are.”
She pressed her lips together in a sentimental smile, tears glossing her eyes. Giving me a quick nod, she turned around and forged ahead.
~~~
“How’d it go?” Matt asked when I joined him at a high-top table in the airport coffee shop.
“Good,” I said. “I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but my sister and I—we’re good.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, about this dress…did you wear it to torture me?” he teased. “Because it’s working.” He playfully tucked his finger under the material that rested just above my breast, stroking my skin with a fingertip as he tried to peek at what was underneath.
I swatted him away. “Nothing for you to see under here, buddy. We should go. Your family is waiting. Addie’s so excited for you to try the cupcakes she made for you.”
His family was having a homecoming brunch for Matt’s arrival today, but since his flight had been delayed it would be more like a homecoming lunch. Maybe even an early dinner, judging by the lascivious glances he was shooting my way.
He finished his last gulp of coffee and tossed the cup in the trashcan. As we walked hand in hand through the skywalk, I thought again about how thankful I was for this man. I glanced up to find him eyeing me speculatively.
“So, when you say ‘there’s nothing to see’ under your dress,” Matt said slowly, his voice a deep, seductive rumble, “does that mean…”
I looked up at him with a playful grin and nodded. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Fuck,” he exhaled. “Full disclosure. I love you and I’d wait for you forever. You know that, right?”
“Sure do.”
“That said, three months apart is a long fucking time and if I don’t get inside you soon, Matty-boy here is going to blow his top. And by top, I mean—”
“I know what you mean!” I laughed. “And it’s so sexy when you talk in the third person like that.”
“Really?”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not. Not even a little.”
He let out a dramatic sigh. “Then stop teasing me, woman! I’m not thinking with my big brain right now!”
“Are you implying that ‘Matty-boy’ is little? Because I can assure you from personal experience that he is a big, big boy.”
Another tortured groan, then, “Chloe, all I can think about is what’s not under your dress. Fuck, where did you park, anyway? How far away is your car?”
“Not far, but what about your luggage? Don’t we have to stop at the baggage claim?”
“Nope. I travel light. I’ve got everything I need right here.”
I thought he was referring to his duffel bag, but instead he dropped it and took me in his arms, placing the kind of searing kiss on my lips that reached down into the farthest dark corners of my soul. When he finally pulled away, he smiled down at me with adoring eyes.
“I love you, Chloe. You make me so fucking happy.”
“I love you too, Matt.”
###
Dear Reader,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading this series! I hope you liked it! If you did, please consider telling your friends about it, and/or leaving a short review on Goodreads, Amazon, or anywhere else you’d like. It would really mean the world to me. Reviews are so much more important than you might think, and word of mouth is truly an author’s best friend!
Thank you!
Alicia Kobishop
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About the Author
Alicia Kobishop
Alicia Kobishop is a contemporary romance writer who lives in Milwaukee, WI, USA with her husband and two children.
Before trying her hand in writing, she worked her way up in the field of administrative healthcare with experiences ranging from working wit
hin a large local healthcare organization, to smaller independent physician practices.
In early 2013 her life took a change of course when she re-evaluated her passions in life, and sought out to try many new things. She reclaimed her childhood passion for reading, and after reading tons of fictional novels in a short amount of time, and loving every moment of it, she became absorbed with the idea of taking her experience with books to the next level, and decided to write one. Nine months later, her debut novel, The Fine Line was published.
Alicia loves connecting with readers. Feel free to reach out to her through email or social media.
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