It’s been perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation. Placing a kiss to Lincoln’s hand, I pull him closer. “Where are we going today?” I ask because he’s been secretive about the plan, making most of the trip as spontaneous as it was for us planning it. He mentioned today we had a meeting to keep, though.
“It’s a surprise, so go get dressed.” He nuzzles into my neck and tastes across my shoulder.
“If you keep doing that, I’ll never get out of bed,” I warn him. Not that I want him to stop. Lincoln lets out a groan and finally untangles himself from me. I already want him back. We could skip today and stay right here in bed. No real reason to get up.
“Come on, sweetheart. I’ll share my shower with you. How does that sound?”
I get up and run toward him. He laughs when I jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. He holds me up by securing his arms around my back.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughs then steals a quick kiss as he walks us into the bathroom. This trip is turning out to be more fun than I could imagine. Being spontaneous is something that’s been missing from my life until now. I wonder how many things this man can teach me about myself by letting me explore the possibilities.
We shower and then get dressed because Lincoln swears I’ll enjoy this surprise. We leave the hotel around noon and Lincoln leads me through downtown Seattle. It’s a gorgeous day, and the city has already won my heart. It’s full of life, the buzz of energy is pressing in, and I don’t want to leave it behind. I want to stay on this vacation with him forever.
Lincoln pulls my arm, drawing my attention to the building he’s pointing to. “We’re here.”
“What is this place?” My gaze travels up to the large building. Then I see it and gasp. “Oh my God. This is Monroe Games’ headquarters, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, want to go inside? A friend is expecting us.”
Why? What is his plan? I knew he called a friend when he booked the flights, but I assumed he was meeting him for dinner at some point. Not this.
“You have a friend who works for Monroe Games?” I guess Lincoln got us a tour. He knew I wanted to work here. It’s crazy he thought of it, and bittersweet, but I push that away so I can enjoy the tour he’s set up.
“Come on, I have someone for you to meet. Max Monroe is expecting us.”
I’m no longer moving. Lincoln is friends with the CEO of the biggest game producer in America. Now I’m about to meet him. I can’t breathe.
Lincoln is pulling me through the front entrance and waves at the woman at the reception desk. “Lincoln, it’s been forever.” She states then glances at me, and my hand in Lincoln’s. When she moves her eyes his direction again, they are full of questions, but she asks nothing. “Max is expecting you.”
“Thanks, Ruthie.” We pause so he can introduce me. “This is Kate. Kate, this is Ruthie. If I remember correctly, she keeps the place going.” He winks at her, and she laughs, her elderly voice sweet.
“Of course, I do, that hasn’t changed in the last ten years. It’s good to see you here.” She waves with a quick flick of her wrist, dismissing us. Lincoln continues his path through the office and takes an elevator up to the top level. My palms are sweating so I pull from his grip and wipe them on my dress.
“Hey, don’t stress, okay?”
How can I not be stressing right now? When you have a dream of working with a team like this and find yourself about to meet the man in charge. There’s bound to be something to stress about.
“I don’t understand what we’re doing here,” I admit. I can’t help shifting from foot to foot.
“Well, you mentioned you dreamed about working here so I thought you would like—”
“Holy shit fuck, Lincoln.” My voice is high and strained. This better not be an interview or something. That would be silly though, right?
“Don’t worry. We’re just meeting a friend of mine, okay?” He retakes my hand, and I find the nerves turn into more of a simmer rather than a rapid boil.
“Okay.” We step off the elevator and pass a few closed doors until the end of the hall. The office of Monroe Games is sleek and industrial. There’s a warmth to it, so whoever designed the place did an amazing job. I could picture working here every day, and it is perfect. We pass a few casually dressed employees and make our way to the end of the hall. Lincoln knocks on one of the office doors and a shout to come in sounds from the other side.
A man around Lincoln’s age stands up and circles his desk. “Oh, shit, Linc, it’s been forever, man.” They take each other in a man hug like they’ve known each other forever. Max even used a nickname for Lincoln, so I’m sure they’ve been friends for a while.
“It has. Nice place you’ve got here. An improvement from before.”
He laughs and smacks Lincoln on the shoulder. Then those ocean-blue eyes turn my way. Max looks at me from head to toe and back again.
“And you must be Kate Alverson. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lincoln
She’s out of sorts, and it’s really fucking cute. I know I should have given her a heads up, but I didn’t want her backing down the moment she caught a scent of what I had planned.
By the end of the meeting, I’m sure Max will offer her a job. Kate deserves it. He’s also always been a good talent scout. That’s why his company is this successful, even more so than Orthorn Games.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I’ve seen your work and you have an amazing team here. The design work and coding you did on Wayford was huge. I’ve never played a game that had such an immersive gameplay setting before.”
I place a hand on her back to help calm her, and she sighs in relief. She was rambling, but I see the smile stretch across Max’s face.
He doesn’t care about her verbal word vomit but instead extends a hand for us to take a seat, and the two of them dive into gaming, coding, and the things I know nothing about. I’m always there for the after-production. I create and support these artists in a way that makes sure everyone in the world sees their creation.
“You designed the Dark Abyss, right?” Max asks though I’m sure he knows and did his research on Kate. The two are so deep in conversation I doubt Kate even realizes Max is scouting her.
“I helped,” she admits, “I worked a lot with Natalie Yoshima and Brad Olhemer during the creation. I did the coding for Agorath and Arthurian.”
They fall into a relaxing, friendly conversation, both finding a shared passion. I can see the two of them working well together. My chest tightens once the full force of what I’m setting up here kicks in. When Max rises from his desk, Kate rises too, and I realize I’ve missed something.
“I’ll show Kate around the place. You coming with us, Linc?”
I stand and follow them out. Max gives Kate the grand tour of Monroe Games, but I hardly pick up the conversation as I slip further away. The week spent in her presence still doesn’t feel like enough—the time we have never seems enough. She’s caught me again, but she did that years ago and never let me go.
We end the tour at the open area where the coders and game designers work. “What do you think, Kate?” Max asks and stands nearby, resting against the desk that will be a lead designer’s position. A position I know he has open.
“It’s amazing.”
He crosses his arms and gives her a crooked smile, which I hate. I’ve caught my friend checking her out more than once. “What do you think of Seattle?”
“I love it too.” Kate’s been smiling since she fell into an easy conversation with Max and the rest of the team she met along the tour. She would fit in here with them and be right where she belongs. Kate could live her dream again and do what she loves most.
Ask her, Max.
“Could you see yourself living in Seattle?” His blue eyes lock on Kate’s. He’s sure of her and her skill already. Now he’s sure she has what it takes.
“I could.” She sighs. That pain in
my chest intensifies because she’s leaving me again. It doesn’t get easier the second time around.
“Could you see yourself working here?”
Kate pauses, and a soft gasp escaped her lips. “What are you asking me, Max?”
“I need a new lead designer. The position is yours.”
“Yes.” Her voice is beautiful when she’s this happy. “Yes! Oh, my God, are you serious right now? Don’t fuck with me.”
He lets out a full laugh. It echoes off the walls, and the rest of the team looks his way. The work has come to a standstill, and conversation has died down, so the only sound is the hum of the computers.
That’s when Max makes his announcement. “Everyone, meet your new lead designer Kate Alverson. Kate, meet your team.”
She looks around. I know it’s time to prepare myself because I’m losing her again before we can find out what this is between us. I made the best decision bringing her here even when I knew I was giving up that chance of her coming back to Chicago again.
We’ve never been on the same path for more than a few weeks at a time. I put a strained smile on my face when Kate turns my way. She runs into my arms again and laughs.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Lincoln.”
“I GUESS I NEED TO FIND an apartment. It’s not like I wanted to go back to Georgia, anyway. This entire vacation has been unreal.”
Kate shoves a forkful of salad in her mouth, pausing her excitement. I stare at her and smile. Each of these moments I’ve had with her I want to keep, continue to remember them forever. I want to wake up with her in bed, walk into the kitchen to find her making breakfast. I want to watch her work passionately, find her relaxing with a book during outings. I want to find her waiting for me in bed every night when I crawl in next to her. I don’t want to give her up again.
She finishes her bite and starts right back up, rambling about meeting Max. “Max seems like such a great person to work for. How did you find out he was looking for a designer? How long have you guys known each other? A while, right?”
I chuckle and take a drink of water. “Max and I have been friends since college. I knew once you guys met he would love to have you on his team.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that was an interview, Lincoln!” She gives me a strained look, but she’s so excited that I’m certain she hasn’t sat still for the entire dinner. She also hasn’t stopped gushing about everything Monroe since we left. And despite what I’m feeling, I can’t stop sharing this level of excitement with her too. The passion she has for the things she loves has always drawn me to her. I want to feel a bit of that passion right along with her.
“Well, in the end, that was all you. We were meeting with an old friend.” I only set up the meeting and the rest was all her. “You should look for a home near the office.”
“Don’t say it.” She laughs and rolls her eyes at me. “Okay, fine, you’re right. I’ll start there.”
I glance up when the silence draws out longer than expected. “What?” I ask because Kate is watching me.
“How come you don’t work with Max? You guys are close and you could have. You could be his partner, I heard him say that. Half of the largest producing game company was yours.”
I press my lips together and close my eyes for a moment. “My heart has always been in Chicago. Morgan would never leave Chicago, and neither would Lily. I would always be wherever Lily was.” I admit to Kate what I gave up all those years ago. Not that I’ve ever regretted a moment of it to watch my daughter become the woman she is today.
A look of understanding crosses Kate’s face. She did the same thing with Jake after her sister passed. She doesn’t pry any further, and for that, I’m thankful.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Kate
We are packing up our luggage and heading to the airport. Lincoln is flying back to Chicago, right where his girl is. I understand that and respect him so much now that I found out what he’s given up to be there with her. That’s why I would never ask him to give her up to be here with me. He will always be where Lily is.
I know why Lincoln understood me so well back then with the decision I made when I left my life behind for Jake. He did the same with Morgan and Lily when he stayed in Chicago for them rather than following his dreams. I don’t think Lincoln regrets a moment of it. He loves Lily so much. His marriage didn’t survive his sacrifices, but his life as her father was worth it.
I’m flying in the opposite direction from him. I’ll land in Georgia and gather everything I need to make a move to my new home in Seattle. I’m finding a mixed wave of emotions. Life should be easy, right? I have the job I spent my life working for with all those late hours as a game tester and days buried in coding. I’m a lead designer for one of the biggest video game companies of my time. I get to make my mark on this world, and millions will see my art. It’s everything I’ve wanted, but something is missing. When I glance across the bed, I watch Lincoln tucking the last of his clothes in a suitcase. I know what’s missing—him.
He glances up, and his brown eyes meet mine. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He closes the top of his suitcase and walks around the bed to take me in his arms.
“I’ll miss this,” I admit without restraint. I don’t want to keep it locked inside anymore.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be right back here before you know it. It’ll only be a week. You told your job that you were leaving already.” He brushes a strand of blonde hair behind my ear and then rubs his thumb along my cheek.
My eyes water and the emotions rise in my chest as I look up at him. “That’s not what I’m going to miss,” I say, and then I slide my hand through his hair.
A look of pain crosses his face. “I’m going to miss you too.” He bends down and places a gentle kiss on my lips. He was so hard to leave last time, and now I have to do it again. I never forgot about him, and it was seven years. I want to hold him and not let go, but the time apart is restarting. “We will keep in touch this time, okay?” he promises.
I didn’t keep in touch last time because I was afraid I would miss him more. I thought he was a crush I’d get over. This time, I don’t want to move on because he’s more than just a friend. There’s a crushing pain in my chest as I come to terms with it.
“Please.” I don’t want to forget him. He’s always had a piece of me no matter where we are in the world.
He moves in for another kiss. A promise that this isn’t goodbye forever.
Lincoln presses in close and I fall back toward the bed, dragging him down with me. “You’ll call me?” I plead as he moves his mouth down to taste across my neck. I let out a breathy moan and arch my back, so we are as close as possible. I keep him as secured in my grasp as I can get him, until no space separates us.
“I’ll call you often. We’ll text too.” He slides his hand up to rub across my chest. The wave of desire spreads the longer he pays my body attention. I will never have enough of him.
“And video chat, right?” I moan as his mouth goes lower. He’s tasting, remembering. Not forgetting what I feel like in his arms.
“Of course, sweetheart.” He slides back up so he can look me right in the eyes. “This isn’t goodbye forever.”
I hold him close as he says goodbye for now. I’m sure a bigger part of my heart broke off right then and will forever remain with him.
I WAS BACK IN GEORGIA long enough to gather my stuff and sell my car. I wasn’t interested in the car enough to make a forty-two-hour drive alone. I sold it and figured I’d buy a new one when I got to Washington.
“I’ll miss you, but I’m so proud of you,” my mother says as she hugs me. She drove me to the airport and is seeing me off. We’ve grown close after my sister’s death. Our family had suffered so much loss and we moved forward together as one. Now Lukas has met someone in Georgia and will remain close, so it’s time for me to move on.
“I’ll fly in for the holidays when Jake comes home,” I promise as I pat her back. She
releases her hold so I can head through the airport and board the plane. Once I take my empty aisle seat, I see the one next to me still open.
My phone buzzes and Lincoln’s name appears on my screen. Fuck, I miss him so much already. It’s only been a week since our extended vacation together, and I haven’t stopped thinking about us. As promised, we text and talk every day. He starts his day by telling me good morning. We talk throughout the morning and game together in the evenings. Or video chat. Or call and talk to each other on the phone. None of it can match the feeling of his arms wrapped around me.
Lincoln: you have the book I sent you?
I read his text then dig into my messenger bag and find the worn paperback Lincoln sent me. He overnighted a care package so I would have something to occupy me on the flight to my new home. Lincoln sends me these crime novels that engross me so much in the story that I forget what’s happening around me. Now I see why he developed such an obsession with them.
Me: I got it, thank you. I’ve wanted to read this novel forever now.
Lincoln: Are you about to take off? Close your eyes and relax, sweetheart. Then read the story when the turbulence settles and text me when you land.
“You need to turn your phone off,” a woman’s voice sounds beside me. A guy squeezes into the empty seat then he looks over and apologizes.
“Sorry about that.” He shoots me a smile, but I wave him off, letting him see it’s no issue. I pick up my new story and try to distract myself the best I can.
I know what I’m doing by taking this job, and starting this new adventure is right in so many ways. I’m living the dream I’ve always wanted. So why can’t I shake the loneliness and sadness that comes with it?
Chapter Forty
Lincoln
Kate: I’ve landed in Seattle! I’m moving my stuff in now.
I received her text a few moments ago and finally let go of the breath I’ve been holding. This last week has been long and tiring, but I’m almost finished with everything I need to get done. Leaving work for a week got me behind. It was worth every piece of backed-up paperwork I’ve acquired to lose myself in Kate’s embrace.
Worth Something More Page 17
