Owen leans forward, his gaze steady as he cups my face between his hands.
“Meadow,” he says gently. “I don’t care where the hell I sit on that plane. I only care that you’re on it. I care that you’re coming home with me. If I had to sit on the fucking wing to get you home, I would.”
I can’t help the smile that splits across my face as a small laugh escapes me.
“You would die, Owen.”
“Then it’d be worth it,” he replies without hesitation.
I scoff, shaking my head.
“Meadow,” Owen continues, his voice shifting from playful to serious. He brushes his thumbs along my cheeks as his eyes flick between mine.
“I’m done pretending,” he promises. “We’re not going back to being afraid to touch each other or cross a line. We’ve already fucking obliterated that line. And I don’t want to go back.”
I look down at my lap, gathering my thoughts before lifting my gaze and meeting his stare.
“You’re not scared?” I ask, my voice barely audible.
“Of course I am,” he replies without thought, gently squeezing my thigh in reassurance. “I’m fucking scared to death of losing you. But I’m not running from this. Not anymore.”
I nod slowly and lean against him, pushing back tears as I rest my head on his warm shoulder. He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer.
His lips graze my skin before he presses a lingering kiss to my temple.
“We’ll figure it out, Meadow,” he whispers against my hair. “I promise you.”
I close my eyes, desperately wanting to believe him.
Still, a single thought plagues me: tomorrow, we leave paradise and go back to the real world.
I should be excited to go home and see where this goes. Instead, I feel like I’m bracing for impact.
TWENTY-TWO
Owen
I sit on the edge of Meadow’s bed with my head in my hands, listening to her turn on the shower in the bathroom.
The wedding starts in an hour, and I need to start getting ready, but all I can think about is what Meadow said at the pool.
Someone else was supposed to go on this trip with you. She was supposed to be here. I wasn’t.
I drag a hand over my face as I hear the water hit the tile, steam slipping from beneath the bathroom door.
It kills me that deep down, Meadow still sees herself as just a seat filler—a replacement for my ex.
I think she’s trying her hardest to convince herself that my feelings for her are real, but it’s clear that part of her believes everything we’ve shared this week will disappear the second the plane touches down in Chicago.
She’s afraid, and I get that.
So am I.
But fuck, I need her to understand that she was never a replacement. She’s always been it for me.
Meadow Riley is the reason I can’t see a future with anyone else. No one could ever compare to her.
My palms grow sweaty as my heart palpitates.Fucking hell… Now I’m starting to psych myself out and get in my head about what will happen when we land tomorrow.
