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Turning on the bench, she drew her legs up under her and faced me fully. “At the beginning of the summer when I went home, my plan was to go back to Georgetown after this vacation and only go home again when I had to. I thought it would be…better on us all.” She lowered her eyes, studying our still joined hands and me playing with her fingertips. “But those plans have changed.”
My heart leaped in my chest and I tightened my hold on her. “Have they?”
She nodded, causing a few curls to fall from the messy knot on top of her head. “Yes, Harris. While you were out with the twins yesterday, I talked to Mom and Dad about what I wanted to happen.” She grimaced. “Mom wasn’t completely on board with everything, but Daddy was on the phone with Aunt Emmie as soon as we finished talking.”
“And? Come on, Lu. You’re killing me here.” I was on pins and needles now.
A grin teased at her lips and she leaned forward, pressing a kiss to my chin. “I’ll be starting UCLA in the fall, Harris. I’ve even asked Daddy to look into getting me my own apartment.”
Relief had never felt so good. I reached for her, pulled her onto my lap and kissed the breath out of her. She was clinging to me when I finally lifted my head and pressed my forehead to hers. “I want you to know that I would’ve stood by any decision you made but, fuck, I’m so glad you want to come home.”
“I know that.” She cupped my jaw in her left hand, her thumb rubbing over the day-old scruff on my cheek. “I didn’t want to go to Georgetown in the first place, babe. Mom thought it would be good to put that distance between us. And then you…you made me go.” Her eyes clouded over and my stomach bottomed out. “Please don’t ever send me away again, Harris.”
“Never,” I breathed and pulled her in for another kiss. “I swear on my life, Lucy. I’m never going to let you go again.”
“You’d better not,” she breathed, a small grin twisting her lips upward, and I was glad to see the storm clouds fading from her eyes. “Daddy already said he would do unthinkable things to you if you break my heart again.”
“Your dad doesn’t ever have to worry about that, sweetness.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “Never.”
Her brows lifted, but she gave me a full blown smile. “Never is a long time.”
“So is forever, but that’s how long I plan on loving you, Lucy.” The smile on her face disappeared. Her chin started to tremble and I couldn’t let the tears in her eyes fall. Tipping her chin up, I lowered my head and gave her the kiss my soul ached to give her. One that made all the promises I’d just voiced and a million more.
Neither of us noticed when the first explosion of fireworks went off, and I was still kissing her long after the last one was fading.
??
I hadn’t taken my phone with me when Lucy and I had gone to watch the fireworks. The twins met us at the door when we got back to the suite, though, thrusting the noisy thing at me as soon as we stepped through the door. “Some guy named Nate keeps calling,” Luca grumbled, looking sleepy. “He wouldn’t tell me what he wanted, but he’s been calling, like, every ten minutes.”
Fucking hell. Swallowing a groan, I took the phone and went out onto the balcony to take the call. It was Saturday night; a million different things could have gone wrong. Shutting the door behind me to get some privacy in case I had to tear Nate or Barb a new one, I lifted the phone to my ear. “What’s wrong?” I demanded as I leaned back against the rail. My gut was already twisting in a way that told me I wasn’t going to like what my new assistant manager had to say.
Fuck. I didn’t want this right now. I had plans.
“Peyton brought in a rough crowd, boss.” Nate jumped right to the point, and I raked my free hand through my hair. “Tiny wouldn’t let her take them upstairs, so she started causing a scene. Then two of the fuckers she brought with her started a fight with a VIP who was trying to get by them. They busted his jaw, man, but he was still able to scream lawsuit at Barb.”
I dropped into one of the chairs and raked my free hand through my hair again. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Perfect. “I’ll grab the first flight out,” I assured him. I had to deal with this shit personally or risked facing some bad publicity for First Bass. I’d worked too hard to let some chick ruin it all for me. I didn’t want to leave Lucy, but I needed to be able to provide for her and our future, and First Bass would do that and more. “If things get too bad, call my mom. She can handle any bad PR until I get there.”
“You got it, man.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “Sorry, boss. I know you still had a few more days out there.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “Can’t be helped. See you soon.”
“Right. Later.”
Dropping my hand with the phone, I sat there for a long moment, dreading having to leave. Having to say goodbye. I had planned on staying with Lucy at Georgetown Sunday and Monday nights and then flying out Tuesday morning. I’d needed those extra nights alone with her, to soak up being with her to help me through the six weeks we would be apart.
Now I had to leave and she couldn’t come with me.
Fucking hell.
Lucy was in the kitchenette when I went back inside. She was making herself a cup of Sleepytime tea, but she lifted her head and offered me a welcoming smile when I walked in. The look on my face told her that my conversation hadn’t gone well. The smile disappeared and her face filled with disappointment. “You have to go, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I’m sorry, Lu.”
Setting her mug down, she walked around the small island and wrapped her arms around my waist. “It’ll be okay,” she murmured, trying to put on a brave face for me. “Six weeks will fly by in no time at all.” Her voice cracked at the end and I saw her chin tremble. “We’ll be okay.”
“I know, sweetness.” I kissed the top of her head. “I know.”
She buried her face in my chest. “Will you call me every day?”
