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I can’t let that happen. Even if saving it means leaving Bradford and Green Haven. I always thought that if I ever had to choose between love and work, the choice would be easy: it would always be work.
But now that I have Bradford, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. I turn my phone off, determined to push all of this out of my mind for at least a few more hours. The real world will intrude soon enough. It always does.
21
BRADFORD
Iwake up to a buzzing noise. “Ragnar, you really need to check your messages,” I mumble, still half-asleep.
Ragnar sits up and cocks his head. “That’s your phone. I turned mine off before we fell asleep.”
Yawning, I throw the sheets off and sit up. I find my phone on the small desk in the corner of the room, and pick it up.
“Everything okay?” Ragnar asks as I sit down in the desk chair.
“It’s my agent,” I sigh, skimming the string of texts. “There’s another last-minute gig he says I need to go on.”
“What do you say?” Ragnar asks mildly.
I read the messages again, more slowly this time. Then I look at Ragnar, slightly stunned. “This is for a really big client. I’ve wanted to work with them for a long time. I didn’t think I’d ever actually have this opportunity.”
“Then you have to take it!” Ragnar says, jumping out of bed and kissing me. “That’s amazing! We should celebrate!”
I smile, still shocked. “I just can’t believe it’s actually happening.”
“Why not? You’re gorgeous and talented and great at what you do. This client should be so lucky as to work with you!”
I laugh. “Can you do all of my PR from now on?”
“Sure,” Ragnar says, kissing me again. “When do you have to go?”
“This afternoon,” I wince. “I’m so sorry. I know that after last time, and how nervous you got …”
But Ragnar’s shaking his head. “No. Don’t apologize, please. I know how much this means to you. And I know how solid we are, Bradford. Go and kick ass.”
“Okay,” I nod, but a part of me still wants to turn this down. I know I won’t; it would be an idiotic decision, one I’d regret for the rest of my life. But leaving Ragnar again, so soon, also fills me with regret.
This time, Ragnar hangs around and helps me pack. He also insists on driving me to the airport, and when we pull up to the departure terminal, he gets out of the car with me. “Have a wonderful time,” he says.
“I’ll do my best,” I tell him. “And I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Don’t worry about me, or anything in Green Haven,” Ragnar says in that commanding way he has. “I’ll be fine, andwe’llbe fine.”
Then he kisses me, in full view of the other passengers and drivers and anyone else that happens to be moving past us. It’s a long kiss that leaves me breathless and full of longing, but I’m also exhilarated at how open he’s being with his affection.
The flight is long, and I try to pass the time by watching movies. But I can’t stop thinking about Ragnar. About our relationship, and whether it can exist outside of the bubble of Green Haven.
This is the most we’ve been put to the test since we got back together. And as much as I wish he were with me or I were with him, I also know that being gone for a few days for a work trip isn’t much of a test.
We haven’t fought yet; we haven’t encountered any obstacles more serious than getting over who we were when we were teenagers. Not that I want to fight with Ragnar; we argued enough back in boarding school.
Still, it feels like there are so many relationship milestones we haven’t hit yet. But at the same time, I can’t imagine being with anyone else. I know that our bond is still new and tender. I know that nothing is guaranteed, especially when you trust someone with your heart.
But I realize, somewhere around hour seven of the flight, that I’ve fallen for Ragnar. And not just a little bit – no, I’ve fallen hard for the orc that broke my heart all those years ago. I swore that I’d never let that happen again. And yet here I am, pining for Ragnar, missing him already.
The weirdest part of this is that I’m not even mad at myself for falling for him again. Not now that I’ve gotten to know him as an adult. Five years ago – hell, five months ago – I would have said that Ragnar was the last being in the world I’d give my heart to. But now I don’t want to live in a world without him.
With this realization, my mind finally quiets, and my body relaxes. I fall into a deep sleep, only waking up as the plane touches down.
