AllFreeNovel
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Tears flowed freely now, the loss hitting me dead center in the chest. Not only had I ruined things for Brad’s potential business deal—which would’ve been in the millions for him—I lost him. He’d been more than clear when he stated we weren’t really together, and as much as that broke my heart, the idea that I’d pushed away my best friend hurt just as much. Because I’d known the stakes when we playfully crossed that line and I’d ignored them. There was no way I’d ever be able to look at Brad with anything but the intense love I had for him, no way I’d be able to go back to being just friends.
And hell, after everything I’d cost him, he probably wouldn’t want to anyway.
I ignored the looks from other passengers waiting on the flight, both surveying my eighties outfit and my tears, and focused on my phone, pulling up my group text.
Me: Who wants to pick me up from the airport at three a.m.?
It was mainly a joke, but the need to talk to my girls was overwhelming as my heart crumbled.
Zoe: What happened to Brad’s plane?
Me: He’s still at the retreat. I needed to get away.
Anne: What happened?
I gave them the quickest version of Dennis showing up to ruin my life once again, but really, I was the one to blame.
Lyla: Asshole.
Anne: Need me to get my father’s plane? We can be on it with shovels in two seconds.
Zoe: I’ll bring the tarp.
Lyla: I’ll work on the alibi.
A watery laugh slipped by my lips as the support from my friends filled the painful cracks in my soul.
Me: I’m okay, but thank you. And I was kidding about the ride. I’ll grab a Lyft. I just wanted to talk.
Zoe: We’ll be here when you get home.
Lyla: Want to meet at my place?
Anne: I’ll bring wine.
Me: You all are the best. But I just want to crawl into my bed and hide for a few days.
Zoe: Fair.
Anne: Fine, but after.
Lyla: Definitely.
Me: Love you guys.
They all echoed their sentiments, and I stashed my phone, content to lean back and shut my eyes while I waited. But before I could even think about trying to simply breathe for a few moments, I spotted Brad racing through the airport, heading straight for my gate.
I leaped out of my seat, gaping at him.
“Where are you going, Luna?” he asked, totally out of breath as he skidded to a stop in front of me.
“Me? What are you doing here?” I fired back. “You should be trying to fix the deal I ruined—”
“Fuck the deal,” he cut over me. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” I said. “Where I can’t cost you a fortune. Where I can’t want things from you I shouldn’t.”
“I don’t care about the deal,” he said again. “I don’t care about the money.” He stepped toward me, reaching out to slide his hand around the back of my neck. “All I care about is you.”
I trembled at his touch, leaning into it as tears rolled down my cheeks. “Brad,” I said, trying like hell to breathe. “I can’t keep up the act,” I admitted. “I can’t. It’s killing me.”
Brad arched a brow at me, cupping my cheeks and swiping away my tears with the pads of his thumbs.
“I can’t keep pretending like everything that’s happened between us isn’t real,” I said.
“And I can’t keep pretending like we’re going to go home and go back to normal,” Brad said.
“Isn’t that what you want?” I asked.
“Fuck no,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “I want you, Luna. I want adventures and trips and boring nights at home. I want to argue over where we should order dinner from or what show we want to binge. I want you in every aspect of my life—my days and my nights and everything in-between. You’re my best friend, Luna. My love, my inspiration, my fucking everything.”
My heart thumped wildly at his words, at the way he leaned down, his lips hovering an inch above mine.
“I want all of you,” he whispered, holding me there in the sweetest anticipation.
“You do?” I asked, totally shocked and baffled that this amazing, intelligent, funny, passionate man wanted me in all those ways.
“I do,” he said. “Then. Now. Always.”
“I love you.” The words rushed from me on an exhaled breath and it felt like I’d been holding them in for years. “I love you so much,” I continued. “I thought I was going to lose you, thought I’d ruined everything.”
“You love me?” he asked, his blue-gray eyes guttering.
“So damn much,” I answered.
“I love you too,” he said, dipping down to capture my lips with his. “So, where are you going?” he asked, pulling back enough to catch my gaze.
“Wherever you want to take me,” I answered.
“You know,” Brad said after he’d cleaned up in the bathroom back at our resort room.
