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Every instinct in my body urges me to go to her, but instead I force myself to remember I’m no longer the man in her life. Hell, I’m not even a friend anymore. I’m just somebody she used to date.
After fighting with myself, I finally give in, and I’m about to make my way toward her when she stands. She leans close to the man sitting at her side—my guess is she’s letting him know she needs to pass by. The man smiles before pivoting in his seat so she can step by him.
Anger pools in my stomach, burning like acid, as I watch the man’s gaze linger on her pert little ass as she passes him. I’m in two minds to go over there and wipe the smug smile off his face when it dawns on me that maybe Kennedy isn’t here alone. Perhaps the stocky red-haired male at her side is her significant other. Jealousy rears its ugly head, and the need to know everything about her is overwhelming.
To my surprise, she walks right up to me, tilting her head to gaze up at me. I still tower over her, that hasn’t changed.
“Hello, Connor,” she says, the tone of her voice guarded.
I think I detect a slight tremor in her voice, but I can’t be sure. She looks poised.
Hello, Connor?
After all these years, is that all she has to say?
I take in a slow and steady breath as I finally get my wish—I’m staring into a familiar pair of mesmerizing dark eyes. “Hello, Kennedy.”
She frowns. “I guess it isn’t a coincidence that we’re on the same flight.”
“I guess not.” When did things between us become so damn generic? This is the woman I did the most intimate things to, the woman who I’d envisioned marrying and growing old with, and yet here we are acting as if we’re nothing more than strangers. But despite the blasé tone in her voice and the impassive way she’s looking at me, I still feel that invisible pull between us. It was there the first day I met her, and it’s here now. At least it is for me.I can’t tell what she’s feeling. She’s always been good at hiding her emotions.
Kennedy shrugs before brushing back her hair. It’s a nervous trait. “Since I assume we’re headed to the same destination, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
She shrugs. “I suppose so.”
Damn it, I hate how dismissive she is, as if I don’t matter one bit.
She starts to step away. “If you’ll excuse me, I was heading to the bathroom.”
“Don’t you mean the loo?” I ask, grinning.
But she doesn’t even crack a smile. As she continues on her way to the toilet, I return to my seat in business class. I’ve always wondered how different our lives would have been had Kennedy not left.
If she’d just given us a chance.
Chapter 3
Kennedy Takahashi
My pulse is racing when I return to my seat. Thank god Connor’s nowhere in sight.
Stupid, idiotic, amazing Connor Murphy is on my freaking flight!
I keep my gaze locked on my tablet and try in vain to read an e-mail from Lauren, but I can’t concentrate on the words. I read the same paragraph three times and don’t know what it’s about.
I honestly didn’t recognize him at first. When I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand, I looked around the cabin. It was then that I noticed a man staring at me. It took me another moment to reconcile the incredibly sexy, self-assured man standing in the aisle with the funny, impulsive boy I once dated in London. He was only eighteen when we met, admittedly a bit young for me, but I couldn’t resist him. He was such a goofball. I was twenty-three and rather mature for my age. But, oh, my god, he was so much fun. Just being with him made me giddy. I never laughed so much in my life.
When Skye moved in with Will, I was suddenly without a roommate. Connor and I were already dating at that point, so it seemed only natural that he’d move in with me. We lived together for eight months before everything unraveled.
Even though we’d only been dating for a relatively short while, I knew he was getting serious. Frankly, I was, too. Even then, I couldn’t imagine my life without him in it. He kept hinting at a future for us, at marriage and kids. He once asked me, teasingly, if I thought I’d want to marry him one day. I told him he was too young to even think about making such a commitment. We both were. Still, I was already falling in love with him. I figured we’d go on as we were for a while, take time to get to know one another better, be responsible. And one day, when he was older, I was sure we’d take that step.
And then Reginald Murphy happened. I knew of Connor’s grandfather from work, of course. Not personally, just by reputation. Reginald was in a senior leadership position at Carmichael & Son. He was actually quite a big deal, not just because he was a VP, but because he was incredibly wealthy and had connections with powerful people.
One autumn afternoon, Connor and I went to his grandfather’s ninetieth birthday party at a huge country estate in Surrey. There, I met Connor’s mother, Charlotte Murphy, for the first time. Like her son, she had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was friendly and welcoming, whereas I found Connor’s father’s family to be a bit on the chilly side.
That day, I met numerous cousins and great aunts and uncles on his father’s side. Everyone was dressed to the nines, wearing expensive designer brands. The women carried expensive handbags, wore elaborate hats that matched their dresses, and wore shoes that probably cost more than two months of my income. I definitely felt underdressed in my simple, white linen dress and flat brown sandals.
“I don’t even own a hat,” I murmured to Connor shortly after we arrived at the party.
