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“Sienna, I...”
“No,” she quickly interrupted. “Don’t say anything. Not yet.”
That... wasn’t what he was expecting.
“Not saying anything doesn’t make it any less true,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers. “I know you need time to process and think and examine this from every angle, but...” Pausing, he felt like growling with frustration. “I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but I believe in being honest. And I’m tired of hiding it, Sienna. I’m tired of pretending it’s not the case. We had to do that all those years ago because everyone—especially Jason—would have kicked my ass for even thinking of you the way I did. Half my life is gone. What am I waiting for?”
“It’s been less than twenty-four hours,” she weakly countered.
“So? It doesn’t make it any less true!” Twisting in his seat, he took both her hands in his. “I am not here to pressure you into feelings you don’t have, and this has nothing to do with the trip we’re embarking on. Just... give me these two weeks to prove to you how I feel. Please.”
“But what if...”
“No. No what if’s,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “From now until the end of your trip, we just enjoy ourselves. We take in the sights, we eat and laugh and talk and make love, and when it’s time for you to head back to North Carolina...”
“What? What happens then?”
“That’s totally up to you, princess.”
“Mick...”
“Nope. We’re not going to say another word about this. We’re going to finish our breakfast and talk about everything you’re looking forward to seeing at Graceland.”
For a moment, she didn’t look even a little comfortable. But when he released her hands and went back to his scone, she shifted in her seat and picked up her muffin. The hum of pleasure she made told him she was okay.
For now.
The last thing he wanted to do was spook her or freak her out, but the fact that they had found one another again after all these years? Mick took that as a good sign. They weren’t ready for one another back then. They’d each had hopes and dreams and goals that they needed to accomplish, and now that they had, maybe this was their time.
And he seriously hoped it was their time.
Finally.
If there was one thing Mick had learned in all his years in music management, it was how to put people at ease. So for the rest of their flight—or even the rest of their trip—he would do everything he could to help Sienna relax and enjoy herself.
And he was thoroughly looking forward to it.
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before she spoke again.
“I know today is already going to be very full, but...any chance there’s a mall or something close to our hotel. I’d rather get my shopping out of the way early on rather than putting it off.”
“If you’d just tell me what you need...”
Her initial response was to roll her eyes. “Can you please just see where the closest mall or Target is?”
Phone in hand, he began to search. “Is it clothes? Do you not have enough clothes with you?”
“Mick...”
“Okay, fine. There’s a Nordstrom about eight miles from our hotel. We can stop there on our way back to the hotel after the tour. Will that work?”
“Definitely. Thank you.”
He did the math in his head to figure out approximately what time they’d arrive at the store and then sent a text to his assistant to see about a personal shopper being available to assist Sienna so she could get everything she needed in the least amount of time. No doubt she’d reprimand him over it once it was all said and done, but he was willing to take that risk.
Their schedule was most definitely tight—almost tighter than any tour he’d ever arranged—but the good thing with theirs was that if they wanted to change anything, it wouldn’t be a big deal. More than anything, he wanted to give her everything she talked about. Although he had a feeling if she’d had more time to plan, she would have had even more places to see. As it was, they lucked out with most of the stops being on or close to the West Coast.
He loved the thought of taking her to see his home and showing her part of his world.
