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He shook his head. “That’s not it. It’s just that… well, I hope you don’t mind, but I still have every intention of calling you. In fact, I’ve had such a great time with you tonight that when we’re both back home, I’d like for the two of us to continue seeing one another.”
“Really?”
I hadn’t meant for it to come out the way it did and reveal just how much I had been hoping he’d want that, but there was no way to get that single word back.
Johnny didn’t seem the least bit bothered. In fact, I had a feeling he picked up on my enthusiasm, and just like he’d done all throughout dinner, he matched my energy. “I didn’t expect to find you on this vacation, but you’re the best surprise I’ve had in a long time.”
Feeling so good, I gave in to what I was feeling. The next thing I knew, I’d lifted onto my toes, closed the distance between our mouths, and touched my lips to Johnny’s. He was a gentleman, letting me make the first move and taking over afterward.
The two of us spent the rest of our time on vacation together.
And just as he promised, when we returned home, Johnny called.
THREE
Johnny
Eighteen months later
A gift.
I’d just walked through the door at Kiera’s place and wasn’t surprised to find her waiting enthusiastically for me. She was standing a few feet in front of me, her legs were pressed together, knees slightly bent, and her arms were bent at the elbows, her hands clasped in front of her chest. She wore a look filled with hope and anticipation.
This woman had been everything I needed in my life. She was my motivation for everything now. I’d been a driven guy all of my life, but once I found her, I noticed that everything I did took on a different meaning. I wanted to do more and be better for her. I wanted to give Kiera the world, and now I was starting to think that I could.
“Well?” she asked, when I took too long thinking about how much I loved her and how grateful I was to have her in my life.
Kiera was slightly impatient when it came to things like this, so I decided to put her out of her misery. “I got it.”
“You got it?” she pressed, a wave of excitement pulsing through her. I could see her trying to hold herself back until she had the confirmation she needed, and I loved her even more for it. For her, this was all about me living my dreams, and she only wanted to see it happen.
Nodding, I confirmed, “I got the account.”
That was all it took.
A moment later, my girl launched her arms into the air, her feet leaving the ground, as she celebrated my victory. When she was back on her feet, she rushed forward, threw her arms around me, and declared, “I knew it. I knew you were going to do it.”
Catching Kiera in my arms, I held on tight to her. I never wanted to let her go, either. “I don’t know if I could have ever done it without you.”
“Of course, you could have.”
Tipping my head to the side, indifference moved through me. “Maybe. But if there’s one thing I know, it’s that this moment wouldn’t have felt nearly as good as it does having you standing beside me to celebrate it.”
“We’re a team, Johnny. I can’t imagine not being here to support you.”
I couldn’t say I disagreed with that sentiment. I felt precisely the same way about being there to support her through her career milestones.
As it turned out, I’d finally done what I told Kiera during our very first dinner together that I’d wanted to do in my career. I opened my own business as an IT consultant. I’d taken a risk leaving my job, but there was no question that the payoff could be huge.
While I knew there was a lot more responsibility that was going to come along with running my own show, I was looking forward to the freedom and potential it would afford me.
But no matter what positive benefits came out of having my own business, none of it would compare to having her.
To knowing one day I’d walk through the door of the home we shared together and find her there.
To knowing she’d be there to celebrate the ups and offer support through the downs.
To knowing each day would be filled with an abundance of excitement.
