“No, not since the summer. How are things? How’s work?”
“Yeah, good,” I replied pushing my hands through my hair.
“How’re Mandy and Andrew?”
“Yeah, they’re fine. I saw them last night. And you? What are you doing downtown? Don’t you live uptown?”
“You remembered,” she said, smiling at me as if it were a secret. We’d fucked a few years ago. It had been a one-time deal but we ran in the same circles and we bumped into each other here and there. “I was just having drinks with friends and I wanted to walk through the park before I got a cab home. I love it at this time of night.”
I nodded. “It’s one of my favorite places.”
“You could see me home if you wanted? I have an excellent single malt back at my apartment,” she said.
My stomach flipped at the thought. “I’m with Anna. You met her right?”
“Oh yeah,” she said. “The girl from the Hamptons. I remember her I think. But she’s not here now and,” she glanced down at my left hand and then back up at me, “I don’t see a ring.”
I stepped back from her. “There doesn’t need to be a ring, Clarissa.” I looked at her because I wanted to see her understand what I was saying. “There doesn’t need to be a ring.” I repeated. “Have a good night.” I headed out of the park.
And there it was. The answer I didn’t know that I’d been looking for. I didn’t need to marry her. I wanted her forever and a ring wasn’t what was going to guarantee that. I would just have to work hard every day to convince her to stay. I could do that.
I checked my watch. It was gone ten. Too late or too early to call her, but a darkness had been lifted from me. Just because she didn’t want to get married didn’t mean that I couldn’t convince her to spend the rest of her life with me. And I wanted that life to start as soon as possible.
THIRTEEN
Anna
I needed to find a quiet corner of the airport to call Ethan, he’d just texted me, asking me if I was around. He still didn’t know I was flying over. I wanted it to be a surprise. In the end I went into the Gucci shop and pretended to be thinking about buying a handbag. Hopefully, Ethan wouldn’t guess where I was.
“Hey beautiful,” he answered. His mood had shifted this week. Things were definitely better but I wanted to be there to make sure. I was eager to start our forever together.
“Hey handsome. What are you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?” It was first thing Saturday morning in London, so he was up late.
“I will in a bit. I just need to finish off sending some emails.”
“Sounds like a wild Friday night you’ve got going on there, Mr. Scott.”
He chuckled on the other end of the phone.
“What are you doing? Are you out with Leah tonight?”
“I’m shopping and then I’m hoping for an early night.”
“I’m going to take you to bed early every night when you get here.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It’s a guarantee.”
“I’ll hold you to it. What are you up to tomorrow? Do you have plans?” I’d not even told Mandy I was coming, so Ethan could be out for the day when I arrived at around noon his time Saturday.
“Work. I’ll go for a run. Then I thought I might call the realtor.”
“Realtor?”
“Estate agent, whatever you call it. To see what the market’s like. In case you decide you want to move.”
“I love your place Ethan.”
