“Fuck. Still in Napa. Should’ve flown into SFO. I’ll drive to you. Be there soon as I can.”
It would still be a whole hour if he sped like a bat out of hell. Too long. “I can’t wait,” she said. “I’m coming to you. Let’s meet in the middle.”
“Which way are you taking?”
“Golden Gate, up through the North Bay.”
“Okay. Marin Headlands. Meet me there.”
That was definitely a farther drive for him than for her, unless she ran into traffic, which was probable.
“That’s not halfway. I’ll be in Larkspur before you even get to Sonoma.”
She heard a car door slam. “We’ll see about that,” he said.
“Raffi,” she warned. “Drive safe. I want to see you. Alive.”
He grunted, then said, “All right. For you.”
She smiled, thinking his old car probably wasn’t equippedto handle high speeds for extended periods and thanked the stars he wasn’t a Ferrari guy.
“I’m going to see you soon,” she said, almost to herself.
“You sure are,” he replied, and she could hear him smiling.
When she hung up, the noise of the street rushed back in her ears, like it had paused the entire time she was talking to Raffi.
Ani ran the five blocks home in the warm September air. Early fall was in some ways the most marvelous time of year in San Francisco. The fog had receded, and with it the cold, so everyone was outside, enjoying the weather in shorts and bare shoulders. Ani thanked herself for wearing flats as she sprinted down Polk Street and hopped into her car.
She was going to see Raffi. He wanted to see her. He sounded so happy on the phone, about the fact that they would be reunited. She let herself hope and hope and hope.
35
Raffi
Raffi did makeit to Marin Headlands before Ani. She got stuck in bridge traffic. When she called to tell him, they stayed on the phone this time.
“I’m parked,” he said as he got out of the car.
“Be there in a minute,” came Ani’s beautiful voice that he absolutely knew he’d never tire of hearing.
What a day to be here. The fog had cleared so there was a full view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, the Marina, and downtown San Francisco. There had been an unexpected rain shower a few days before, so the hillside was blanketed with greenery.
He breathed in and out, the ocean breeze layered with the warm fall day. Ani wanted to see him. She was rushing to see him. It would be okay. He was ready to grovel anyway.
After the last couple of days he’d had, he should have been tired, but instead, he was energized. He’d had a group FaceTime with MBD Book Club and spilled all the details—okay, notallthe details—and Lana suggested in her quiet monotone voice the very answer to what he could do to mend things with Ani.
Her car pulled in next to his, and the second the engine was off, he hardly had a chance to take her in, his love, because Ani jumped out of the car and sprinted into his arms. Oh my God. He was holding her now. He hadn’t expected—
It took him a moment to breathe her in. Her soft curves pressed against him, her arms found their way inside his jacket, and her cheek buried against his chest. He held her tightly. He couldn’t believe she was here, they were touching, she was happy to see him. Four days ago he thought he’d lost her for good.
“Ani,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much. I shouldn’t have said what I said. I will always come back to you, as long as you want me. I’ll be here for you. Always. I am never letting you down again. You have my word.”
She was shaking her head. “No, no. I’m the one who’s sorry. Everything was going great, and I let my insecurities get to me—”
He wouldn’t hear of it. He hadn’t been sure he’d ever see her again, and an apology was the last thing he’d ask for. He didn’t need it; he understood where she had been coming from.
“That article was horrible, I don’t blame you—”
