“Fashion week in almost every country, I remember,” Darryn said and kissed her forehead.“Call me when you land?”he asked.“And please stay safe?”
She nodded, incapable of speech.With a last wave, she turned her back on him and proceeded through the security check.
Once she had her bag and laptop back in her hands, she looked over her shoulder.Darryn was still standing in the same spot, hands in his pockets, staring at her.
Her heart just about jumped out her breast and she sighed.Pasting on another smile, she waved cheerily before she turned back to follow the other passengers.Her heart was breaking—everything inside her was urging her to turn back, to forget about New York, to forget about her appointments, and to go and be with Darryn.
She sniffled.Damn it, she was being silly, of course she couldn’t just drop everything because she now had a boyfriend!They were together—whatever that meant.How long this togetherness lasted was anybody’s guess; she had never done this before.
Her phone rang as she sat down to wait for her boarding time.Her heart did a silly dance, but it was her mom, not Darryn, who called.
“At the airport?”her mom asked after she answered.
“Yes, Darryn just dropped me off.”
“Oh, isn’t that sweet of him!”Her mother gushed.“Now that’s the kind of thing the hero in my story will do!”
Hannah sighed.“This is real life, Mom, not a story.”
“It’s your story, my dear child.And don’t you forget it.It’s the decisions you make that write your story.”
Hannah was silent for a moment, blinking back silly tears.“I’m not the only one involved in my story, Mom,” she said softly.
“But Darryn loves you, didn’t he tell you that?”
“Yes, he does now, but what about next week or next month or…”
“Oh, my sweet child, the man is head over heels with you.He has been for two years.Why would it change now?”
“Because now I’ve told him I love him.He may decide I’m not who he thought I was after all.Remember, although I’ve known him for two years, we haven’t spent much time together.”
“Do you think your feelings for him will change?”her mother asked.
“Of course not, but—”
“So why assume his will?”
Hannah rolled her eyes.There was no talking to her romance-besotted mother.“Oh, Mom, you of all people know what men are like.My own dad didn’t even stick around.Besides, Darryn is a Cavallo.He could have any woman he wants.”
Her mother sighed.“I’ll tell you what I’ve told your sisters as well.Yes, your dad left us when you were little.But his leaving wasn’t anyone’s fault but his own.And sweetheart, not all men leave.From what I’ve seen, the Cavallos are fiercely loyal and loving husbands.”
“Well, that’s another thing.Three of them are married to two of my sisters—I’ve never heard of anything so…so bizarre!Brothers involved with sisters, what are the odds?”
Her mother laughed out loud.“Love happens, Hannah, in strange and delightful ways.It’s not something you can order according to certain rules.If it happens, it happens and, sweetheart, it’s a rare thing for two souls to meet.Don’t turn your back on your chance, promise me?”
Around her, people were walking toward the exit.
Hannah sighed.“I promise.Mom, I have to board.I’ll let you know when I land in New York.”
“Think about what I’ve said!”
Hannah put her phone away and fell into the queue.When she had seen Darryn for the first time, love happened.She didn’t decide, she didn’t choose, it simply…happened.
Clutching her bag, she walked toward the big plane that would carry her over an ocean, over a continent—far away from Darryn.
Another tear threatened to spill over, and she sniffled angrily.Damn it, she had work to do.Work that she loved.This was her life!
Besides, modeling helped her to achieve her big dream to help children who couldn’t help themselves.Being able to help start a fund for war orphans had been something she had wanted to do for a long time, and through her modeling she now had the money and the connections to make life a little bit easier for the kids left in the wake of the devastation of war.
