Colin breathed out slowly and tapped his fingers on his armrest, almost as if bracing himself for something.
“Getting over myself to tell you I’ve missed you,” he said.
My book slid from my hands and onto my lap.
“What?” I breathed the words out.
He leaned closer, his voice low enough that it was for me alone. “If I have to continue to suffer the way I’ve been suffering without you these past weeks, you can let the plane go down now.”
“Oh, don’t say that!” I said, looking around to see if anyone had heard.
His hand was instantly on mine. “I don’t want a life that doesn’t have you in it.”
My breath hitched.
“Kate,” he said softly, “you are more than a goddess of beauty. You are the reason I want to wake up and come to work every morning, the life in my bland existence. I’ve seen color now, and I can’t go back to gray and black and white. I have no idea how I can apologize to you for how I mistrusted you—mistrusted us—for the way we began, but I can only say that I hope I can make it up to you.”
I choked, unable to form words.
He squeezed my hand and continued, “I understand why you did things the way you did them. You have a big heart. You were worried about Maggie. You weren’t sure if you could trustme. You didn’t know me then. I pushed you away. And at your darkest hour. I don’t deserve you or your forgiveness. And yet, I ask it of you. And for a second chance.”
My head was spinning.
My heart was pounding.
My hands were shaking.
“Colin,” I managed to say. I’d had a moment to temper my first reaction. “I appreciate your apology, but I’m not sure of what to say or if I’m even thinking clearly right now.”
“I understand. It’s not what you were expecting on your flight to Chicago.”
I gave a nervous little laugh. “No, it wasn’t.”
“Think about everything I said. And consider how it would be if we were to start over, this time with truth, vulnerability, and no secrets from each other.”
“You speak so beautifully,” I whispered.
“You inspire me.”
I was amazed that this was the same man who charged into conference rooms with the command of a general. His fingers caressed mine, his eyes lingering on my lips for several seconds until he sat back and drank from his champagne glass.
I’d planned to read on the flight, but my head and heart were uncooperative. I held the book in front of me, open, but I didn’t turn the page during the entire flight.
My mind kept going over his words.He wanted a second chance for us.He wasn’t unfeeling. I hadn’t been a means to an end.He said I inspire him.
It was no use. No matter how much I tried to harden my heart to what it had been the past few weeks out of necessity for my sanity, Colin had just cracked it wide open. Everything I’d suppressed was fighting for my attention, and I was in complete inner turmoil.
Colin had been the only one to make me feel wanted, desired, cherished… until he stopped.
Tell me what to do!I shouted mentally at whatever higher being was toying with me.
We saidlittle in the car on the way to the hotel. We checked in and walked to our rooms, which happened to be (although now I guessed why) next door to each other.
“Goodnight,” I said as I quickly pressed my keycard to the sensor and pushed at the door.
“Goodnight,” he replied.
But my door didn’t open. I tried again. Nothing. Colin took my card and tried, and still the door wouldn’t open. The light turned green, but no amount of his shoving on the door would open it.
