I genuinely didn’t know, but I couldn’t put a timeline on Bex’s wellbeing. “I – I’m not sure.”
“I’ll find us a place; I don’t know how I’ll be fixed financially but don’t worry, I can always bartend if—”
I pressed a finger to his lips. “No.”
The way his face fell broke my heart. “No? What do you mean, no?”
My heart was pounding. I couldn’t believe these were the words I was about to say, but they were all for him and I meant each one. Didn’t mean that they didn’t hurt. “This is your chance, Elliot. You can’t be worrying about providing for me when you’re meant to be focusing on your big opportunity.”
Elliot stared at me intently, as if I were crazy. “I can do it. I want to.”
“I know that you want to,” I said softly. “But let’s think about this.”
“No.” His eyes flashed. “Don’t do this again.”
“Do what again?”
“Don’t be so practical and careful that you risk losing out on—” he gestured helplessly between us “—this! Jesus Lucie, what more do I need to say to make you believe in this?”
I looked at his handsome yet tortured face. “Elliot, of course I believe in this. So much so, I’m about to make possibly the most reckless decision of my life.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know I’ve only known you a few weeks,” I said. “But I think you’re the man I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with. You told me earlier tonight that you’re all in, well, so am I.”
His lips parted. “Oh.”
“Yeah. So I need you to go to LA and build a life, just as I need to go back to London and figure out what I’m doing with mine.” I gripped his face in my hands. “Then one day, when we’ve both got our shit together, one of us is going to get on a plane and that’ll be it. You and me.”
His hands smoothed up and down my back, pushing my body against his. “I don’t know how long I can wait.”
“Same.” I ran my hands up his strong arms, across his broad shoulders. How was I going to cope, not being able to step into his embrace whenever I needed it?
“Knowing you’re just the other side of the ocean.” He buried his face in my neck. “A plane ride away. How am I supposed to get on with anything knowing I can just buy a ticket to London and see you?”
“We need a little time,” I said. “I need a few months, maybe more, to set myself up, then I’m yours forever.”
“Forever.” He cupped my face and kissed me deeply, making my head swirl with the dizzying promise of our future. When we came up for air, Elliot tugged at his wrist.
“Here.” He held out his bracelet.
“Elliot, no, I can’t take this.” I fingered the tin bracelet. “This is your mum’s. Yours.”
“You can, and you will,” he ordered, sliding it over my hand. “Consider it a promise.”
My pulse quickened. “A promise of what?”
“That I’m all in,” he said, pushing his face against mine. “However long it takes. I love you, Lucie Clifton.”
“I love you too, Elliot Fox.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
London
FOUR MONTHS LATER
“I’m looking at the wrong purchase order,” I repeated into the phone. “I need one including the line item for the Paulson account.” Delphine, my deskmate, looked over at me with an eye-roll and I shot one back. “Can you please send the correct one by end of day?” The grunt in finance muttered something about speaking to their supervisor and hung up. I slammed my phone down and leaned back, tugging at my hair.
