Page 64 of Room Service

I gasped, and I could have sworn for a second my heart stopped. He pulled back to grin down at me, and I just stared at him, dumbfounded, taking the words in.

Trent just said he loved me…

Shit!

I opened my mouth to say something back. I didn’t know exactly what, maybe to say I loved him too? But before I got the chance, the elevator doors opened, and Trent was dragging me back out. My eyes were fixated on his back as I replayed the words back in my mind.

He’s different.

Trent wasn’t acting quite like himself, and I wondered just how fast a person could change. He was no longer the same somber, somewhat mysterious man I’d met after a decade nearly a month ago. He was talking to me, he kept acting all playful like that sing-song thing in the elevator. He even told me he loved me!

“Is this a dream?”

I didn’t realize I’d blurted the words out until Trent paused to glance over at me. We were already at the door to his suite, and he unlocked it and let us in.

“You’re not dreaming,” he said in reassurance. “But I guess you could say that I finally woke up. I wouldn’t have gone looking for you otherwise because I’m a stubborn bastard.”

I smiled wryly. “Well, I can't argue with that.”

He shot me a betrayed look, and it made me laugh. But then I sighed, looking up at him with a frown.

“What exactly is going to happen to us?” I asked. “I ran away before because I didn’t think we’d have a future.”

Trent’s expression suddenly turned solemn as he led me over to the couch and sat me down.

“We are going to have a future, Jessi. If you don’t have any more plans that would take you away from me, I would very much love to spend the rest of my life with you.”

His blunt nature sure hasn’t changed, I thought, my jaw hanging open a little.

“I have no such plans,” I squeaked out.

He was grinning again. “Good. The only real obstacle is my dad, but it’s more what I’m going to do about him, than him being against a relationship between us.”

“You finally got to see him?”

He nodded. “Yeah, though it’s more that he came over to see me. I need to talk to him.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I’d like to go back to my mountains, up in Asheville where my real home is. I don’t want to let my dad down any more than I already have, either. For the first time, he asked me instead of just demanding I do shit.”

“And that’s a big deal?” I said slowly.

“Yeah, it is,” he said. Then he gave me a pleading expression. “I’d hate to do this, and I’m sorry, but I’m going to leave you here for a little bit, okay? I’m trying to rebuild all my relationships so they aren’t quite as messed up as before. Your friends will be coming to stay with you for the time being.”

Before I could speak, to ask a question or protest, he pressed a quick kiss to my lips then he was rushing out of the room as I gaped at his back.

What the hell just happened? We weren’t even back twenty minutes!

But I knew that fixing the relationship between him and his father was important. And if he was going to fix all the relationships he’d got wrong in his life, it was going to take a lot of time, and some massive groveling where his sister was concerned.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there like that, but then the door was opening again, and in walked the last two people I expected; Emily and Laura.

“Jessi!” they both squealed as they rushed me, and I jumped up so they wouldn’t squish me into the couch. I couldn’t help breaking out into giggles as they attacked me with bear hugs.

“We missed you so much,” Laura said.

“I was about to track my brother down and beat him to a pulp,” Emily added with a pout. “Or just drag you back myself.”

I chuckled, hugging them both back tightly before I fell back on the couch, and they moved to sit on either side of me.

“You look exhausted,” Laura said sympathetically, running a hand through my hair.