Chapter 68: Chapter Sixty-Eight

Everett

Our weekend has passed too quickly! I didn’t want her to leave, but she needs to. I wish I could fly back with her, but I am stuck here for another couple of weeks. We need to leave in an hour to get to the airport. Aubrey is now just packing her things. She decided to leave it to the very last minute, so she wasn’t reminded too early that she would be leaving. She is huffing and cursing as she does, throwing everything in. If the situation didn’t lead to Aubrey leaving, then I would laugh, but I am not really in the laughing mood.

“You can still stay longer, Aubrey.”

She sighs loudly and turns to me. “I can’t. I need to get back to work. I can’t stay in London without telling Hugo and Erica the truth.”

I draw in my breath and run my fingers through my hair. “I know, wishful thinking, I guess.”

“You will be returning home in no time,” Aubrey replies, trying to put a positive spin on it.

I know it is hard for me, as it is for her. Once packed, she closes her bag with force and tosses it aside. Aubrey turns to me, a pout on her lips and a sadness in her eyes. I motion for her to come to me. She does, happily and stands before me as I sit in one of the chairs in the bedroom. I reach for her hips and bring her into my lap.

“You know, I could “accidentally” lose your passport, and then you will need to stay.”

“Yes, but if you did that, then you would need to call my boss, aka, your brother and tell him why I won’t be back at work when I am supposed to.” She laughs.

“Why would I need to? You could do that.”

“Yes, the only problem with that is that where I am supposed to be doesn’t require a passport.”

I groan. “Damn it, that’s right. I will just kidnap you.”

Aubrey rolls her eyes at me and laughs. “Silly man.”

She pecks my lips before she removes herself from my lap. “Where are you going?” I whine.

“To make sure I have everything. I want to get an iced coffee before we leave for the airport, if that is okay?”

“Of course,” I smile.

As I stand, my cell starts to ring. I have barely touched it all weekend because I promised I wouldn’t. I take it out of my pocket to check who it is.

“Do you need to get that?”

I glance at the screen. “It is Hugo. I can call him back later. It is fine.”

Aubrey shakes her head. “No, it is fine. Answer it.”

I answer it, and we only talk for a minute. He wanted to know how things were going and to let me know he would be here next week for a couple of days. I wonder if he comes, then that means we can finish things quicker, and I can fly back with him. It will only be a few days earlier than planned, but if that is possible, I will take it. I won’t say anything to Aubrey. I don’t want to get her hopes up. It would be a nice surprise for her if I returned home early.

“Everything okay?”

“Yes, he was just checking in and telling me he will be here for a couple of days next week.”

“Okay, should we head out?” Her words are hesitant.

Sighing, I nod my head, just as hesitant as she. I grab her things, and we leave the apartment. I put her bag in the car, and we walk to the coffee shop. We made it the first two weeks, and no more. Hopefully, the next two weeks will be better.

I am sitting in the airport with Aubrey until she needs to go through for her flight. There was no need for us to sit in the car since there was no one else here that any of us knew. Her head rested on my shoulder.

I kiss the top of her head. “I am going to miss you. Call me when you get home. I don’t care what time it is here. I won’t go to sleep until I hear from you.”

Aubrey glances up at me. “I will. I promise.”

I dip my head down and kiss her softly, only for a moment before we part. I place my hand on her face and caress her cheek with my thumb. Aubrey’s eyes close, and she moves into my touch. She kisses the palm of my hand. It causes my breath to catch in my throat, and my heart to beat quicker in my chest.

Slowly, Aubrey opens her eyes to meet mine. “Everett, my next words may freak you out, but please don’t run.”

I shift nervously in my seat, wondering what she means. I have a feeling, but I won’t say anything in case I am wrong. “What is on your mind?” I ask, hiding my nervousness.

Aubrey takes a deep breath. “I am falling in love with you, and it scares the hell out of me. I am sorry if you aren’t ready to hear me say that. I don’t expect you to feel the same until you are ready, but I wanted to tell you before I need to leave again.”

Her eyes soften, and her words are gentle, her voice shaky. I know how much courage it would have taken for her to say that to me. The last man she fell in love with turned out to be a monster. I don’t say anything, not straightaway, and the longer I am silent, the more anxious Aubrey becomes. She seems disappointed.

I smile at her. “Don’t worry, baby girl. You aren’t the only one to feel these things. I am falling in love with you, too, and just like you, it scares the hell out of me.”

Aubrey relaxes, and her entire face lights up, grinning from ear to ear. “You are?”

I nod. “I am. I knew you were trouble when I first met you.” I laugh.

“Me, trouble? No, you are thinking about yourself.” She giggles.

I kiss her again and hug her to my chest. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Me neither.”

I have never said such words to a woman and meant them. I mean them this time. It didn’t take long for me to work out that Aubrey was going to be different, was going to change me and my life.

Now, all I need to do is get through the next couple of weeks, and we can be together again without anyone needing to leave. As our feelings grow, the more we are going to need to prepare ourselves and tell everyone about our relationship. It isn’t going to be easy, but I can handle it. I refuse to let her go because other people don’t agree or accept our relationship. Everyone will need to learn to deal with it. We are adults, and what we do is no one else’s business.