“Astrid!” Clay Morgan, the man who was reserved to a fault, was currently shouting her name in the middle of a crowded airport.
She couldn’t help but laugh. She thrust her hand up in the air and waved back, only to see him trying to wind his way through the stanchions, past the other passengers, one by one. He was lucky no one was picking a fight with him.
“Don’t move.” His gaze connected with hers, sending a zip of electricity through her. Damn him for being so irresistible. Damn him for being everything she ever wanted.
Astrid turned to the woman in line behind her. “That’s that man I fell in love with.”
“He’s not going with you on the trip?”
“I think he’s trying to prevent it.”
“And is that a good thing or a bad thing?” she asked.
“Depends on how good he is at groveling.” It was Astrid’s turn to present her boarding pass and passport, but Clay had just reached her.
“Please don’t get on that flight,” he blurted. “We have to talk.”
The other passengers griped in near unison.
“Ma’am, I either need your boarding pass or you need to step out of line,” the agent said. “But I’m warning you that if you step out, you have to go back to the very end.”
Astrid let the woman behind her go ahead, then turned to Clay. “Well?”
“I promise I will make it worth it.” Breathless, he grabbed her hand, unhooked the black retractable strap from the stanchion, and pulled her back in the direction where she’d started.
Astrid stumbled ahead, lugging her carry-on. “I can’t believe you would try to hunt me down at the airport. What has gotten into you?” This was so unlike anything she’d ever seen Clay do, it was hard to wrap her head around. Still, she found it to be quite thrilling that he would be willing to embarrass himself in public like this. It had to mean something.
They came to a stop once they’d reached the wide concourse between check-in and baggage claim.
Clay turned to her. “I love you, Astrid. I’ve been falling in love with you since the car ride to Los Angeles, if I’m perfectly honest.” He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. It was like he was processing everything in real time. She’d always loved watching him think. “Or maybe it was the night of the cocktail party at Grant’s house. Either way, I’m over the moon for you and I’m begging you to stay. You are everything I have ever wanted and I will be lost without you. Please don’t move back to Norway. I’m begging you.”
“I told you I wasn’t necessarily moving. This trip was to clear my head.”
“I think I know another way to clear your head.” Before she knew what was happening, Clay pulled her into his arms, pressing his long form against hers and laying the deepest, most passionate kiss on her that she’d ever been on the receiving end of. He cradled the back of her head with his hand, all while she virtually melted into him. When he broke the kiss, he didn’t let her go far, holding on to her tight. Their mouths were mere inches apart, his breath warm on her lips. “Well?”
“If anything, that’s just you trying to confuse me.”
He laughed quietly and pressed another kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Did it work? Did I buy myself some time?”
Astrid dropped her shoulders. She had no energy to fight him. She only wanted to give in. But they had things to sort out. “I’m going to miss my flight, so yes. You bought yourself some time. The question is what you intend to do with it.”
“I’ll do whatever you want. I’m serious. I love you, Astrid.” He tenderly combed his fingers through her hair. “I should have told you long ago. I was scared. I can admit that now. And when your secret came out, it felt like confirmation of everything I’d feared. It felt like it was all happening again.”
“And now? How do you feel now?”
“Like I need to learn to look past what’s right in front of my face and try to see what’s truly ahead. Try to see the future, not spend all of my time reliving the past.”
Astrid swallowed hard, choking back the emotion of the moment. She not only loved hearing him say these things to her, she admired the way he’d put it all together for himself. He’d fought hard to tear off the blinders, rather than clinging to the idea of keeping them on. “I love you so much. I don’t really know how to put it into words.” She took his hand and pressed it to her chest. “But I hope that you can feel my heart beating. That’s all for you. It’s all possible because of you. I won’t go anywhere if that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want. Always.”
She hadn’t prepared herself for that last word, especially on a day like today, when she’d been sure she was leaving and that would be the end of it. To make things even more surreal, it was then that Clay, the proudest man she knew, dropped to his knee, right there in the middle of the airport. He took her hand and peered up at her with his deep and soulful eyes. “I don’t have a ring to offer you right now, Astrid, but I can offer you myself. My undivided attention. My heart and everything that goes along with that, good or bad.”
“Careful, Clay. You’re practically reciting wedding vows.” She leaned down and pressed her hand to the cheek of the man who had once held so
