Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
TOBIAS
The pencil in my hand snapped in half. That was the third one this morning. The graphite line on my sketch made it unusable so I crumpled it in a fist and tossed it toward the trash.
“Damn it.” I shoved out of my chair and stormed from the office. What was the point in working? I couldn’t fucking concentrate, and I was so tense that my office supplies were paying the price.
I checked my phone again. Eva had been gone for two hours. She was probably at the airport, about to get on her flight. Was she okay? This morning she’d looked tired and pissed and... hurt.
This was why I’d never wanted to fight with her. Because it made me feel like I was crawling out of my skin.
I pulled up her name in my phone, my fingers hovering over the keyboard to send her a text. But what was I supposed to say? I’m sorry? Yeah, I’d tried that this morning.
Travel safe.
I typed it. I deleted it .
Miss you.
Type. Delete.
Stay.
Type.
Delete.
It was too late. After our fight, I’d all but shoved her out the door. Besides, if she was going to stay, it had to be her decision.
Maybe it was a good thing that we wouldn’t see each other for a couple of months. Maybe by then our feelings wouldn’t be as raw. She’d be settled in London and might have a better idea how long this job would take.
I’d just have to wait.
My hands fisted. Months? No way. I’d turned myself inside out in just an hour. How could I endure months?
The house, my sanctuary, felt empty this morning. Soon, her scent would vanish. I’d forget how it looked when she sat at the island. I’d miss having her next to me on the couch for Hallmark movies.
Was this really a home if my heart was on its way to London?
The stomp of footsteps on the stoop caught my ear, followed by the doorbell. Was it Eva? Had she come back? I flew toward the door and ripped it open.
“Hey.” Maddox jerked up his chin.
My shoulders fell. “Hi.”
“Hoping I was someone else?”
“Eva.” I waved him inside. “She left this morning.”
“For London?” he asked, unzipping his coat.
“Yeah.” I tucked my hands in my pockets, then pulled them free. I dragged my palm over my cheek, then through my hair. If I didn’t move, I felt like I’d explode. “What’s up?”
“Just came by to check on you.”
I blinked. “Why? ”
Maddox chuckled. “Because I’m your brother. And by the looks of it, I came just in time. You keep rubbing your beard like that, you won’t have to worry about shaving.”
“Huh? Oh.” I dropped my hand from my jaw. It went into my pocket and came right back out.
“Talk to me.” Maddox clapped a hand on my shoulder, tugging me toward the living room. He steered me to the chair while he sat on the edge of the couch. “You guys talk about the baby?”
“Yeah.” I was seated for a whole five seconds before I rose to my feet. “We got in a fight last night. I told her I thought that the baby should live here with me since she travels all over.”
Maddox cringed. “How’d that go?”
“Not good.”
“What did she say when you asked her if she’d consider staying in Montana?”
“I, uh, didn’t ask.”
“What? Why not?” He stared at me like I’d grown two heads.
“Because it’s complicated.”
He leaned deeper into the couch, tossing an arm over the backrest. “I’ve got time for complicated.”
I blew out a long breath. “I don’t want her to stay because I asked. I want her to stay because she wants to stay. Because she wants me.”
“That’s fair.”
I paced the length of the fireplace, my heart in my throat. Did she want me? Maybe she would have before yesterday? But after last night...
“She’s the one,” I confessed. “Always has been.”
“You don’t think she feels the same?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Once, yes. But then I asked her to marry me, and well... we aren’t married. ”
Maddox’s mouth fell open. “Wait. You proposed? When?”
“Graduation.”
“No one told me that.”
“Because I didn’t tell anyone. You’re the first person I’ve told. It was, um... humiliating.”
“I can imagine. But we would have understood. We would have been there.”
“I know,” I muttered. “I think part of the reason I didn’t tell anyone was that I was protecting Eva. I don’t want anyone to hate her. Especially Mom.”
Maddox leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “So you didn’t ask her to stay because you’re worried she’d turn you down again.”
I tapped my nose. “It’ll be fine. We’ll figure this out. I was working on some sketches for your place. Want to see them?”
“No.” He scoffed. “I don’t give a damn about the house. You’re not fine, Tobias.”
No, I wasn’t.
My chest felt too tight. My limbs weak. “I don’t know what to do. I want to be there for her. For the baby.”
“You have to tell her how you feel. If you want her to stay, ask. Maybe she’ll surprise you.”
Maybe she would. She’d basically said that last night, hadn’t she? Or had I just heard what I’d wanted to hear? Our conversation was becoming a blur and the growing throb behind my temples wasn’t helping.
“What if she doesn’t?”
“Then you know,” he said. “You can let her go.”
Would I ever let Eva go? “Well, I’m sort of fucked at the moment. She’s on her way to London.”
“And?”
I gave him a sideways glance. “And, what? I work here. My home is here. Once I get a break in my schedule, I’ll plan a trip or something.”
“Or you could go today.” Maddox stood and rounded the coffee table to stand in front of me. “Family first, Tobias. Take it from a man who has struggled with that concept. You’ll regret anything else.”
“I am picking family. Mom. Dad. Heath. Now you’re moving home.”
“We’ll always be family. But we’re not your family. Yours. The one you’re making. I love Mom and Dad. You and Heath. But my family is Violet. And for my daughter, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”
My family. There was only one person I wanted to build that with. “Shit.”
“Yep.”
“I need to get to the airport.”
“Let’s go.” He strode for the door, swiping his jacket from the hook.
I ran to grab my keys and wallet from the kitchen counter, doing a frantic scan around the house. What else did I need? Clothes? Toiletries?
“Passport,” Maddox ordered like he could read my mind.
“Right.” I jogged to the safe in my walk-in closet, punching in the code. With my passport in hand, I left the rest behind. There were stores in London. I could snag necessities like a toothbrush and soap on a layover.
I passed the dresser, thinking I could at least shove a clean pair of boxers and socks in my coat pocket. I ripped open the top drawer and froze. There was only one thing I needed.
A ring. Maybe I’d kept it all these years because, deep down, I’d hoped for a second chance to put it on Eva’s finger.
I pulled on a coat and put the box in the pocket closest to my heart. Maddox was already in his SUV when I stepped into the cold. The moment I was in my seat, he tore out of the driveway and down the road.
“My jet is in a hangar,” he said. “Do you know her flight itinerary? When she touches down in London?”
“No. I’m guessing she’s off to Seattle first.” I frantically switched between airline apps, checking my options. “There’s a flight there in an hour. Then a three-hour layover.”
There were only two flights from Seattle to London today. Hopefully I picked the right one. Hopefully she was going to Seattle first, not Denver or Salt Lake.
“My pilot will fly you to Heathrow. You’d only have to stop for fuel.”
“But if I can catch up to her, then I’ll be on her flight to London.” Even if she was pissed at me, we’d be on the same plane. “Let me see what I can do when we get to the airport.”
He nodded and hit the gas pedal.
We parked in the loading zone, Maddox not caring if he was towed. He stuck right by my side as I ran to a clerk and begged her to find me a flight to London.
Her nails were long and they clacked against the keyboard as she typed. Then a slow smile spread across her face. “You’re on the next flight to Seattle. Then I’ve got you on the connection to London. There’s one seat left. It’s not cheap.”
I passed her my credit card. “Book it.”
“Call if you get stranded,” Maddox said. “I’ll send my pilot to pick you up.”
“Thanks.”
He grinned. “Go get her.”
“I will.” My heart raced. This was happening. I was leaving it all behind to chase my woman.
And with every cell in my body, I knew it was the right choice .
With a wave, my brother started for the doors, but I stopped him before he could get too far.
“Maddox?”
He turned. “Yeah?”
“Glad you’re home.”
“Me too.” One more wave and then he weaved through people before he disappeared outside.
The clerk handed me my tickets and I bolted from the desk, taking the stairs toward security two at a time. I stripped off my belt and fumbled to remove my shoes. Then I waited in line, shifting my weight between my feet, as the four people ahead of me walked through the scanner at a snail’s pace.
Come on. I was in a hurry to get to my gate and... wait.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins and the pace was torture. But finally, I was marching through the terminal.
I scanned the displays, making sure I was heading toward the right place. I passed an empty seating area, seeing only one person against the glass. Her legs were tucked into the chair as she stared outside and across the runway. Her red coat hugged her slight frame.
My steps slowed.
I knew that red coat.
“What the—” I changed direction, moving straight toward the window. Was this real? “Eva?”
She jerked, whipping toward my voice. Her hazel eyes were full of tears. “Tobias?”
“I thought your flight was at ten.”
“It was.” She wiped furiously at her cheeks, sitting straight. “I missed it.”
Was that why she was crying? “There’s another one in an hour.”
“Oh. I’ll try—wait. How do you know that? What are you doing here? ”
I sat in the chair beside hers. “Taking the flight to Seattle in an hour. Then making a connection to London.”
“What?”
“Why’d you miss your flight?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’m stuck.”
I took her right hand in mine, curling our fingers together. Then I tapped my thumb across her index finger. “One. Two. Three. Four.”
She sniffled. “I declare a thumb war.”
“Shake.” Our thumbs touched. “Winner asks the first question.”
She didn’t even put up a fight and my thumb trapped hers instantly.
“Why are you stuck?”
“Because I’m not sure if I’m making a huge mistake.”
“Go again.” We did another thumb duel, again she let me win.
“Do you want to go to London?”
“No. Yes.” Her eyes flooded. “I don’t know.”
“How about if I go with you?”
Her chin quivered. “Really?”
“Really. If I went with you to London, would you want to go?”
“Yes. But . . . then what?”
“I don’t know, babe.” I let her hand go to frame her face. “I don’t know. But we could start with this trip. Then the next. What I know is that I can’t let you go. So if that means I go with you, then here I am.”
“Tobias, I—” She shook her head. “What are you saying?”
“I love you.”
Another tear dropped. “I love you too.”
I slammed my lips onto hers, swallowing a moan. Her tears continued to fall, dripping onto my face, but as I kissed her, she started laughing, clinging to me as I clung to her until a throat cleared from the gate agent tore us apart.
“You’d really go to London with me?”
“I’m not going to ask you to stay,” I said. “Not because I don’t want you to stay, but because I think you would. You’d stay for me and the baby even though you’re not ready. You want London. So London is what we’ll do.”
“I would stay.”
Yeah, she would. But I wouldn’t make her choose. I wasn’t going to be the man who smothered her dreams and delivered ultimatums. She deserved better. “How about one more adventure? We tackle London. Then we’ll decide what’s next. Together.”
“Are you sure? What about your home? Your family?”
I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m looking at my family. I’m staring at my home.”
“I haven’t had a home, a real one, in a long time.”
“You do now.” I kissed her forehead, then took her hand again. “Thumb wrestle to see who gets my first-class ticket.”
She gave me a wicked grin. There’d be no letting me win this time. “You’re on.”