Chapter 23 – Georgia
TWENTY-THREE
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
GEORGIA
Idon’t want you to leave…
Those six words are trapped under my tongue the morning that Dominic is due to return to Utah. They nearly tumble out when he gives me one last orgasm in the shower, but all I can do is scream his name against the glass.
He kisses me while we dress, and he insists that we make sure we’re no longer needed in the kitchen before we leave.
“I would never ask you to help on your last day.” Grandma Hattie walks over to hug him the moment we enter the room. “But I will ask you to come back next season, if you’re available.”
“I’m sure I’ll be back before then.”
“I would hope so.” She smiles. “Maybe I’ll get to witness two weddings here.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “I’m riding with him to the airport. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t rush to come back,” she says. “Take advantage of your off days.”
“Will do.” I grab a box of cookies before leading Dominic to the private pickup lane.
Charlie opens the door once we approach, and Dominic motions for me to slide onto the backseat first.
He pulls me against his chest, and I try to tell him how I feel, but he kisses me, and I can’t think of anything else.
“Sir? Miss?” Charlie clears his throat while we’re in the middle of a kiss, and Dominic slowly pulls away from me.
As I’m catching my breath, I realize that we’re at the airport, and Charlie looks as if he’s been holding the back door open for far longer than he’d like.
Dominic laughs and steps out first, handing him a hundred-dollar bill. Then he helps me step out.
“I’ll circle around a few times, Miss Grey,” Charlie says. “Call me whenever you’re ready to go back.”
In that case, never. “Noted, Charlie. Thank you.”
Dominic presses his palm against the small of my back as we walk into the terminal.
“How are you planning to tell your family that we broke up?” he asks.
“I’ll think of something.” I take off the ring. “Maybe I’ll make it easy and say that you cheated.”
“I would never cheat on you.” He slides the ring back onto my finger. “Ever.”
“I’ll just say that we grew apart then.”
“Or, you could finally tell them the truth.” He smiles, pressing a kiss against my lips.
“I’m never telling them that you were a rental.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He laughs. “I cancelled my flight home this morning.”
“Wait, what? Why are we here then?”
“I was hoping we could go somewhere else for the weekend.” He pulls an envelope from his breast pocket, and I squint at the small font.
Paris?
“That’s still on your Pinterest board of places to stay for a full week, right?”
I nod, stunned that he knows that.
“Then we don’t need to say goodbye,” he says. “Not for a long time.”
“What are you saying, Dominic?”
“That I don’t want to leave, and I would like to date you exclusively,” he says. “I would also prefer it if we didn’t call off the engagement. At least, not unless things don’t work out for the long-term.”
“Anything else?”
“Yes,” he says. “When we fly back here, I think we should extend my reservation.”
“For how long?”
“As long as you want.”
“That might be awhile.”
“Good.” He kisses me. “I would hope so.”
The End