34. The Whole Thing, White Picket Fence Included…
34
The Whole Thing, White Picket Fence Included…
Paige
Okay, so Monica and Marcel did not like my question. Not one little bit. I see shades of Guy in Monica’s flared nostrils and her tight voice as she says, “Of course. You should definitely think it over.”
I stand, and they do the same, then I reach across the table and give them both a firm handshake. “All right, well, thank you so much for your offer. I appreciate you letting me mull it over. I’m ninety-percent sure I’m going to take it but, given everything that’s happened in my life these past few weeks, I’m trying to learn to slow down in my decision making.”
“But not too slow, right?” Marcel asks with a laugh. His smile fades and he says, “This is a fast-paced business, so…”
“Of course,” I answer. “Okay, I’ll just let myself out. Thank you again.”
I exit the conference room, walking so fast to get to the lobby that I’m creating my own weather event in the office. For whatever reason, I can’t get out of here soon enough. I press the down button, and stare at the door, willing it to open.
This is insane. Of course I should take the job. It’s literally my dream job, whereas a future with Mac is just a dream. But somehow, my heart has to know before I can commit to something permanent here.
I dig around in my handbag for my phone, then Venmo him one dollar with a message that says: Can I get your number? I really need to talk to you .
The elevator dings and I slide my phone back in the bag. When the doors open, my heart stops for the tiniest fraction of a second and my jaw drops. It’s Mac, dressed in jeans and a bomber jacket over a white t-shirt. He’s giving Tom Cruise in Top Gun vibes, only bigger, better, and right freaking here.
His face lights up when he sees me, and he steps off. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I tell him. “I was just…I Venmoed you a dollar for your phone number.”
“Did you?” he asks, his mouth quirking up into that sexy grin of his.
My heart pounds in my chest and I feel as if I’m coming down with a fever. “Yeah, like literally ten seconds ago. I have a very important decision to make but I need to talk to you first.”
His phone pings from inside his jacket pocket, and he pulls it out and looks at it. “Do you actually think I’d give out my number to just anyone for a measly dollar?”
“Well, it’s an American dollar so it’s worth more,” I say, unable to stop smiling because he’s here. He’s actually here. “Also, I’m not just anyone. I hope.” I look down at the bouquet in his hand—yellow orchids, orange birds of paradise, and bright pink hibiscus flowers. Grinning, I say, “ You know, if you’re trying to play it cool, you probably shouldn’t have brought flowers. Also, showing up here might be a bit of a giveaway.”
“You’ve got me there, New York,” he says.
“It’s a bit of a tell, really. The whole showing up thing.”
“I suppose it is,” he answers.
Marcel appears next to me and pushes the down button, then gives me a strange look. “Did you invite a friend for your interview?”
Mac answers him without taking his eyes off me. “No, she didn’t. I just showed up.”
“Wait, you’re the pilot,” Marcel says, sounding excited. A second later, he drops his voice to sound disappointed. “Oh, no, you’re the pilot.”
“Yup.”
“And you’re probably here to whisk her off to the Caribbean to live happily ever after, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Mac says, glancing at him. “If she’d be happier here, I’ll stay here.”
“You will?” I ask, my body humming with excitement and lust and longing and all the good things.
“You will?” Marcel asks.
“I will. Turns out there are a lot of rich people here who need a lift to places like Boston or The Hamptons.”
“But you’d hate it here,” I tell him, taking a step closer and tilting my head up. “It’s full of people.”
“But it has the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with,” he answers, lowering his mouth to mine.
We almost kiss, but the elevator door opens with a ‘bing.’ Mac pulls back and says, “Should we go talk about this somewhere else?”
“Probably,” I answer, laughing with embarrassment at the scene we’re causing .
Mac takes my hand and we get on the elevator together, while Marcel hangs back. “I’ll get the next one. It was nice to meet you, Paige. Have a wonderful life.”
The doors close and we’re alone. Mac looks down at me, “Huh, that sounded like he doesn’t think you’re taking the job.”
“That’s because I’m not.”
He turns to me. “Bad pay?”
“No, it was a really good offer. Like, crazy good.”
“Then why not take it?”
“Because I’m going to start my own agency,” I answer, putting my hands on his chest. “Somewhere with a much better climate. I already have my first account, actually. A tiny seaplane company making a comeback after a disastrous flight.”
He lowers his mouth to mine. “Is that so? Sounds important.”
“It is. The pay is garbage but I’ll have a chance to make a real difference.”
“Can I kiss you now?” he asks, putting his hand on my hip.
“Please do.”
And he does. And I kiss him right back, knowing that this is the happily ever after I’ve been waiting for my entire life. He drops the flowers on the floor and scoops me up in his arms, and we kiss like we haven’t seen each other in years, like we both might die if we don’t show each other how we feel. He pulls back and says, “I love you, Paige.”
“I love you too, Mac,” I answer. “More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone.”
And it’s true. It’s a love so big that it overwhelms me. It’s so complete that it has changed me. Seeing myself through his eyes has changed me. This man is the man I want to fall asleep next to every night, and the man I want to cook with and laugh with and love forever. Because for the first time in my entire life, I’ve found someone who not only sees me exactly the way I am, but loves me for it.
The elevator door opens on the main floor and we quickly let go of each other, only to see a few people standing in the hall staring. We both laugh, our faces red as Mac picks up the flowers and presses his fingertips to my back while we hurry out. “Excuse us, folks. We’re a little excited because we just decided to spend the rest of our lives together.”
I laugh, covering my mouth as I think about how amazing and terrifying that sounds.