When he finally broke away, it was to rest his forehead on hers. “I’m so glad you’re here.” His voice was low and gravelly.
“So am I.” She relaxed and sagged into him. They’d need to have that conversation about spending more in-person time together that she’d been replaying in her head, but now she was pretty sure they were on the same page.
He snagged her baggage as it rotated past, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pointed her toward the exit. “I took the week off for this. And I promise no work while you’re here, as long as we make one last stop before I sign off completely.
She tucked aside her disappointment. “What has to be done at six on a Friday night?”
“Something super important, or else I wouldn’t ask. How was your flight?”
They chatted about turbulence and the sassy flight attendant and which airlines had the best snacks, as they strolled toward the parking garage. The black Mercedes sedan he loaded her luggage in was classy without being obnoxious.
“Love the car,” she said.
“It gets me around.” He held open the door for her, until she was seated comfortably, then made his way to the driver’s side. He pulled into exiting airport traffic and inched his way along with the rest of the cars. When they made their way to the freeway, their speed lessened more. Bailey was fine with that. The thought was sappy, but she didn’t mind rush hour with his company.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you changed the subject,” she said.
“Don’t what-the-what-now?” He glanced at her. “Hang on... Processing the double negative. No, I didn’t.”
“Then what kind of work needs your attentionright now?” She wasn’t trying to nag. His evasion had her curious.
“The worky kind of work.” He’d never had a problem talking about his job before.
“You’re acting really suspicious.”
“You’re reading too mu—” He snapped his jaw shut. “I might be. Short version is I took over a property that a business partner needed to dump. Got it for a good cost, and I need to see it before the weekend starts.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound nearly as interesting as she hoped.
He squeezed her knee. “How’s Lucifer?”
“Still misses you, and doesn’t like being left with a neighbor when I’m out of town.”
“Then, um... give her my love?” He didn’t believe the cat cared who was there, as long as someone fed her. Bailey was certain there was more to it than that. It took weeks for Luci to come out from hiding under Bailey’s dresser, and she only slept on a T-shirt Jonathan left behind. Lucky cat.
The conversation shifted from one topic to the next, all of it generic. She struggled to segue into talking about how to see each other more often, but every approach she came up with felt flat in her head. Almost an hour later, he parallel parked in front of an office building that was about twenty-stories tall and made of concrete, glass, and steel.
He unlocked the front door and let them inside. The main floor spanned out in front of her, pristine white and open, only broken up by the occasional matching partition. “I wanted this to be a surprise.” He grasped her wrist, raised her hand, and pressed the keys into it. “If you want it, it’s yours.”
“I—” She worked her jaw up and down, as her brain refused to process the obvious. “For what?”
“I was thinking art gallery.” He intertwined his fingers with hers, locking the keys between them. “You don’t have to. It’s just a thought.”
The gesture tugged at her heart and kick-started her brain with possibilities. And reality. “You remember I live about as far away from here as is possible.”
“I think I got ahead of myself. Forget everything I said, but don’t. Remember it, because it won’t be a surprise the second time around.” He tugged her toward the back of the room, around half-walls and across marble floor.
The place was gorgeous. Despite the holes in logic, in her head she was already arranging artwork.
A series of table-height shelves spanned the back wall. Strawberries and an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne sat on one. She raised her brows and turned to Jonathan. Could he hear her heart hammering against her ribs?
“I can’t do this long-distance relationship anymore.” He grasped her hands. “It’s driving me nuts, waking up and seeing a message with your name, rather than you by my side. Hearing your voice is better, but it’s no substitute for being with you. I love you, Bailey. I know Florida is home for you. That you’ve been there all your life, and that’s where your livelihood is. I don’t care where we end up, as long as...” He shook his head.
The confession of love made her heart soar, but when he dropped to one knee and looked up at her, her stomach fell into her shoes. He wasn’t done. “I can work from home, as well as from the office. If you want to stay here, we’ll stay. If you want me there, I’ll go. This sounded more poetic in my head. Marry me?”
A giggle escaped her, andyesscreamed in her skull. She pulled him to his feet, so she could look him in the eye more easily. “There’s not much left for me in Florida. My house is a pathetic imitation of an apology from the divorce. My parents moved years ago. Nana is gone.” She swallowed. “The person I love more than anything is already established here.”
“So that’s a...?”