“I’m not. I am in love with a woman in this city, and she is more important to me than any job out there,” I said. I held up my hand to stop her from speaking as she looked at me with wide eyes.
“I know you’re going to tell me that you don’t want me to stay here because of you, but I’m telling you right now I already made the decision. I am not leaving New York City, and that is because I have fallen in love with you,” I said.
Harper closed her mouth and I repeated myself. “I love you, Harper. I want to see what the future has in store for us. Don’t worry, I’m not going to propose to you right now, but I am telling you that I want to get together for real. I want you to by my girlfriend, and I want to see what life has in store for us.”
I waited, unsure of what else to say.
I was almost crazy enough to bring a ring and tell her that I wanted her forever, but I felt that would be a bit too much for her to deal with considering all I was dumping on her right now. I had just told her that I wasn’t going to Texas, and I made her the reason for it.
But I wasn’t going to let her tell me that couldn’t be the reason, because that was what I had decided, and that was what I was sticking with. If I was going to give up my dream career to be with a woman, then I better be with the woman of my dreams.
And she was.
I knew without a doubt that I could quit the career of my dreams if it meant I would get to spend the rest of my life with Harper, so this career move wasn’t going to mean anything different to me than it would if I had given up my career altogether to be with her.
I was sure Mrs. Elliot was right, and I didn’t want to find out the hard way that money was very lonely company. I wanted to be with Harper, and I was willing to do anything to convince her of that fact. I had fallen in love, and I hoped to God she felt the same.
It had been a week since the breakup, and that was enough time to tell me that I never wanted to go another day without her.
“What do you say, Harper?” I asked. “Are you willing to give me another chance to make you happy? I know I fucked it up this last time, but I can do better. I will do better, if I can just have the chance to be with you one more time.”
I smiled, though my heart raced.
I wasn’t sure how she was going to respond, and I knew I had to be gracious if she told me that she didn’t want to get back together. I knew it was always a chance, and I had to be ready for that. We had broken up, and for some people, that was a very final thing to do.
But, once again, Harper proved to me she wasn’t like most people.
“Yes,” she said. “Let’s give this a shot.”
I held up my drink to her before finishing the rest of it.
“To us,” I told her. “And to the future we’ll have together.”
“To us.” She smiled as she held up the rest of her wine.
We left the restaurant hand in hand, and I once more was the happiest man in the world. I was sure of it. But there was something different about us getting together this time. Something that was better than last time.
Now I knew what it was like to be with her and without her, and I knew without a doubt in my mind that I never wanted to chance losing her again. This woman was the love of my life, and I would do anything to make her believe it.
And to keep her happy.
For the rest of our lives.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Harper
We crashedthrough the door to my apartment wrapped up in each other’s arms, making out like we were two teenagers who had just hit puberty.
On the way back from the restaurant I asked Trevor to simply bring me home. My car was still back at the school, but I had a feeling that he wasn’t in any hurry to get home himself, and I was happy to have him spend the night with me. He could give me a ride to the school on his way to work the next morning.
After all, this felt more important than getting the car did, and I was all caught up in the emotion of the moment, I wanted to give into the love I felt for him.
I knew he didn’t have to come apologize to me, I knew he didn’t have to stay in New York City for me, but, more than that, it was the fact that he had come to ask me to take him back that sealed the deal. He even went so far as to tell me he loved me, and we had already discussed that we didn’t say that lightly.
I knew he meant it when he said it, and I knew he had come to tell me because he meant it. Perhaps the week without being together had shown him what he really wanted in life. I knew that’s what it did to me. And I wanted him.
It wasn’t the first time we’d had sex in my place, but we still bounced off the walls on the way to the bedroom like we were blind and this was the first time we were in the apartment. Finally, we crashed through my bedroom door and tumbled onto the bed in a heap of arms and legs.