Page 56 of Trust Me With Forever

I turned to meet his gaze. “Are we in Manchester?”

He smiled. “How did you guess?”

For a second, I nearly squealed and danced in my seat. I’d never been to England, but had always wanted to go. Not just because Rafe had played soccer here, either. I loved old buildings, and they were everywhere in the UK.

I finally replied, “Well, the time it took to fly, combined with the fact you mentioned needing to go to Manchester a few times back when we discussed whether or not to stay married, made it my first guess. But why am I here?”

“I didn’t lie when I said we were going on a business trip. I have some former teammates who might be interested in donating to the tutoring center, and I need to finalize a few things myself. But I thought you might like to take a break and have some fun. We can go anywhere you like, do anything, and I have a townhouse here we can stay at, too.”

I should be grateful and say thank you. But I couldn’t help but blurt, “Why did you really bring me here, Rafe? I could’ve handled things via video conferences.” Then it hit me. “It’s your image. You want them to see us together as a happy couple.”

“Abby, that’s not why?—”

The fact it was such a practical reason made me mentally sigh in relief. “No, I get it. Don’t worry, I know our marriage isn’t real, we’re not in love, and there’s no need to pretend otherwise when we’re alone. But you should’ve just told me, Rafe. I didn’t pack clothes worthy of a famous soccer star.”

He took my hand and stilled my tapping fingers. “I brought you here because I wanted to, because I thought you might enjoyseeing where I lived and played soccer, because I thought you might like visiting another country. But if not, we can hide out the entire time in my townhouse, or we can travel incognito and avoid the paparazzi.” He leaned forward and gently squeezed my fingers. “But I brought you here because I thought you’d like it. And I wanted to show you a little of my life. That’s it, Abigail. Do you believe me?”

My first impulse was to say no. And yet, we’d agree to try and believe each other. “You’d really do that? Hide away the entire time, if I asked?”

“Yes. I don’t ever want you to feel like a prop, Abigail. Because you’re more than that to me.”

At the intense look in his eyes, I sucked in a breath and my heart thumped harder inside my chest. His words sounded so sincere.

But then again, so had Travis’s.

Biting my bottom lip, I searched Rafe’s eyes.At least try to trust him. You’re not handing over your heart. You can be friends.

After a long pause, I placed my other hand over Rafe’s. “I don’t want to hide out the whole time. But seriously, I don’t have anything fancy to wear.”

“You could wear yoga pants, for all I care, Abby. But if you want fancier clothes, there are plenty of shops. Manchester might not be London, but it’s not a small town, either.”

“Well, maybe we can get a few things. High heels aren’t my jam, but I’d like to look a little fancier than a former schoolteacher turned winery worker.”

He lifted one of my hands to his mouth and kissed it. The soft brush of his lips sent a rush of heat through my body.

Who knew that such a small touch could suddenly make the cabin way too hot?

How easy it would be to go to him, sit in his lap, and kiss him again.

But the flight attendant returned, and Rafe released me. Apparently, we’d disembark momentarily to go through customs.

Rafe said, “Technically, I still hold a visa until the end of the season. But we’ll go through the foreign customs section together.”

“Oh yes, the amazing experience of a longer line,” I drawled and then smiled. “You must like me at least a little if you’re willing to go through that.”

“I like you more than a little, wife.”

At his growly words, a shiver ran down my spine. And then something hit me. “As your wife, don’t I get included in your visa?”

“I would need to file some paperwork, and the visa would probably expire before it went through. But it’s okay. Standing in a regular line won’t break me.” He lowered his voice and humor danced in his eyes. “If I can handle my wife kneeing me in the balls all the time, I can handle a longer line.”

“Hey, I haven’t done it again since that one disastrous day.”

“I brought a cup, just in case.”

He winked, and I laughed. Even though I should change the subject and put some formality back between us, bantering with Rafe was too tempting. So I lifted my leg and patted my knee. “If you need someone to test how effective the cup is, then I’m your woman.”

“I’d rather not have to walk hunched over in public. I don’t want to be the playboy any longer, but a guy still has his pride.”

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