Page 69 of (Un)Planned

I shook my head, hating that I was about to repeat the most devastating conversation of my life. But before a single word could escape my lips, Theo placed a finger on them. “Last time I saw you, you made a fairly good argument for me taking the job. It’s taken me a little longer, but I have a counterargument.” He put his hand down. “I love you, Calla. I have been in love with you since the moment you rearranged my office without asking. You make every one of my days better by just existing.” I opened my mouth to respond, but Theo gave me a look to silence me. “You thought that job was my dream, and for a while, so did I. But it’s not. You are. I’m not going to regret walking away from it, but walking away from you? That would have destroyed me. I don’t want to waste another minute without you.”

I rolled my lips together, trying to hold back the tears filling my eyes. “Can I go now?”

“Shit, yes,” he chuckled. “Sorry, I practiced that speech about fifty times and wanted to make sure I got it right.”

“It was a good one.” I placed my hands on his chest. “And I love you too, Theo, so much that being away from you physically hurts. If you’re happy with your choice, then I’m happy too. All I ever wanted was for you to achieve your dreams, even if they took you away from me.”

“That’s never going to happen.” Theo slid his hands tomy hips, holding me tightly. “If this last month was a taste of life without you, I never want to experience it again.”

“Me neither,” I chuckled, running my hands along his chest. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I was always coming home to you, Calla. It just took me a bit longer than it should have.” He leaned down, capturing my lips in a fiery kiss. I sighed into it, finally knowing that this was where we were meant to be, that I’d been right to hold onto my faith in Theo, my faith in us.

“I love you,” Theo whispered as he pressed his forehead to mine.

“I love you too.” I reached down to link my fingers with his. “So what’s next, Sunshine?”

“Now, beautiful, I finally get to take you on a real date.”

FORTY-TWO

SIX WEEKS LATER

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

True to her word, Calla’s face paled as she looked up at the Isadora Resort, unable to hide her nerves. All morning, she’d been fretting over her choice to come here. She shook her head and glanced up at me. “This was a mistake. I think it’d be better to tell them in a letter. Oh! A postcard! Who doesn’t love getting those? It really is a lost art if you think about it.”

I chuckled, pulling her into my arms. “If that’s what you want, we can do it that way, but I think it’s better to get it over with.”

She groaned, placing her forehead against my chest. “I hate when you make sense.” She sighed and stood up straighter, linking my hand with hers.

In the weeks since we got back together, we were rarely apart, already having enough separation for a lifetime. After I stayed true to my word and took Calla on an official date, we sat down and talked about our future together. As much as she loved the city, Calla didn’t want to move again, especially not after getting her books in just the right order. Wecompromised on a split-time arrangement. If I had to go into the city for work, she’d join me, but otherwise, our home base would be Saint Stephen’s Lake.

After taking a couple of weeks to plan my next move, I decided I wanted to set up my own shop. I took out what I didn’t like about the agency, designing something smaller and focusing more on individual clients. And the best part? I was able to do most of my work remotely, only having to fly out to LA or New York for client meetings or other important events. With my client roster at a reasonable number, I was able to keep a good balance between work and my home life. While I’d never be the guy who logged off exactly at five, it was easier to walk away when I knew Calla was waiting for me.

It was a beautiful balance, having her at my side but watching her carve out her own career. I loved being the one to cheer her on along the way, already knowing how successful she’d be one day. She was passing her courses with flying colors and already had requests from people in town to plan their weddings. She’d only accepted one, though—Alex and Cole. They were getting married in the fall, right in the middle of their campgrounds. It would be small, but Calla was already burying our apartment in samples and centerpiece options. It was chaos compared to what my apartment looked like when I was single, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I followed as Calla pulled me inside the hotel, stopping to look around the place. I’d never taken the time to appreciate the building before, too buried in my job to take a minute to look at the world surrounding me. But now, I noticed everything, all the pieces that helped form the wonderful woman at my side. This place was a part of her, so I didn’t want to miss a thing.

She kept tugging me until we hit the restaurant at the side of the lobby. My breath loosened as I looked around the room, the white walls covered with wide windows that showcased the lake outside. Calla’s hand gripped mine harder when she spotted her family sitting in the corner.

I held her hand a little tighter. “You say the word, and we go home.”

She nodded, lifting her gaze to meet my eyes. She pressed a kiss to my cheek before walking over, hugging her mother and sisters before taking a seat. I followed her lead, holding out my hand to her mother. “Diane.”

“Theo.” She smiled at me. “Good to see you again.”

While this woman would never be my favorite person, even I had to admit she was trying to do better for her daughters. She finally served her asshole husband with divorce papers. She moved into the hotel full-time, devoted to bringing her family’s vision back to life. The overall morale at the hotel seemed to be getting better, but there was still a long way to go before she could fully be cleansed of her sins.

But Calla was willing to take slow steps toward repairing their relationship, and I’d support her if that was what she wanted. However, I’d also be at her side, making sure her mother didn’t step out of line. Never again would Calla have to question her worth, not while I was around.

I nodded to her eldest sister, Laurel. She was the one who was the most removed. Part of me wondered if it hurt her, watching the bond between Devyn and Calla, but she never reached out to Calla and never stood up for her before, so I wasn’t going to push for a relationship.

Devyn wrapped me in a tight hug. “How’s it going with the new gig?”

“It’s going,” I chuckled. “Never thought I’d want to be aone-man operation, but it works for me. How about you? Any headway on that joint project we spoke about?”

A sly smile filled her face. Calla was right- Devyn could be terrifying when she wanted. “It’s getting there.”

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