Page 128 of February

Monica hung up the phone without waiting for a reply, and when her car arrived, she climbed inside without waiting for the driver to get out and open the door for her. Once in the car, she let out a deep breath. Then, she laughed. She’d wanted to say all of that for a long time, and damn, it felt good, getting it all out at once like that. A few seconds later, the car took off, driving toward Bridgette’s apartment, and as it did, she took in the sights and smiled because she liked it down here. She knew Aaron would, too. The city had won her heart, and so had the beautiful redhead she was on her way to see.

When the car pulled up at Bridgette’s building, Monica climbed out; again, not waiting for the driver. She did thank him, though, and laughed to herself when she pictured Bridgette’s reaction to yet another town car dropping Monica off somewhere. Then, she took a deep breath and headed inside. She wished she’d thought to buy flowers or bring coffee or something because showing up empty-handed after yesterday didn’t feel right, but it was too late for that.

When she arrived at the door, she took another breath because this was a huge deal. Monica knew she was in love. Even though they’d only known each other since she’d arrived in New Orleans, she understood that she felt more for Bridgette nowthan she’d ever felt for Lily, whom she’d dated for a while before getting engaged and, later, married to. The butterflies she’d heard people always talk about hadn’t ever made sense to her before. There had been none with her previous girlfriends and none with Lily. There were feelings, yes – she hadn’t married a woman whom she didn’t love – but thinking about her feelings for Bridgette in comparison, she knew what those butterflies felt like now. Monica had them because she was in love. She also had them, though, because there was a chance Bridgette would tell her to leave, that she would say that she didn’t want a long-distance relationship, or that she wouldn’t hear Monica out at all.

Yet, she still knocked. As much as it would hurt – and, God, would it hurt if Bridgette didn’t want to give them a real chance – she had to at least try.

When Monica heard no sounds coming from inside the apartment, she knocked again. She hoped that Bridgette was actually home and hadn’t just lied to her mother. She also wished the woman had a doorbell because if Bridgette was finally asleep in her bedroom, she might not hear her knock. Finally, Monica heard the sound of someone walking toward the door. Then, nothing. The door didn’t open. She looked at the peephole as if she could see Bridgette standing on the other side of the door, looking through it back at her.

“Babe?” Monica said. “Can we please talk?”

“I don’t know that I want to,” Bridgette replied.

“So, you won’t even open the door for me?” she asked with a shy smile. “I fell asleep, Bridge. I was going to call you, but–” She paused. “I’d rather tell you this with the door open.”

“I didn’t call you, either,” Bridgette said.

“I know. I assumed you were waiting for me to figure this thing out with my dad.”

“I was. But I still should’ve called you.”

“Can you please open the door so that I can come in and we can talk?”

CHAPTER 31

Bridgette pulled open the door and said, “I’m sorry.”

“What areyousorry for?” Monica asked as she took a step toward her.

“I should’ve just called you yesterday. I was… I stillamreally scared, Mon. I walked around the office yesterday before I went back inside, and you weren’t there. The first thing I thought was that you were already on that plane, and I might never see you again because I’d walked out and didn’t have the courage to stay and talk. Then, I sat here all night, waiting for you to call because I thought you would. You didn’t, but I also didn’t pick up the phone myself. I’m not normally this immature, but I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.”

“Bridge, can I come in?” Monica asked.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry,” she said before she moved aside to let Monica into the apartment, closing the door behind her. “What did you mean before when you said you fell asleep?”

“Last night; I fell asleep at the desk in the hotel room. I remember I got off the phone with the president of Good Day, and I just rested my eyes for a second because it was so late and I was exhausted, but I just fell asleep and woke up like that this morning. Bridge, I’m so sorry.” Monica took a step toward Bridgette, who was now leaning back against the front door of her apartment. “I was trying to take care of it all. I saw the lookon your face in the bathroom, and I thought that if I could just get back to the hotel, talk to my father, and get this straightened out before I called you, I’d have answers for you.”

“Do you?”

“Not all of them,” Monica replied.

“But some?”

“I’m staying for a while, Bridge.”

Bridgette felt confused, so she asked, “You are?”

“I got my dad to agree to give me at least a week before he even schedules the board meeting, and then, another two or three before it happens. It’ll take that long to get everyone together, anyway. I’m hoping they’ll all be busy, and he has to push it back even further. Then, it won’t matter because it’ll be time for the regularly scheduled board meeting, and I’ll only have to go back once.”

“And he was okay with that?”

“No, but he’ll do it. I really had to convince my mom more than my dad. She wears the pants, and it’shertelling him to retire now.” Monica took a step closer to Bridgette and held on to her hips. “Babe, I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here with you.”

“I want that, too, but this only just reminded us that this has an expiration date.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Monica replied.

“But it does. I don’t want to move, Mon. And you can’t be a CEO of Arnette and live in New Orleans.”

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