Page 97 of Give Me a Reason

Anne ran and ran until she couldn’t breathe. Then she ran some more. She ran until a castle loomed ahead of her—her hotel. She ran faster, desperate to speak to Frederick. She put her head down and pushed herself harder, thinking she was in the home stretch, then she somehow ran straight into a brick wall.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Oof.” Frederick grunted even as his hands shot out to steady the speeding, woman-shaped bullet that rammed into him. Holding her by the arms, he shuffled Anne over to the side so they stopped blocking the hotel entrance. “Are you all…”

The woman looked up at him, and his breath left him in a whoosh at the same time she—Anne—sucked in a sharp breath. Surprise and something else shimmered in her eyes as Frederick drank in her beloved face, his heart beating hard enough to crack a rib.Finally, he thought.Finally.

The last couple of weeks had been the longest weeks of his life. He’d been impatient to start their life together, while terrified of losing her once and for all. But by the end, he needed to know. He needed to be put out of his misery, one way or another.

Anne opened and closed her mouth, and panic shot through him. He wanted to crush his lips against hers to stop her from saying anything—in case she asked him to leave. In case she told him it was too late. After everything, he couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t bear it.

His hands tightened on her arms until his fingers dug into her skin.Shit.He must be hurting her. He dropped his arms to his sides and took an abrupt step back. Even then, he had to fist his hands to stop himself from reaching for her again.

“Anne,” Frederick asked in a choked voice, “are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry,” Anne said at the same time. They shared a painfully awkward laugh. When their laughter trickled into silence, he stared at her like a fool. She glanced away and cleared her throat. “I’m fine. I should’ve been looking where I was going.”

Frederick nodded distractedly, staring at her some more. Anne looked beautiful but different. She was dressed casually in jeans and a lightweight sweater, but her hair… It took him a moment to realize she was wearing her hair in an updo from her shoot, and his eyes traced the graceful line of her neck.

“You look lovely,” he said in a gruff whisper. He was dying to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Thank you.” Surprise flashed across her face, followed by a sweet blush. “What are you doing here?”

“I…”I’m here for you, he nearly blurted. He squeezed the back of his neck to check his enthusiasm. He had to get this right. He couldn’t just blurt out whatever came into his head. “My sister, Shannon, and her husband, Chris, are in London, recording his latest film score. He… he’s a renowned film composer. They travel more often than not, because it’s more affordable to record in Europe. That’s why they’re in London.” Frederick sucked in a breath and stemmed the rush of words. “I’m staying with them.”

“I see.” A frown wrinkled her forehead, and he wanted to smooth it out with his thumb. “But why are you in Kent?”

“I’m in Kent?”Smooth, Nam. Real smooth.

When her frown deepened, he gave in and smoothed her forehead with the pad of his thumb. While he was there, he brushed his knuckles across her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and his heart tripped in his chest. He was going to botch this no matter how hard he tried, wasn’t he? She was too distractingly beautiful, and he loved her too fucking much.

“I came for you, Anne,” he rasped, unable to hold back a second longer. “I came to England for you.”

“Frederick.” Her eyes widened and filled with tears. What did that mean? “I—”

“Hold that thought.” He pressed his trembling fingers against her lips. God, was he hyperventilating? Would Anne take pity on him and not reject him if he passed out in front of her? “L-let me show you something first.”

He laced his fingers through hers because he had to touch her, and he pulled her into the hotel. While the exterior of the castle had been faithfully restored to its former glory, the interior had been updated with sleek, modern lines. Pale, silvery marble paved the lobby floor, and crystal chandeliers trimmed in gold adorned the ceiling. Anne followed him to the long mahogany front desk without protest.

“May I have the letter I left for Anne Lee back?” Frederick offered a wobbly smile to the concierge he’d spoken to a few minutes ago. Anne gasped softly at his side, and he squeezed her hand as much to reassure himself as her.

“Certainly, sir.” The concierge retrieved a thick cream envelope withAnne Leescribbled across the back. He held out the letter to Frederick and offered them a suave smile. “Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you.” Frederick released Anne’s hand and took the envelope from him. Having the letter back calmed his spiraling fear. He wouldn’t mess this up. He had the right words in his hands. After a deep breath, he turned to Anne with raised brows. “Can we talk?”

Even though she didn’t say anything, he recognized the quiet determination that firmed her face. She tipped her chin as though accepting a challenge and wordlessly led him to the elevator by his hand. He linked their fingers together and didn’t let go as the elevator ascended to the top floor. And she held ontightly as she guided them down the hallway and up a narrow, spiral stairwell. They arrived at her tower room hand in hand.

When Anne fumbled with her key card, he gently took it from her and opened the door. They walked into the airy room together, then stopped just past the threshold. Frederick glanced at Anne, and she offered him a tremulous smile. He swallowed thickly and led her to a plush armchair by the picture window, overlooking the scenic castle grounds. She sank down like her legs couldn’t hold her up for another second.

“I wanted to call you so many times,” he whispered, kneeling in front of her. Even after he decided to follow her to England, he’d been tempted to pour his heart out to her over the phone.

“I did, too.” Her mouth formed the words, but no sound came out. He heard her, though. With all his heart.Maybe I’m not too late.But he tightly reined in his hope.

“I wanted to talk to you in person.” He took her hand in his, squeezing the cold tips of her fingers. “But as I waited for you in the lobby, I realized the only way I could tell you everything I wanted to say was through a letter. The way I used to talk to you when I got stuck. The way you taught me.”

“You used to get so tongue-tied when it came to expressing your feelings,” Anne said breathlessly, haltingly. “I think it was because you felt so much, so deeply.”

“When it came to you, my feelings have never failed to overwhelm me.” He brushed his thumb across her knuckles and delighted in seeing her shiver. But he needed more than this physical connection. He needed to know she would be his, heart, body, and soul. “You told me I could tell you anything in a letter. That sometimes a pen and paper made you braver, because you couldseethe strength of your emotions when it’s written down.”

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