Page 32 of It Had To Be You

He stopped walking and cupped the back of my head, eyes flickering between mine. “You know I’m yours, right? I’m entirely yours, Yvonne.”

“Yes, but you can’t know if—”

“I know how I feel for you,” he said, cutting me off. “And of course I can’t predict the future, but whatever parts of yourself you decide to give me, whether your heart, your mind or your soul, I will treasure all of them. You have my word.”

“But that just makes me even more terrified because what if I fuck up? You told me you love me and ever since I haven’t been able to stop worrying about all the ways I might let you down.”

I thought he might show concern at what I said, but he only smiled fondly. “Well, you know what that means, right?”

“That I’m a neurotic mess?”

He shook his head. “It means that you care. People don’t worry so much unless they care a lot. And that’s how I know you’ll do your best with the love I’m giving you. That’s all I’m asking for. Not perfection, not a fantasy, just your best, and in return I’ll give you mine.”

I blew out a flustered breath. “How are you so level-headed? I’m supposed to be the mature one.”

He chuckled. “Oh, believe me, you are. You’re not the one who collects vintageStar Warstoys off eBay.”

This surprised a laugh out of me. “You do?”

“Oh yeah. I’m currently on the hunt for a Jabba the Hut figurine. Pretty hot, right?”

“Definitely,” I agreed, still chuckling.

“Come on,” Conor said. “Let’s get to the restaurant before they give our table away.”

This time he took my hand, sliding his fingers through mine as we made our way through the park and back out onto the busy street. When we reached the restaurant Conor held the door open for me, his eyes finding mine and in that moment I knew I hadn’t been getting carried away. Yes, we’d only been together for a couple days but in my heart I knew I really was falling for him.

I was falling for him, but with Conor I knew he’d be there to catch me every time.

Epilogue.

Yvonne

Three months later

I’d never been to California before. Conor had been due to take a trip to visit the perfume factory and I managed to book some days off from the club to join him. Honestly, it was the best decision I’d made all year.

Currently I was lying on a hotel bed, relaxing after my massage and a facial down in the spa. See, excellent decision. I’d stayed in four star hotels, but never a five star, and I could certainly appreciate the luxury.

Conor was out at the factory all day but later we planned on wandering down to the hotel restaurant for dinner before taking a walk on the nearby beach. I was just scanning the menu and trying to decide what I would order when I heard the door handle turn. Conor appeared a moment later, looking tired. I sat up, feeling a small bit guilty that I’d spent the day relaxing while he’d been busy working.

Then again, it wasn’t like I took breaks very often.

My hair was still wet from the shower and I was wrapped up in a thick hotel bathrobe. Conor let out a quiet groan when he saw me, running a hand over the stubble on his jaw.

“You look…can we just stay in and order room service tonight?” he asked, loosening his tie.

I laughed. “We did that last night, and the night before. Besides, you promised you’d take me for a walk on the beach.”

He threw off his suit jacket then began undoing the buttons on his shirt. His eyes never left me as he knelt, grabbing my knees and tugging me to the edge of the bed. “How was your day?” he asked, his voice low and husky as he ran his warm palms up my thighs. I shivered at his touch.

“Very enjoyable. I spent most of my time in the spa.”

Conor grinned. “Good. That means you must be nice and relaxed.”

“I’m relaxed, but I’m also hungry, so…”

He sighed and scowled at me playfully. “Fine. Let me take a quick shower and then we’ll head down to the restaurant.”

---