Fated to be Yours (33 page)

Kara throws her head back on a loud groan, pushing the palms of her hands into her eyes. “You’re right. Giving the poor man a heart attack instead because you vanished without a word is way better.”

“Stop making sense, please. And I thought you’re on my side.”

She wraps her arm around my shoulder and hugs me. “I am on your side. That’s why I’m fighting you on this because it’s my job to point out when you’re acting stupid.”

My phone beeps again and I’m almost tempted to look at it. Instead, I power it off so it stops making noise.

“He’s not going to go away just because you’re pushing him too. You know that right?”

“No, I don’t know that. But there’s an ocean between us so that will help. He’ll get over it, I’ll get over it and life will move on back to normal.”

She rolls her eyes and her lips move into a flat line. “You’re not my favorite person right now.”

“Yeah, well, get in line. I’m not my favorite person right now either.”

We sit in silence, not needing to say anything more. We both agree that I’m completely stupid and handling this wrong. And even if there weren’t an Evie in the picture this wouldn’t have been an easy departure. It would have hurt ten times worse.

Chris rounds the corner and places a kiss upon Kara’s head. He slides into the seat next to her and they strike up an easy conversation. I’m glad that she’s distracted so she can focus on something other than me. And I need to focus on something other than Andrew.

I look to the empty seat next to me and our first meeting plays before my eyes as if it was a dream. The way he looked and carried himself and how considerate he was when we sat next to each other on the plane. I’ll miss that. I’ll miss him.

They call our flight number and we board the plane, quickly finding our seats in the front. Kara offers to sit next to me, but I brush her off, telling her it’s okay and that she needs to sit with Chris. I stare out the tiny window as I watch the other planes take off and arrive on the tarmac. When the announcement comes that we’re getting ready to depart, I can’t help but glance over at the empty seat next to me. A reminder of what I’m leaving behind.

Once we get the all clear to turn on our electronic devices, I pull out my phone and switch on my playlist. I lean back in my chair and close my eyes as the first song fills my ears. The quiet voice of Daniel Bedingfield has tears pricking my eyes.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Of all the songs on my playlist, this is the one that comes on. My hands fly to my chest as the pain of what I’ve done washes over me. We fit together so well in everything that we did. And he kept saying that fate brought us together, that we were made for each other, yet I ran away.

I press repeat on this song, torturing myself as a reminder of how much of a coward I really am. I found love and I ran at the first sign of difficulty; without talking to him, without allowing him to explain, or if there was even anything to explain.

I caused this pain.

Me.

All by myself.

Oh God, what have I done?

I
FEEL ON TOP OF
the world right now, the master at his game. Nothing can take me down from the high that I’m feeling. My dearest sweet Tessa loves me. She loves me. I wasn’t anticipating her saying that at all but the emotions that were swirling through my head when those three most precious words fell from her perfect lips had my mind momentarily stop to process it all. I’ve warred with myself on this matter for the past few days. She’s my perfect angel, sent from above at just the right moment when I needed her. And I’ve loved her from the moment I saw her.

Tessa. My dear, sweet Tessa, who lights up my life in ways that I never knew were possible. And yet at the same time she hurts in ways that no woman should ever hurt. It’s understandable that she has trust issues. Who wouldn’t have them, given her past circumstances? But now that I’ve found her I’m making it my life’s mission to show her that yes, she can be loved and that she deserves love.

I grip the edge of the vanity, allowing myself a few more moments of silence before I go out there and beg her to stay the weekend with me. I would ask her to stay here indefinitely with me if I had the choice. I know that’s not a realistic possibility yet. We just need more time together. She is my it, my end all, my forever. The thought of her leaving on that plane in just a few short hours has my heart constricting in ways I never thought were possible. But that funny little organ has a way of wreaking havoc on your body and mind. And this beautiful creature that’s waiting for me in my room has it beating with a new purpose in life.

I brush my teeth one more time, just to make sure that they’re clean enough because I plan on kissing her until the moment security tears me away at the gates. Just the thought of her lips on mine, her sweet taste floating across my tongue has my jeans tightening at my crotch. I close my eyes, calming myself down before I walk out there.

“Are you ready, love?” I call out to her from behind the closed door. She doesn’t say anything back. Perhaps she’s already waiting for me in the kitchen. We did have a rather vigorous morning and I’m sure that she’s built up quite the appetite. My appetite is slightly different. It’s more carnal and primitive, fueled by passion and need. A need to keep her by my side for a long as I can.

The door swings open and I can’t help the grin spreading across my face. I glance over at the bed, messed up completely with the blankets all askew and pillows not where they’re supposed to be. Visions of the last few hours play before my eyes; her naked form beneath me, her heated breath panting against my skin, her fingernails raking across my body as she called out my name. I will never be able to sleep in that bed without thinking of her and the magical night we spent together.

But an eerie sense of dread creeps into my chest. Something feels off. I stop and listen for any movements or noises coming from the kitchen area.

Silence.

Maybe she decided to sit out on the patio. It’s a bit nippy out this morning. Although she may be used to that since she does live in Minnesota. My feet carry me down the hallway as I wait for any indication that she’s still here. But there’s nothing. The curtains are still drawn over the patio doors. The coffee maker is off. There are no dirty dishes indicating that she already had something to eat.

I move quickly throughout the flat, opening doors, calling out her name. Where could she be? I asked her to wait for me. She wouldn’t have left, would she?

“Tessa?” I call out again, panic lacing my voice. Each door I whip open turns up the same result. Nothing. I run my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly at the root and holding myself back from ripping it completely out of my head altogether. I storm back toward the living room, desperate to find any trace of her. But there isn’t any. She’s vanished, disappeared without a note or a reason why. Why would she leave me like this?

I check the chair where she laid her purse last night and it’s missing, along with her shoes. That’s my confirmation, like a dagger to my heart, the loud cry before there’s silence. She’s gone.

I run to my bedroom, needing to grab my phone and keys. A message alert appears on my screen and I swipe my finger across it to see who it’s from. Maybe she’s letting me know where she is.

Andrew, it’s imperative that you call me. I’ll be over in an hour. It can’t wait any longer. I need to see you. Evie.

Is it possible she had seen this before she left? I’ll admit the message is suggestive, but she doesn’t know the reason behind it. She doesn’t know that there’s a minor issue with my best friend’s family. Something they would like me to look into. Apparently something has happened since I first spoke with Evie this morning. Would this one text message be enough to scare Tessa away from me?

My mind travels back to what she told me of her last relationship, the way her supposed boyfriend used her, treated her like rubbish and then dumped her like she was filth. I shove my phone into my pocket and run my hands over my face. This is bad. She’s already a timid, insecure woman and if she happened to misconstrue the message it may have sent her running.

No. I won’t let her leave. I need to clear this up, make sure she understands how I feel about her. Bloody hell why didn’t I just tell her this morning how I felt. Then she wouldn’t have felt the need to be jealous or suspicious.

Fate has another plan for me apparently because the bloody wench has shoved every slow driver in front of me, blocking my way to reach her in time. I know where she is and I know where she’s going to end up. The question is which do I choose first? I keep dialing her number, begging her to answer but every time it’s the same result; her voicemail.

The tires screech to a halt in front of her hotel, almost hitting the town car that is leaving the front entrance. I do not need to add an accident to my morning. A morning that started out fantastic, waking up to Tessa wrapped safely in my arms, feeling her warm body pressed against mine. It took everything that I had in me to wake her this morning. She looked so peaceful as she laid in my arms. Her lips would curl into a smile as I stroked the side of her cheek then snuggle into the warmth of my body even further.

Several people block my way to the elevator as I bump into them, mumbling an apology of sorts while doing so. My foot taps impatiently on the marble floor as I will the damn thing to hurry its descent. I need to find her, pull her back into my arms where she belongs and explain everything; if there’s anything to explain.

“Fuck it,” I exclaim as I take the stairs up to her room. Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out her room key, anxious to get inside and see her. But before I even get to her door, a tall man emerges from the room next to hers. A man that I should know because I have dealt with him several times through video conferences.

“Andrew?” he says as I rush past him.

“Not now Mattson. I need to speak with Tessa.”

He shakes his head. “She’s not there.”

Now he has my attention, turning to fully face him. His face falls as he takes me in. I’m sure I appear to be a mess, but my appearance is inconsequential. I have one thing on my mind and that’s my hazel-eyed beauty.

“What do you mean she’s not there? Where is she?”

He sighs and drops the bags to the ground. It’s then I notice that it’s not just his bag that he is carrying. Several suitcases fall to the side and I know that they are Kara’s. Unless Chris has a penchant for bright pink luggage, which I highly doubt.

“She’s already at the airport with Kara. She came back upset this morning, crying hysterically about something. I didn’t catch it all, but Kara told me that she was taking her to the airport and that I’m to meet them there.”

Then that’s it. I’m too late. My back falls hard against the wall as I slide down, holding my head in my hands while bouncing on my balls of my feet. Chris joins me against the wall but not at my level. His legs cross at the ankle as he looks down at me, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Look, I don’t want to get in the middle of this thing between you two. I don’t know what happened. But I know that Tessa’s hurting right now. I also know that she has a tendency of overreacting and creating issues that aren’t there. If that’s not the case, then I suggest you walk away because I can’t allow you to hurt her. She’s been hurt enough.”

I shake my head and look up at him. “It has to be a misunderstanding. We were so good. I thought we were in a right place. Everything was perfect yesterday and right away this morning. She never let on about being unhappy, except for having to leave today. But then I received a text message that she must have seen and misinterpreted it somehow, causing her to run.”

Chris chuckles quietly under his breath. “Yeah, that sounds like something she’d do.”

“I swear to you that I don’t want to hurt her. If she doesn’t want anything more to do with me, then I will grant her that privacy. It will be the hardest thing I ever do, but I will do it for her.”

I lift off the ground and match his stance against the wall. He turns his head and tilts it slightly in my direction. “You love her?”

“More than life itself,” I answer without hesitation.

He pats my shoulder and turns to leave. “Give it a few days. Let her cool off and sort things through. It could very well be the stress of having to leave that pushed her to this. As I said, it doesn’t surprise me.”

I nod my head and watch him pick up the luggage. “Oh,” he says, turning back toward me. I cock an eyebrow in response. “Don’t give up. If I know Kara, and I do, she won’t let this drop. She’s seen you two together and knows that Tessa has never been this happy before. And I’ll do what I can to help as well. Hang in there.”

And with that he turns to disappear down the hallway, leaving me to think about what he said. From what I know of Kara, I know that she can be tenacious and stubborn, never settling until she gets her way. Perhaps she could be an asset to my cause.

I slide my key into her door, listening to the latch click to indicate it’s open. But I am unprepared for what I find. Everything is the same only it’s not. Her stuff is gone, along with the air in the room. The bed is unkempt still from our one night together here. I’ve never been more content just sleeping next to someone in my entire life. I walk further into the silence, my spirit falling with each step. The only noise present is the sound of blood rushing through my ears with each frantic heartbeat. My duffle sits on the edge of the bed, exactly where I had placed it. I glance closer and find a note tucked at the top.