Peyton

I woke with my stomach rolling. Out of pure instinct, I bolted from the bed in search of a bathroom. Luckily, there was only one door on my side of the room and a blissfully open toilet waiting for me to vomit into it. Not that there was much in my stomach. I felt someone behind me and hands pulling back my hair. Then a familiar British accent.

“You all right?”

Not exactly the reunion with Simon I’d pictured. “I think so.” Finally righting myself to vertical, I peered around the familiar bathroom of his condo. “I’m in New York?”

“You are, indeed. Emma brought you here last night. You were a bit passed out.”

Poor Emma. I’d hoped for her moral support, not actually having to babysit me. I took a deep breath, flushed the toilet, and moved to the sink to splash water on my face and rinse out my mouth. He handed me a new toothbrush, for which I was grateful. It got the awful taste out of my mouth. After that, I took the towel he offered and finally made eye contact with him in the mirror. But not before catching my own reflection.

Oh, good grief. Not only was my reunion the worst ever, but my appearance was even more abysmal. Pathetically, I smoothed my wild hair down even though the action wasn’t doing much. I looked down to see I was in my underwear and one of his soft T-shirts.

“What are the chances of a do-over whereby I shower, change, and go outside of your door to knock and pretend I’ve just arrived?”

He smirked, looking way to good in a—dammit—suit. Of course, he was in a suit.

“Zero chance, I’m afraid. However, I’ll bring in your suitcase, and feel free to take a shower while I order up food. I’ll also get you something for your head.”

“’Kay.” Because what else do you say to someone in a moment like this? Suddenly, all of the things I’d wanted to tell him were scrambled in my brain, drowned out by a terrible bass drum playing a beat of humiliation.

He came into the bedroom with my suitcase in one hand and a bottle of water and pills in his other. “Here you go.”

“What time is it? You haven’t gone into the office yet, have you?” Because now it was dawning on me why he’d be in a suit.

“It’s after ten, and yes, I already had my meeting at eight this morning with Phillip. I left you a note in case you woke up, but luckily, you didn’t.”

Oh, no. I’d screwed up, and I was too late. I actually felt my lower lip wobble. Like a two-year-old. Knowing tears were next, I turned around and started the shower. I didn’t want him to see my tears or dismay.

“Hey, hey.” He spun me around, and then put his hand under my chin, lifting it up so we were eye to eye.

“Story of my life to be late.”

“Walk me through what it is you think you’re too late for.” He reached beyond me to stop the spray of water.

“Well, let’s say for example, someone traveled across the country with a declaration to make which might impact your job choice and meeting this morning, but ended up passed out and waking up too late to make it?”

“You asking for a friend?” There was humor in his eyes which made me smile.

“Yes, I shall call her ‘Humili-eyton’ with an e-y.”

His lips twitched, fighting a grin. “Must’ve been some declaration if your friend got onto a plane.”

“It was. She even practiced. Now it’s ruined because you’ve already met with Phillip. Please tell me you didn’t quit your job or get fired.”

“I didn’t quit or get fired.”

“Wait. Are you only telling me that, or is it true?”

“It’s true. I did, however, inform him that when I take holiday, I expect him to honor it. It was high time I established some boundaries. To be fair to him, though, this was the first occasion I’d ever asked for them.”

“What did he say?”

“He promised next time he would, but he needed me in London on Thursday.”

I fought my disappointment especially since I’d prepared for this. “I see.”

“To which I told him I was unable to as I had plans. However, I would be happy to fly out next Monday. I was supposed to be on a plane back to Dallas right about now for my own declaration.”

“Which was?”

He took a deep breath, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. “I know I hurt you, not only by leaving your sister’s house on Friday, but also and especially by delaying our holiday. I should’ve been adamant from the beginning about setting boundaries with Phillip. It was naïve to assume I could balance both work and a new relationship without having a come to Jesus with my boss first. I’m sorry.”

Tears filled my eyes. “You apologized.”

He kissed me softly. “Long overdue. My father was never worthy of an apology, but you certainly are. It was high time I got past it.”

“My declaration isn’t as good.”

“I think you getting on a plane was declaration enough. Seems we both conquered our demons. Do you remember anything from last night?”

“Glimmers.” A memory slammed into me. “Was there a luggage cart involved?”

He started laughing. “Afraid so. It’s how Emma got you up here.”

I covered my face with my hands. Surprisingly, I didn’t have quite the hangover I probably deserved. “God, I owe her big time. And I really need that do-over.”

“You and me both, but then we wouldn’t be here. And I happen to like you here with my shirt on you.”

I offered a tentative smile as he tucked my hair behind my ear in a sweet gesture.

“If I were to have a do over and arrived vertical instead of on a cart I’d say: I now understand why you left on Friday. I also realized London was sprung on you about the same time it was on me, and I should’ve given more leeway for you to deal with it. This concept of a relationship is new for you, especially having dedicated your entire life to your job. It’s not easy to slow down. I should’ve appreciated it would take more time to sort out.”

“I should’ve appreciated it, too. As it is, I’m planning to make my home base Dallas for the next few months. Phillip and I agreed I’d train someone else to do on-site for part of the time, which means I’ll still be traveling some. Matter of fact, I’m hoping to start a couple of real estate investments, and Texas is a good place to begin.”

“Are you serious?” That he was willing to move to Dallas in order to give us a shot meant a lot.

“Yes. Suddenly I have an affinity for work/life balance.”

 “I love you. That was the other part of my declaration, FYI. Which now sounds rather lame when I say it like that. FYI. Who in the world says I love you with an FYI? See, last night would’ve been so much better.”

He smirked. “You did say it last night.”

“While on the luggage cart?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Shortly after, when you were telling me how you needed to find Simon. And by the way, I love you, too.”

Now I was smiling. “Nothing like an FYI and by the way declaration of love.”

His face suddenly got serious while his hands framed my face. “How’s this, then? I’ve never met someone in my entire life who can make me laugh the way you do. You put joy into a life where I hadn’t even appreciated it was missing. Once I realized that, everything else mattered less. My job. The travel. New York. None of it held the same appeal. I realize this is fast, but like you said on our very first date, it’s not about the time frame, it’s about what you feel. I think part of me knew the moment Laverne informed me that you were quite single that my life would be forever changed.”

His words were so touching that I had to work to keep the tears from welling up. He kissed me then. It was gentle before he stopped.

“How is your stomach?”

“Mm. I’m feeling better by the moment. But one final compatibility test is required.”

“What’s that?”

“I have a fantasy. Paper scattering, no-holds-barred sex on your desk.”

He chuckled. “One big problem. I don’t keep papers on my desk; they’re all filed away.”

Of course they were. “Spoilsport.”

“Although I have seen your desk. Now, that would be a mess.”

“I’ll have a bigger office soon.”

“It’s a date.”