Chapter Fifteen

Eliza

I had barely slept a wink the night before, too excited about the fact that I had let go and allowed myself the ability to be happy. When Anthony had asked me to go away with him for the weekend I immediately had reservations, but there was no way I could say no to that. Then, when he texted me that we were going to Maine, I was extremely excited. I looked up the weather right away and pulled out all my cool-weather clothes. I didn’t know what he had planned for while we were there, but I wanted to make sure that I was packed and ready for anything. He had a tendency to be extravagant, and I didn’t want to be caught without a dress to wear, or a warm sweater, or anything that may be out of my normal realm of events.

However, as I packed my bags, I couldn’t help but think about the last time he was supposed to pick me up. There was a feeling in my chest as I sat in my living room, watching the time tick by. The feeling was so deep and so harsh that I had immediately closed myself off. I packed for the trip, trying to push the thought out of mind and just allow myself to be excited. By a quarter to four, I was completely done and sitting in the living room nervously waiting for him.

No matter how excited or prepared I was, though, my inner dialogue would not turn off. I was terrified that he was going to stand me up again, and I knew that was something that I couldn’t recover from. When he walked into that conference room, I was caught completely off guard. At the time I thought it was a terrible thing, but now thinking about it, it was the best thing that could have happened. In the back of my mind, up to that point, I knew I was too scared to actually ever call him and go out. He had betrayed my trust when he stood me up, and that was something that was terribly difficult to get back.

Anthony was a smart man, and I knew that he knew if he stood me up again, especially for a weekend that he had pumped me up for, we would never see each other again. It didn’t matter how much I understood his fears, or how much I wanted him in my life, that hurt was too strong. It not only killed my trust in him, but it really devastated my ego. I didn’t even want to think about dating anyone at that point, and the fact that he had left me standing there was scaring the shit out of me as I sat there in the living room staring at the clock. It was just four at that point, but I still was terrified he wasn’t coming.

I took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking it down. I was going to drive myself crazy sitting there, my eyes shifting from the clock and then back out the window. I had no control over what was going to happen, so I needed to chill. Just as I almost sighed, looking up at the clock, I saw a limo pull up out front, and Anthony got out of it. My heart swelled immediately, and I almost cried in relief from knowing he hadn’t decided I wasn’t worth it.

My coat was on the chair and I grabbed it, sliding it over my shoulders and buttoning it tightly around me. It wasn’t winter temperatures yet, but it was definitely starting to get cold outside. As I picked up my bags and dragged them toward the front door, I laughed at myself for getting so worried and so pent up over something that ended up not happening. I zipped up my purse, shaking my head and chastising myself for being a worrywart, even though I had ample reason to feel all of those feelings of fear.

I walked over to the front door and opened it up, waiting for him to come up. I walked through the house making sure I had unplugged everything and that the lights were off in the other rooms. I always left my living room light on when I went somewhere overnight. I lived in a great place, but I still lived in New York and I wanted people to think I was home so they didn’t rob me blind while I was away.

“Hey there,” he said as I walked back to the front of the house. “You ready?”

“I sure am,” I said excitedly.

I reached for my suitcase, but he had already leaned down and grabbed my bags. He was such a gentleman. I followed him out and closed and locked the door behind me, excitement starting to bubble up again in my stomach.

“You are such a girl,” he said, laughing and struggling down the stairs. “You packed like your entire house for just a couple of days. Seriously, I put like three things in a backpack and threw it in the trunk.”

“I like to be prepared for anything,” I said with a smile. “Don’t worry if you get into an emergency—I have a beautiful taupe dress in there that you would look fabulous in.”

“That’s my favorite color,” he said, returning the smile.

“Besides, I never know when you are going to bolt, so I don’t want to be stranded in Maine without choices,” I said.

“Right,” he replied. “I mean, who knows when you will need a cocktail dress and heels while you are hitchhiking your way back to New York.”

“Exactly,” I chuckled. “See? We see eye to eye on these things.”

“Yep, we are two peas in a pod,” he said. “I get it—I brought my tux in case I needed to survive in the forest or there was an apocalypse.”

“Very nice,” I said sarcastically.

We jumped in the limo and headed for the airport. It was flu season, and I was definitely not looking forward to the flight. However, as we pulled into the private side of the airport and into the garage, my mouth hung open. I was completely taken aback by the fact that we were going to be riding in a private jet. I was actually assuming that I was going to be shoved into a commercial airline, stuck between two sleeping people like a can of sardines. I wasn’t the best with flying and had a pretty serious phobia of germs on airplanes. I blamed my father since he used to tell me that we reused other people’s breaths—stupid, but I believed it when I was a kid.

In all reality, knowing Anthony and his need and ability to be comfortable at all times, I was really hoping that we would end up in first class. However, I did not expect in any way to be driven up to a private jet to be whisked away on a romantic weekend getaway. It was all kind of insane, but I was not going to complain. When we got on the plane, we took our seats, buckling in and waiting for takeoff. The place looked like an apartment, not a plane, and I looked around in wonder, never seeing anything like that before.

“I want to say something,” Anthony said, sitting across from me.

“What is it?”

“I want to say I’m sorry,” he replied. “When Amy died, I told myself I’d never fall in love again. I knew if I lost someone like that again, I would never recover from it. It terrifies me, but I can’t keep going, acting like you never happened to me.”

“I understand,” I replied. “I’m here for you, though. You aren’t alone and I know it’s scary, but we can do it together.”

“You are the sweetest person,” he said, smiling and shaking his head. “Really, where did you come from?”

“A magic circus in Massachusetts,” I replied, giggling and leaning forward to kiss his cheek.

“Do you like Maine?”

“I’ve actually never been,” I replied. “I’ve seen so many pictures and movies from there that I’ve wanted to go my entire life. Fall is my favorite season, and I’ve heard that Maine is the most beautiful place in the country to experience the colors of fall. I’m more than excited to go.”

“It really is one of the most beautiful places,” he said, smiling. “I haven’t been in years, but just the memories of the colors, the crisp air, and the smells of apples and cinnamon make me want to be there and not leave.”

“I can’t wait,” I said excitedly. “Thank you for bringing me there. It really means a lot.”

“I couldn’t imagine it without you,” he replied.

The flight didn’t take long at all, and I spent most of the trip staring out the window and imagining what it would be like to live in Anthony’s world with private jets and homes in Maine. Anthony slept, obviously exhausted from the craziness of his week. When we landed, I kissed him gently to wake him up. He smiled up at me before getting out of his seat and leading me to the limo that was waiting in the hangar. We drove along for about an hour until we hit a long curvy road. Atop a hill deep in the country was a beautiful house with large white columns, a lush rolling lawn, and colorful trees all around it.

“I brought you here for a reason,” he said, looking up at the outside of the house. “I originally bought this place for Amy after falling in love with it on a business trip. She died before I could show it to her. When I met you, I realized that I felt for you like I did her in the beginning. I wanted you to experience the beauty here.”

“Wow,” I said, completely touched by the sentiment.

“I told you, I’m not a bad guy.” He smiled. “I just have a bit of baggage.”

I watched as Anthony walked into the house, carrying my bags. At that moment I quickly realized that he cared for me way more than just a random hookup. I realized that he was feeling the same thing I was. I followed him up the front stairs and into the giant marble entryway. There was a set of stairs on both sides in a horseshoe shape leading up to the second floor. Large beautiful paintings covered the walls. I walked through the hall and into the living room, gasping at the view out of the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was a long rolling yard with trees lining the back, their leaves having changed to bright oranges, reds, and yellows.

Throughout the house, light colors decorated everything from the couches to the draperies. It was an absolutely breathtaking home, and I could almost feel myself falling deeper for Anthony. He had been honest and raw with me, and for that I respected him. We put our things in the bedroom and headed into the kitchen, where someone had stocked the cabinets and fridge with food. I ran my fingers over the boxes, exploring the place I would be until Sunday afternoon. We were both hungry and neither of us ate on the plane, so I knew dinner was going to be very important.

“How about I cook dinner,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’ll make sure that it is the most delicious thing ever made. We can eat in front of the windows.”

“I love that idea,” he said, smiling and kissing my lips. “The rest of the night is all about relaxing together. I’ve really been looking forward to that.”

I mirrored his sentiments and was pretty sure I had been looking for that since I was a young girl.