Happily Ever After? (Sleeping Handsome Sequel) Read Free

don’t
let out a smile. “Okay, sounds good.”
    In the parking garage, we each take a
rolling bag from the trunk. Still quiet, Paige slips a pair of
sunglasses over her red-rimmed eyes. She checks her luggage in at
the curb and we proceed inside. Other than taking my hand, she’s a
robot.
    Near the line security line she
finally turns to me. “Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays
right?”
    With her halfway across the world
working and me going to school and working, she’s referring to the
schedule we set up for calls. I nod. “Eleven o’clock for you and
one for me. I’ll be waiting each day. And don’t forget we can
always email and text.”
    She scowls. “Ugh. Our relationship
reduced to texting.”
    “ One month, Paige.” I push
the glasses up on her head. That we’re both so worked up about her
leaving seems ridiculous. It doesn’t feel ridiculous. It feels
real. But I’m trying to be strong for her. “In one month, you’ll be
home.”
    “ I know.” Her smile is
sad. Her lovely caramel colored eyes even sadder.
    Her expression is destroying me. I
check my phone then pull her close. “You’ve got to get going,” I
say above her before leaning down. I’d meant for the kiss to be
light. Instead, she clings to me, digs her fingers into my neck,
and devours my lips. Even in middle of the airport with people
walking past us, I can’t stop myself from responding. Damn. Paige
in my arms—under my mouth—nothing feels better. Unwanted resolve
has me ripping my lips from hers. “Do you want to miss your
flight?”
    “ No.” She buries her head
into my shoulder. “I’m just having a hard time letting
go.”
    I hug her tight and breathe in the
intoxicating sent of her shampoo and perfume. Though carved into my
memory, I’m even going to miss the scent of her. I don’t want her
to go. “You need to go.”
    She steps back still holding my hands.
“I love you.”
    I rub her fingers. Stare at her. She’s
a bittersweet picture of art in real life. “I love you
too.”
    She slowly lets go of my hands. “See
you soon.” She covers her watering eyes with the sunglasses and I
force myself not to reach for her. She doesn’t look back as she
enters the security line. Clenching my hands at my sides, I’m
glad.
    Once I can’t see her—the rigid spine
and the hand clamped around her ticket—anymore I turn and stalk
across the airport and out into the parking garage. Inside my car,
I punch the dashboard. Hula Holly bobs as my knuckles throb. Paige
crying tears me up inside. And though we’ve only been together less
than three months, one month apart is just too damn much. The pain
across my skin helps cool the pain of missing her
already.
    Just a bit. And just for the
moment.

~3~
    Paige

    I wait for the elevator to take me up
to my floor. Zach was right. At work I’m mindless, just
concentration and eagerness and nervousness. I love acting. It’s
when work is over homesickness invades me. More than home, I’m
missing Zach. Perhaps he’s what home has come to mean to me. And
phone calls, texts, and emails don’t equate to home. Alone in my
hotel room I’m a pining mess.
    The elevator doors open. I rush past
the security guard who doesn’t seem to speak English. He just nods
to me. Up one floor where the big stars are there are three guards.
Those of us not so well known get one.
    Inside my room, I power up my
computer. I’ve never been so interested in emailing. Here I run to
my computer every day. To Zach. We do text a bit. I wake up to a
‘good morning’ or ‘a break a leg beautiful’ on my phone every day.
But we’ve never been heavy texters. Short abbreviated conversations
just don’t work for us. Compared to some other couples I’ve
observed we actually like to talk. Now apart email has become our
heaviest source of communication. Of course, I don’t take my phone
to work because I’d be on the thing all day, even if just looking
and waiting for a message alert to pop up.
    Like