Page 141 of Keep Me Never
She pops up then, setting the things she snagged into the little front pocket of her still-open carry-on, then flips it shut, quickly zipping it closed. Her hands find her tiny hips, and she smiles through a sigh.
“All ready to go?” I force myself to say, trying to sound normal.
She laughs, nodding her head. “I think so.”
And then she squeals, running right at me and throwing herself in my arms.
Thank god for the sound she makes because it covers the broken noise that tears up my throat, and I allow myself to be weak, wrapping my arms around her, holding her as close as possible.
“I’m so excited, but I’m going to miss you!” She hugs me back just as tight.
My eyes burn and I will myself not to lose it. Not to say it all and tell her everything—or not to do the opposite and shatter her big, beautiful heart right here and now with the truth.
Somehow, I manage to pull away and busy myself by taking her bags and leading us from the room to the elevator and out of the dorm. Me for the very last time.
The black car is parked against the curb, the man standing beside it already reaching for the suitcases.
We seem to turn toward each other at the exact same moment, and she hugs me again.
“I’ll see you soon. And we’ll talk every day.” Those baby blues pop up to meet my gaze, and my knuckles tremble as I run them down her cheek, holding her face between my sweaty palms.
“I love you, Paige. With my entire heart. Never, ever doubt that.”
The tenderness that falls over her is so easy to see—she gives her love so freely and doesn’t ask for anything in return. “Chase, I?—”
I press my lips to hers to silence her. After a moment, I drop my forehead to hers and whisper, “Go.”
She smiles, laughing as she spins and hops right into the SUV. The man closes the door and offers me a bow, and she promptly rolls the window down.
“Europe, here I come!” She laughs, waving until she can no longer see me. “Bye!”
And I watch her go, my heart grinding into the asphalt with each roll of the tires. “I love you, Angel.”
Paige
The plane’s taking off, and I’m sitting back in my seat, trying to keep my nerves in check. This is the first vacation I’ve had in, well, ever. It feels so surreal. No schoolwork, no stress, just time to explore and hang out and get to know my grandpa on a deeper level.
I glance over at him, smiling, and he senses my gaze, looking up from the screen of his tablet. “You better not be working over there,” I tease.
He laughs lightly, setting his tablet down and his reading glasses on top of it as he turns to look at me, the wide seats of his private plane giving him enough room to lift a knee onto the other. “Now if you remember correctly, I said the entire time we were in Europe, I would not be touching any work except for the occasional evening emails.” Thick, gray brows rise. “However, we have not yet arrived in Europe, now have we?” He smiles.
I chuckle, turning to push the shade up on my window and glancing out before looking back at him. I can’t stop smiling, theexcitement buzzing under my skin. The semester is done, and Chase is going to spend some much-needed time with his dad at home before they go back to the beach house for the rest of break. It’s going to be great.
“I have like ten restaurants I want to try. I mapped them all out based on our time in each location, and I think we might be able to make it work, but just be warned… I don’t think you’ll find any fine dining and more than half of them are breakfast spots.”
The man looks a little horrified and a laugh leaves me.
“Ohh, come on, live a little. A couple crepes and waffles won’t hurt your physique any.”
“Now, sweetheart, I can’t tell if you’re teasing me or being sweet.”
I grin, leaning forward and picking up the little travel book I ordered that just came in yesterday.
“I’m really glad you decided to come, Paige. For a minute there, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes. In fact, I almost talked myself out of asking.”
“I’m really glad you did.”
He nods. “Good. You’ve earned a break and there is no better way to test our decisions than to step away and just be.”
