Page 19 of Lovestruck at Sundown
He shook his head. “Miss—”
“I swear to God, Aaron!” I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. “My father has been appeased. Now go and see yours.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” he said, his voice rushed. “Tops. But call me if there’s anything—”
“Go!” I said with a laugh, turning around and climbing the stairs.
“Miss Murphy!” Aaron shouted. I looked over my shoulder at him with raised brows. “Thank you.”
September 26, 2010
We landed inNew York at almost four in the morning. The exhaustion was real. It hit me hard and clung to my bones heavily. I’d been unable to sleep much, but thankfully William had. He deserved some rest after all the late nights and early mornings of hard work in Cape Town.
He slept through most of the flight as I read a few pages of theCrime and Punishmentcopy he’d found on the plane. The words weren’t making any sense to me, so I ended up putting it aside and stared at the ceiling instead.
Amena was waiting for us at the airport with the SUV, but so was Cooper, William’s driver. He was smiling and looking sharp, like he wasn’t meant to be in bed at this hour.
“Hey, Amena.”
Amena looked at me and nodded sharply. “Miss Murphy.”
I smiled at Cooper and waved hello when he approached us to grab William’s bags.
“You shouldn’t have asked Cooper to come,” I whispered in William’s direction. Aaron and David were loading our luggage in the trunk. “We could’ve given you a ride back home.”
“Yeah, I forgot to mention I have an appointment withsome people later today in Sagaponack. I’m having a hot tub installed, but I’m meeting with the design team because I want to make sure everything’s exactly how I want it.” He pulled me in for a hug. Hot tub. I swallowed hard at the thought. “I mean, it’s Sunday. I would love for you to come with me. We could spend the night there, and I can drive you back to the city tomorrow morning and drop you off at Parsons.”
That sounded like the perfect Sunday plan—just him and me at his place in the Hamptons. But I knew I had to head back home. My father and I had unfinished business, and I knew we couldn’t delay it any longer.
It was disheartening to realize that even if this were a normal day and I wasn’t returning home from having escaped the country to go after a guy my dad disapproved of, I still don’t think he would’ve agreed for me to spend the night there.
Or maybe I wouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere from now on.
“You know I would love to.” I broke away from the embrace to look at him. “But I’m sure my dad would send me to a nunnery if I casually left for the Hamptons the moment I arrived in New York after fleeing to go after you.” I chuckled.
“You’re right.” He didn’t seem disappointed, though. I knew he understood the situation. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
Aaron seemed eager to leave. He kept staring our way, and I was sure he would ask me to get in the car any second.
“Of course.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
“Oh, and there’s something waiting for you at home,” he said, lifting a brow. “You’ll have to trust me on this one. I’m not sure how you’re going to take it, but I hope you don’t mind.”
“William Sjöberg, what did you do this time?” I shook my head, smiling.
“I didn’t do anything.” He did anI’m innocentgesture with his hands. “It was my idea, of course. But I’m sure it’s going to benecessary and very convenient for our relationship. Just promise me you won’t get mad.”
“You’re making me nervous!”
“Don’t be. Just trust me, okay?”
“Okay,” I said with resignation, dropping another gentle kiss on his lips and walking toward the car. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
He saluted me. “Yes, ma’am.” He brushed his bottom lip and hopped in the car. I touched my lip too, and a warm, fuzzy feeling enveloped me. I was finally able to do it. To show him how much I loved him.
“Aaron, where are we going?” We were heading to the Upper East Side, and I already knew what that meant.
“Mr. Murphy indicated we should drop you off at his place as soon as we arrived.”
