Page 56 of One Night in Hawaii

I gave him a quick kiss. I didn’t want him to make promises he couldn’t possibly keep. “Goodbye, Archer. Good luck. No matter what happens, I want you to be happy. Don’t let anyone take your joy. Go to the beach. Swim. Snorkel.”

“You’re making it sound like I’m not going to see you again.”

“I hope that’s not true,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “But I have to go back to my life. And you have to figure out what you want to do with yours.”

Archer nodded, his eyes flickering as if he were trying to hold back tears. “I’ll miss you,” he said.

“I’ll miss you too,” I said, feeling a lump form in my throat.

He leaned in and kissed me deeply, his hands on my waist, pulling me closer. I felt his warmth, his passion, and his sadness all at once. “I’m going to call you. I’m not going to disappear.”

“Archer, I need you to make me one promise.”

“You said no promises,” he reminded me.

“This is different. If you have the chance to have a life with Ashley that you think will be fulfilling, take it. Don’t think about me. I want you to be happy. I would hate to have you feel like you owe me something. You don’t. I knew what I was getting into last night. I know you have a lot on the line back home and I would never ask you to sacrifice anything for me. When I say all I want is for you to be happy, I mean it.”

“I know you do,” he said, smiling. “I’ll see you soon.”

We kissed again before I had to force myself to walk away.

Ryder and I were both quiet on the drive back to his place. “Are you okay?” he asked when we got out of the car.

“I’m fine.

“You’re not fine,” he said. “But are you okay? Do you want to come in? I’ll make breakfast.”

“No, thank you. I’m good. I need to do some research. Thank you, though. I guess I should ask if you’re okay.”

He grinned. “Peachy. I’m good. If you want to talk, find me. You can pretend you’re not crushed right now, but I know you.”

“I’ll be okay. You wanted me to see him before he left, and I did. I’m good with it. I’ve made my peace. I know he’s got a life back in New York.”

“Okay,” Ryder said and gave me a big hug. “I’m here for you, though.”

“Thanks.”

I walked down the dock to my boat. I did feel a sense of sadness, and even though they weren’t gone, I felt his absence. It was going to be hard to get over him. I was going to throw myself into my work and stay busy. I was not going to be one of those women pining over a man.

23

ARCHER

The air felt different. I felt different. The suit felt too small, which I knew wasn’t possible. If anything, I lost a couple of pounds while I was in Hawaii. It just felt strange to be wearing a suit after getting used to being shirtless or just wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

I walked into my building and felt nothing. I didn’t want to be at work. I longed to be back on the beach with Shiloh stretched out beside me in a tiny bikini. I wanted to get in the ocean and swim. I was only there for a week and it transformed my entire life.

“Good morning, Mr. Ryatt,” my secretary said as I walked into my office.

“Kim,” I said.

“You have a board meeting in ten minutes. I put all the information and bullet points in a file and sent it to you.”

“Thank you.”

I carried my briefcase to the boardroom and took my seat at the head of the table. Kim came in right behind me and delivered me a cup of coffee and a banana. I was feeling a little out of sorts. I’d been home for two days, and despite several texts to Shiloh, she never responded. I knew exactly what she was doing.

She didn’t think I was going to come back. She was cutting me out before I could hurt her. Or maybe it was just her sending me a message. It was a fling. That was it. We had a good night and it was over. I wasn’t about to accept that. I was going to fight like hell to get back to her.

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