AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s only one in town.”
“But why would you… Is this your way of trying to keep me here against my will?”
“Jesus, no, not at all. I made other arrangements. A taxi wasn’t needed.”
“I don’t need you to make my arrangements for me.”
“Iris, I was making the arrangements for us.”
“Wait. What?”
“Well, you did ask me to come away with you, didn’t you? I couldn’t just up and leave. I needed to arrange our flight, contact Chance to come and fetch us, make sure Luna’s travel documents are still in order, pack, rehire Quinny, then set him to work getting my apartment in London livable for us. Then I also had to contact Miles about shutting down this place. Thankfully, he said to just lock up and go. His mother and stepdad live close by and will sort it out. All in all, it was fucking exhausting. I fell into bed at eight then woke up this morning only to discover that you didn’t come to bed last night. What the fuck, Iris?”
“Wait, so you’re coming with me?”
“Of course I am. Was there ever a doubt?”
“Well… yes,” she said. “When you made no effort to talk to me after our initial discussion yesterday, I assumed you needed more time to think. Then when you simply disappeared for the rest of the day, I thought I had my answer.”
“Woman, you threw all of this at me yesterday with very little warning. You just said you were leaving and I could either come with you or lose you. I needed a minute to process. And plan.”
Iris wrinkled her nose in acknowledgment. She had sprung it on him, she knew that, but once she’d heard the road was fixed, she’d simply jumped into got to get home mode. She didn’t even know why she’d reacted that way. Hearing the road was open had set off all kinds of alarm bells in her and an urgent need to leave.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It just felt like, with the road open, there was no reason for me to be here any longer. I didn’t feel like I had a place—or a right to be—here. This isn’t my home, Trystan. I’ve missed my family and my life. I wanted to get back to them and I guess, a small part of me still believed I should get out before you kicked me out.”
“Oh, Iris.” The disappointment she heard in his voice gutted her and she nodded.
“I know. It was an unfair, baseless assumption. And I really shouldn’t have flung all those ultimatums at you. It was wrong.”
His lips twitched and his eyes gentled.
“It certainly lit a fire under my arse. Here I was thinking, we’d spend a few days exploring the area, maybe staying in the next town over for a couple of nights…”
She winced. “That does sound lovely. But I can’t afford to just lounge around here indefinitely on vacation, y’know? Maybe some other time?”
“So you’re really coming with me?” she asked, her happiness and excitement giving the question a joyful cadence that she couldn’t quite control.
“You actually thought I could say no to you? That I’d choose staying here, in this lonely place, without you? Iris, did you miss the part where I said I love you?”
Her lips spread into a wide smile and she launched herself into his arms.
“Oh my God, so we’re really going to do this?” she said in a voice that quavered in disbelief and her hand went to her stomach as she was hit by a sudden bout of queasiness.
“Hey, don’t go getting cold feet on me now,” Trystan chastised, and she gulped and shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. We’re doing this. We’re going out there and people will know I kissed Trystan Abbott—famous movie star.” He rolled his eyes and teasingly tugged at one of her curls.
“People will know I kissed Iris Hughes—talented, future bestselling author.”
“It’s a little intimidating,” she admitted, and he looped an arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head.
“Storm in a teacup,” he predicted.
“And what was that you said about a flat in London? I have a flat.”
“Iris, sweetheart, I love you, but I’m not sharing a flat with you and your two flatmates. On this one, I’m afraid I can’t compromise.”
“Where’s the flat?”
