Page 108 of Have To Be Mine

The last time I’d been in Athens, I’d been a different person. Chasing pleasure because it was easier than chasing purpose. I had looked at this city and had seen nothing but another playground. More adventures with beautiful people who were willing to get up to some shenanigans.

Now I saw history. Legacy. The weight of thousands of years of human achievement, all built on the foundation of people who believed they could create something that would outlast them. The architecture was stunning. I couldn’t believe I had never truly noticed it before. I’d seen it, but I hadn’t really let myself see the beauty.

I thought about my father. What would he say if he could see me now? Would he be proud? Would he finally believe I was capable of more?

I liked to think he would. I liked to think he’d clap me on the shoulder and say something gruff but genuine, the way he used to when I was a kid and I’d done something right. Before I’d started disappointing him at every turn.

“I did it, Dad,” I said quietly to the empty room. “I finally did something that matters.”

I pulled off my tie, tossing it on a chair. I was going to have a drink, order room service, and plant my ass on the balcony.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I frowned, checking my watch. Nearly midnight. I hadn’t ordered room service yet. I wondered if the hotel had sent something up for me anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised. They were treating me like royalty. Not a bad thing but I felt guilty for being spoiled.

I crossed the room and pulled open the door. And there she was.

Krista.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything but stare at her like she was a mirage that might disappear if I blinked. What the hell?

Her chest was rising and falling rapidly like she’d been running. Her hair was down, falling in those natural curls around her shoulders, slightly messy in a way that made my fingers itch to touch it. She wore a pale yellow blouse with delicate straps that showed off her shoulders, white capris that hugged her curves, and gold sandals that were pretty and very feminine.

No cargo pants. No ugly tank tops. No combat boots. Just Krista, looking absolutely stunning and completely terrified.

I didn’t even know what to say. I was speechless.

“I know it’s late,” she said quickly, the words tumbling over each other. “But the city’s still awake. I was thinking, do you want to go for a walk? I was hoping we could talk and, uh, go for a walk. Please?”

A walk. Like the one we’d taken in Corfu, when everything had shifted between us. Walking and talking was a lot less pressure than sitting in a room with no distractions.

I felt a grin spread across my face, the first genuine one I’d managed since Santorini. “Hell yes, I do.”

I grabbed my wallet and followed her to the elevator. She said nothing. I didn’t push anything. She was here. Whatever brought her here, I needed to allow her to get to it when she was ready.

We strolled the streets of Athens, stopping when we found a fountain. Tourists were everywhere enjoying the last weeks of summer, despite how late it was. The night was calm. Music was playing from a nearby restaurant. We sat down on a stone bench. I said nothing.

“I have to tell you why I’m here,” she blurted out.

“I’m listening.”

“I’m not a fairytale princess,” she said. “I can’t be that for you, Dash. I don’t know how.”

“I never asked you to be.”

“But you fell in love with her. The woman that let you take care of her.” She looked down at her feet with what was obviously a fresh pedicure. I wondered if she’d ever pampered herself before. “That’s not who I am most of the time.”

“You want to know something?” I asked quietly. “The woman I fell in love with is sitting right beside me. Right now. In this moment.”

“Dash, I don’t want to disappoint you.”

Just then, a large plop of rain landed between us. And then another. Neither of us moved. A few of the tourists wandered away. I wasn’t afraid of a little rain.

I reached out and took her hand in mine. “You think I fell for some fantasy version of you? That’s bullshit. I fell for the woman who called me on my crap every single day. The one who made me work harder than I’d ever worked in my life. I fell for the woman in the ugliest footwear on the planet and the most boring cargo pants and tanks. That’s who I fell for. The woman that sang and wore a pretty dress is still the same person in a different outfit.”

“But I don’t know how to be soft. I don’t know how to be vulnerable without feeling like I’m going to shatter into a million pieces.”

“Then we’ll figure it out together.” I took both her hands in mine. “You don’t have to be perfect, Krista. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to try.”

The rain was picking up, but thankfully, she wasn’t running away. We probably looked insane, sitting in the rain while everyone else had the good sense to get inside. But I didn’t care. This was our thing now, apparently.