Nothing Like Love (20 page)

“God, I love you,” he said, and she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes.

“I love you, too, Zach. I love you. I love you. I love you.”

He led them over to the hard plastic seats and pulled her down beside him.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this here,” she said, looking around at the airport terminal. “Yesterday you created this perfect, beautiful moment—and I ruined it.”

“I shouldn’t have tried to create a perfect moment,” he said. “That’s not us.” He looked around, too. “This is much better. Being in an airport reminds me of the first orgasm I ever gave you. It was on a plane, in case you’ve forgotten.”

She started to laugh again. “Oh, Zach. I can’t believe you came here. I was just about to go back to the castle and look for you.”

He looked into her eyes. “What do you say we promise that no matter what happens, we’ll always look for each other afterwards?”

She nodded. “It’s a deal.” She paused. “Okay, so . . . yesterday you offered me a ring. Is that off the table now?”

“The ring or the proposal?”

“Both. Either.”

“I know the proposal scared you. I don’t want to scare you.”

“But, see, I want to be scared. Because of you, I’ve done all the things that scared me—and it’s worked out pretty well so far. I don’t want to stop.”

She slid off the chair and knelt down in front of him. “Zach Hammond, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

He stared at her. “Simone,” he said, and his voice shook a little.

“What?”

“Just when I think I can’t possibly love you any more, I do.” He grabbed her hands. “And I will. Marry you, that is.”

He pulled her up from her knees and into his lap, and then he kissed her.

They fit together so perfectly there was an ache in her chest. Every cell in her body seemed to cry out for Zach, and as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his, she knew she was home.

After a long, blissful minute, Simone pulled away and sat in her own seat again.

“This romance stuff is great and all, but there are some practical matters we’ll have to figure out. I live in New York and you live in London. Any ideas?”

“Actually, yes.” He paused. “Instead of you coming to live with me or me coming to live with you, what would you say to both of us going somewhere new?”

“And where would that be?”

“Here.” He took a breath. “The theater we performed in is for sale. We could start our own company, Simone. The work I’m doing in London is starting to feel too safe. Too predictable. I have a feeling that something you and I create together won’t ever be predictable.” He grinned at her. “So what do you say?”

The two of them starting a theater company in Ireland?

“It sounds like a dream. But if anyone can make it a reality, we can.”

The speaker overhead announced that her plane was boarding.

“I forgot that I was going back to New York. Unless . . . do you want me to stay?”

He shook his head. “I bought myself a ticket for this flight. I’m going with you.”

She stared at him. “You are?”

“Sure. I want to meet your father and see your friends’ faces when you tell them you’re getting married. And most importantly, I want to have sex in your flat. Finally.”

She grinned at him. “You know, I think I can guarantee you a very good time in my apartment.”

“Flat.”

“Apartment.”

“Oh, well,” he said, taking her hand and leading her toward the gate. “We have the rest of our lives to fight about it.”

“I know,” she said, joy spreading through her like sunlight. “I can hardly wait.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My deepest gratitude to the entire team at Montlake, especially Maria Gomez. Thanks also to Mikel Strom, Tara Gorvine, and Melissa Chalmers for their help and encouragement, to Deb Taber for her painstaking copyedits, and to Charlotte Herscher for her insight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo © 2014 Target Portrait Studio

Abigail Strom started writing stories at the age of seven and has never been able to stop. On her way to becoming a full-time writer, she earned a BA in English from Cornell University as well as an MFA in dance from the University of Hawaii and held a wide variety of jobs, from dance teacher and choreographer to human resource manager. Now she works in her pajamas and lives in New England with her family, who are incredibly supportive of the hours she spends hunched over her computer.