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He grinned at her. “I’ve got to show my girl off while I can.”

An hour later, Lily cleared her throat as she entered the living room. Nate sat in his favorite overstuffed chair watching
SportsCenter
. He turned when he heard Lily and did a quick double take. His smile widened as she walked toward him. She’d donned a simple black dress with a ballerina neckline and elbow-length sleeves along with her favorite slingbacks. Her hair was parted to the side and gathered in a low ponytail. A pair of gunmetal chandelier earrings dangled from her ears.

“You look beautiful,” he said sincerely, standing up and taking her hand.

She grinned up at him. “You clean up pretty well, too.” She thought he looked just as stunning. His black suit and white dress shirt—top two buttons undone—emphasized his dark glasses and green eyes.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “Where are we off to?”

Nate wiggled his eyebrows at her. “That’s the surprise.”

Sometime later, they pulled up to the valet station at Nobu.

She glanced over at Nate, her voice full of excitement. “Really?”

Nate couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm. “Yes, really. A special treat for a special lady.”

“Thank you.” She leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before the valet opened her door.

Nate made his way around the car and took her hand. “Any time, love. You deserve the best.”

Lily planned on thoroughly enjoying being spoiled for the rest of the evening. Delicious cuisine. Elegant drinks. Sinful desserts.

“You are, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman in here,” he said, taking her hand across the table as they waited for their dessert. A slow, lazy grin spread across his face. His second sake-based cocktail had obviously made him warm and relaxed.

She shook her head, her cheeks flushing with a combination of embarrassment and her own drink. She’d noticed a handful of up-and-coming actresses scattered around the restaurant. “Thank you, but that’s definitely not true. Have you seen the other women in here?”

“Yes, I have. And they don’t hold a candle to you, love.”

She squeezed his hand in response. “I must admit . . . I like being on your arm.”

“And I like having you there.” He had introduced her to a couple of people he knew through his work who passed their table. The way Lily eagerly engaged them in conversation seemed to impress Nate.

After their shared dessert, Nate waited for the valet to return while Lily excused herself to find the restroom. She sighed happily when she got into his car. “That was incredible. Thank you, Nate.”

Nate laughed. “I thought you might enjoy it.”

“I did. Very much.”

The rest of the ride home was quiet, both lost in their own thoughts.

Lily remained quiet as she climbed into bed later that night. She knew she should concentrate on the last few hours she had with Nate, but she couldn’t help but think about all the mornings to come waking up without him by her side. She sighed and snuggled closer to him.

“Hey, none of that.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “Let’s just enjoy the time we have.”

She nodded, scooting further into his warm embrace before pressing her lips to his. At first her kiss was gentle, but it quickly became more urgent. Lily loved the feeling of being completely surrounded by Nate and wished she could stay in their cocoon just a little longer. Nate seemed to be thinking something similar, because he refused to allow even an inch of distance to come between them. There would be distance later. Tonight they were together.

When at last she needed to breathe, Lily pulled back and met his gaze. What she saw in his eyes told her more than words could have. This wasn’t goodbye. This was a promise of things to come—for the rest of the night, and beyond.

Nate woke before his alarm the next morning. It would go off within an hour, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. Instead, he would be concentrating on the girl in his arms. Her head rested on his chest, her hand over his heart. It beat for her now, and he was surprised to find that the idea didn’t terrify him.

A small smile played on her lips when he ran his fingers through her hair.

He shut off the alarm just before it was set to go off, then rubbed her bare arm gently. “Time to rise, sunshine.”

“Mmm . . . don’t wanna,” she mumbled.

“I know. But you don’t want to miss your flight.”

“Now I definitely don’t wanna,” she repeated.

“I don’t wanna either,” he said with a sigh.

They were quiet while they got ready for the day. Nate made breakfast again while Lily finished packing her things. The wheels of her suitcase seemed too loud, cutting through the silence as she made her way into the kitchen.

She stirred her coffee absently. “You know, I should be happy right now.”

“What do you mean?” Nate’s green eyes flashed to hers. He certainly wasn’t happy at the moment.

Lily shrugged. “I got to spend an incredible week with my incredible boyfriend, and I need to be happy about that—because if I start thinking about how sad I am that the week is over, I might not stop crying.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” She walked to him, and he pulled her into his arms. “That is the craziest logic I’ve ever heard. But I like it.”

They finished their breakfast and loaded Lily’s luggage into his car. As Nate drove toward the airport, Lily watched his house grow smaller in the side-view mirror. He held her hand the whole way, the heavy mood pressing down on him until he could hardly breathe.

She gave a heavy sigh when he pulled to a stop in front of the American Airlines terminal. When he pulled her luggage from the trunk, her eyes filled with tears.

“We’re going to see each other soon, right?”

He nodded, taking her hand. “I don’t think I could stay away,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Because I’m falling in love with you.”

The tears threatening to spill dropped onto her cheeks. “I’m falling in love with you, too,” she said quietly.

Nate let out a sigh of relief and smiled at her. “See? Then we have nothing to worry about. We’ll work out something very, very soon.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I expect you to.”

Lily teared up again. “I don’t want to go, but I need to.”

Nate sighed. “I know. Call me when you get home?”

She nodded, wiping beneath her eyes. Nate’s thumbs eventually took the place of her hands.

They kissed one last time. Nate had to end the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. “See you later, love.”

She gave him one last peck on his lips before grabbing her bags. When she got to the door, she turned back. She smiled and gave him a small wave, which he returned from his spot beside his car.

Made it home safe and sound. How long until I can see you again?

Nate’s answer didn’t take long.

Not soon enough, if you ask me. ILY

Happy tears filled Lily’s eyes as she typed her response.

ILY2

Chapter Twenty

In the following weeks, Lily threw herself into work, grateful for something to keep her hands and mind occupied. Spring brought with it additional deadlines and responsibilities, including a regional travel guide Lily produced each year. Between writing, assigning photos, and designing the pages of the magazine, Lily spent more hours at work than not. She was fine with that, though, because it allowed her to focus on something other than her boyfriend across the county.

Lily and Nate talked even more frequently after their declarations, usually each night as Lily got into bed and Nate prepared a late dinner. She liked hearing his voice right before she fell asleep. On weekends, they planned Skype sessions so that they could at least see each other. It wasn’t the same as being together, but they found comfort in the routine, as well as in the knowledge that they wouldn’t see each other every day even if they lived in the same town.

Lily put the final touches on the travel guide on a Friday early in May and sent it to the press early that afternoon. She decided to reward herself for a job well done by taking the rest of the afternoon off, knowing the extra effort and hours she had put in showed in the final product. When she got home, she indulged in some daytime television before heading to the kitchen to open a bottle of her favorite wine and make her favorite pasta for dinner. The past month had been full of stress, and Lily was glad to have it behind her.

Her smile widened further when Nate’s name flashed on her cell phone later that night.

“Hey there, handsome!”

“That’s quite a greeting,” Nate said with a chuckle. “Hey there to you, too. Sounds like you’ve had a good day.”

“It has indeed been a good day. I put the travel guide to bed, and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m so glad to have it finished.”

“That’s great, love. Congratulations! So things will slow down a bit for you now?”

Lily shrugged on the other end of the phone. “Well, a little. I still have some stuff to cover for the end of the school year. But other than that, it should be a little slower.”

Nate’s response was vague. “Hmm . . . okay. By the way, what would you like for your birthday?”

Lily was perplexed by his change in topic. She had been so focused on work that she hadn’t given much thought to her birthday, coming up at the beginning of June.

“You know, I have no idea.”

“In that case, how about I fly out to see you?”

Lily grinned and sighed with happiness. “That sounds like the best gift you could ever get me, boyfriend.”

“I hoped you’d feel that way, girlfriend. I’ll make the plans and let you know the details.”

Lily’s excitement was obvious. “I really get to see you in less than a month?”

Nate laughed, just as excited. “You really do.”

They talked more about arrangements before hanging up for the night, deciding that Nate would make it a long weekend, flying in on Friday and back on Monday. He had never been to Tennessee, and Lily was eager to show him her neck of the woods.

Three weeks later, Lily made her way to the airport once again.

She parked and made her way to baggage claim, noting that Nate’s flight was due to arrive in just a few minutes. She found a seat where she could watch the escalator for his arrival, her feet bouncing up and down with nervous excitement. Finally, he appeared, his eyes meeting hers as he descended, and she jumped up and rushed over to meet him.

“God, it’s good to see you.” He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her feet off the ground, and spinning her.

She tightened her grip around his neck. “It’s good to see you, too. I’m so excited to have you here.”

He set her back on the ground, taking a moment to simply look at her before reaching for her and making their way to the designated carousel.

While waiting for his bags, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “It’s been too long since I’ve been able to do that,” he whispered.

She grinned in response. “I completely agree.” She kissed him once more, not so chastely.