Three Thousand Miles (19 page)

“Everyone judges me before they get to know me and you are no different. You mean a lot to Alanna and I wanted your approval.”

“Then you have it. No one makes Alanna smile in the way that you do.” I lean back from the door and I push it open. I walk out into the room and Adrian stares at me.

“Baby, you look amazing.” He gushes. I smile at him and I walk
over to my closet. I rummage
amongst my coats until I find my black fur
,
sleeveless jacket. I slip it on and I tie it at the waist. I switch of the light and I again enter the room.

Adrian instantly
smiles at me.

“Are you ready?” H
e asks softly. I walk over to him and I link my arm into his. I stare at him and I notice that he has also changed his clothes since this morning. He has replaced the black shirt with a white one and he now has on a long black coat. His hair is greased back with one or two strands falling loosely
around his forehead. He is massively tall and with six-inch Jimmy Choos on, I still feel dwarfed by him. Sophie claps her hands gently at the sight of us. I cannot contain my smile as Sophie says.

“You two look amazing together.”

Adrian lightly strokes my hair as he replies. “I wouldn’t look as good if I didn’t have this beauty on my arm.” He lets out a
h
usky laugh at his own words and I cannot hold back my giggles. Sophie says goodnight and Adrian escorts me out of the room and along the hallway. He walks rather slowly and I gaze up at him.

“Alanna, what is wrong?” H
e asks.

I smile and say, “Nothing is wrong. You are just walking a little… slow.”

He looks down at me and his hair falls from its place. He lightly pushes it back and he looks into my eyes.

“I am in no hurry.” I smile at him and I grip him tighter. I still feel as if someone needs to pinch me. Yesterday my life was in tatters and now it is perfect once again. I knew that I missed Adrian terribly but having him back really points me in the direction of what I want. Adrian is everything that I could ever need. I love him more than life and I thank god that I never once gave up on him. I knew that there had to be more and I was persistent in confirming that. Adrian’s return has sparked a fire inside of me and that fire
will never be distinguished.

“A
re you going to tell me where we are going?” I ask nicely. Adrian does not look down at me as he picks up the pace.

“No it is a surprise.” I smile at him and I walk faster to keep up with him. We reach the front door and we step out into the cold snowy night of Manhattan. I glance around at the busy street and it does not take long for me to figure out which car belongs to Adrian.

“Still driving the Rolls Royce?” I say in a light sarcastic tone. He smirks at me as he opens the door.

“Technically I don’t drive it,” he says just as sarcastic. I carefully slide into the car and I caress my stomach as I do.

“Are you in pain, baby?” Adrian has immediately noticed my emotion. I glide over to the opposite side of car and I lean back into the soft leather seat. I look to Adrian as he gets into the car and softly closes the door behind him.

“I am okay, it was just a twinge.” I say trying to prove to him that I am fine. He briefly flashes me a smile as he signals the driver to pull away. The car drives slowly around Manhattan and I glare out of the window at the beautiful city that is New York. The streets are filled with people who look as if they could not be happier. I turn to Adrian and I soon realise that I could not be happier than I am right now. He places his hand on the armrest that sits between us. He glances to me and he makes a gesture with his eyes that alerts me to take his hand. I carefully place my hand on his and a gentle smile comes to his face. We bask in that moment for what feels like a lifetime. Until Adrian’s phone starts to ring and he pulls away from me so that he can take the call. I stare at him as he answers,

“Jeff how are you, mate,” h
is London accent seems much stronger than before and the sound is like music to my ears. I watch Adrian as he takes in what Jeff is saying. His forehead is wrinkling and there is stress in his eyes.

“I see, if that’s the case then sort it.” Adrian informs Jeff. I glance at him again and now I can see his stress levels are building. He rapidly runs his fingers through his hair as he responds to his business associate.

“That bloke is a time waster. Go with the other firm.” Adrian insists. Jeff agrees with what Adrian says and he quickly ends the call. Adrian places his phone back into his inside jacket pocket and he exhales rather loudly.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him softly. He again runs his fingers through his hair as he turns to face me.

“I
t is just b
usiness and it will bore you.” H
e smirks as he lets out his words. I reach over and take his hand.

“Try me,”

“Okay, before I left to come to you. I had a deal that I was supposed to confirm. With everything that happened, I lost sight of it all and I backed out. The company is now trying to establish the deal but the firm is not so eager.” My heart begins to race at his confession. I never thought that I would be to blame for his business deals going wrong.

“I am sorry.” I apologise. Adrian quickly turns fully around to me.

“Baby, what are you sorry for?” I swallow hard as I try to choke out my words.

“I am reason that you are here and
not
in London looking after your company.” He smirks at me.

“You are worth ten of the company and don’t ever think like that again.” I briefly smile at him but inside I still feel awful for keeping him from his work. He holds my hand as the car pulls up. Adrian quickly opens the door and jumps out of the car. He swiftly walks over to my side and he opens the door for me. I smile at him as I take his hand. He walks me to the sidewalk and softly says,

“Wait here a minute, I won’t be long.” I watch as he strides over to the driver and gives him a handful of money. He marches straight back over to me and he holds out his arm for me to take it.

“Come on, baby.” He says with a smirk. I simply take his arm as he leads me down the street. I glance around as
I
wonder where he is taking me. The street looks familiar and I know that I have been here before. I walk at ease with Adrian as he escorts me to the entrance of the Empire State Building. I look to him,

“Adrian I love it here but I think
that
they close early.” He opens the door and slightl
y pushes me in. I look at
him and he does not respond. Adrian again takes my arm in his as we walk over to the elevator. The receptionist makes a welcoming nod towards Adrian and I soon think that this evening has been planned out. Adrian whisks me into the elevator and he glances at the man who shows us the way.

“I have it from here.” He says firmly to man and he soon backs away. The shiny doors close and I am alone with Adrian. The ride seems as if it is taking forever
and I am not too good with small spaces. Adrian notices the despair on my face and he soon moves closer to me. He gently places his hand on my waist and the other on my cheek. He pulls me closer to him and he leans in and kisses me. He pulls back and says,

“Did that help?” I blush and I move closer to him. He grabs me firmer and kisses me again. We are stopped in our tracks as the door opens. Adrian strides out the elevator and I do the same. As soon as I do, I see what only can be described as the most romantic setting ever. The entire ground area is covered in red rose petals and there are soft light candles everywhere. A small round table is positioned in the middle of the ground and is overflowing with roses and a massive ice bucket, which has a bottle of Cristal poking out. I
glare at Adrian and he smiles at
me. He walks me over to the table and that is when I see a tall
,
blonde haired man
. H
e is dressed in a black suit as he plays a soft tune on a violin. The man smiles at me as Adrian pulls out a chair for me. I quickly sit and I begin to take off my jacket.

“Alanna, it would be better if you kept your jacket on.” Adrian says as he raises his thick dark eyebrow. I briefly smile at him and I tighten my jacket once again. Adrian sits opposite me and he begins to pour me a glass of Champagne. I glare at him,

“Adrian, why don’t you drink,” h
e slides the glass over to me and he
gently
exhales.

“I don’t
drink
because I fear that if I did then I would not stop. Alice was an alcoholic and I am scared that I could be the same.” He looks down at the ground as his words choke from his lips. I lean over and I gently stroke his hand.

“You are nothing like her. You are a strong enough person to enjoy alcohol responsibly.” Adrian moves his
hand
from undermine and places it on the top of my hand. He gazes at me with those glowing green eyes.

“I can risk it, Alanna.” I nod in agreement and I glare at my surroundings. The night sky of New York is filled with soft light stars. The city is busy, the lights are flashing, and I feel that I can escape everything when I look at Adrian. I take
a small sip of the champagne as Adrian stares at me. I let out a soft giggle and I say.

“Who knew
that you were this romantic?” He smirks at me
,

“I am full of surprises.” I nod in agreement and Adrian looks as if he may have something on his mind. I glance at him and I ask if he is okay.

“Yes I am fine.
However t
here is something that I would like to talk to you about.” He says firmly. I lean back into my seat,

“O
kay, go ahead.” He takes a deep breath and he diddles his finger on the table. He begins to say something but he pauses as he turns to the man that is playing the soft music.

“Can you leave us?” Adrian holds out his hand for the man to shake it and all the while, he hands him a stash of money. He quickly turns to face me again and this time he says.

“I want to talk to you about… my sister.” I clear my throat,

“Off course, talk,
” He slightly coughs as he slides himself up in the chair.

“I want to meet her but I don’t know how to approach the situation. I was hoping that you could come with me?” I smile brightly at him and I am flattered that he wants me to come with him as he meets his sister for the first time.

“Absolutely, just say the time and I will be there.” He laughs at my response.

“How do you think that she will react to me?” I sigh and I remember Dr James. He told me that he loved her but could not be with her because of Maggie. I try to clear my mind, as I do not really want to share this information with Adrian just yet.

“It depends on the type of person
that
she is. I am sure that she is open to meeting you, have you tried to contact her?” I say. Adrian shakes his head and he clutches the bridge of his nose.

“I haven’t contacted her but I know where she lives. I just cannot pick up the courage to go and meet her.” I sense Adrian’s vulnerability as he strokes his forehead. I stare at him, I like this side to him, and Adrian seems as if he has changed in so many ways.

“Adrian I don’t want you to worry about this. Maggie is a wonderful women and I am sure that Emma is equally wonderful.” Adrian sighs at my words and he reaches over to me and takes my hand firmly.

“Alanna, I am a messed up broken person and I fear that Emma will reject me.”

I grip Adrian’s hand as I stare into his radiant green eyes. 

“If she does then it’s her loss. Within the first five minutes of talking to you, I realised that you are the most special and interesting guy
that
I have ever met. If Emma doesn’t notice that then she is the unlucky one for not knowing you.”

Adrian loosens his grip on my hand as he slides his chair out. He stands straight up and reaches out his hand. I quickly take his hand and he escorts me over to the ledge of the building. Adrian gently nud
g
es me forward and he takes my hands and places them onto the barrier. I feel the c
old steel on my skin
and
a
cold shiver runs up my back. I grip on tighter as I look down onto the streets of New York. The view is spectacular and what happens next dominates the amazing scenery. Adrian has placed himself right behind me and he has both his arms wrapped tightly around my waist. He leans in as he gently rests his chin on the top of my head. He exhales deeply and then I feel a soft kiss on the back of my head. I try to turn around so that I can face him but Adrian holds me back. I immediately freeze and Adrian whispers.

“Stand still baby,” Adrian loosens one hand from my waist and he gently begins to run his fingers through my hair.

“Alanna may I ask you something?” I close my eyes gently as I bask in this moment. I exhale and I respond to Adrian.

“Yes, ask me anything?” He takes a deep breath and he is still caressing my hair.

“How do you feel about Michael
?” My eyes immediately open and I wonder if this is a trick question? My mind franticly searches for a reply and I do not have one. Adrian nudges my back and whispers gently.