I suddenly realized how far he’d gone out on a limb by sending me this ticket.

“Yes,” I said at last, my stomach tightening into a knot.

“Thank fuck. I missed you, princess.”

Wiping away a stray tear, I looked down at the ticket in my hand. “I leave tomorrow.”

“Yes. I’ll pick you up at the airport at eight.”

“See you then.”

• • •

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Allie as I handed her Enchilada’s leash. “It’s only for the weekend.”

She gave me a knowing smirk. “It’s fine.”

When I told her about my surprise trip to Colorado, I thought Allie might freak out. Instead, she’d offered to dog-sit for me. It made me wonder if perhaps Cannon had told her about the ticket before he sent it. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

“Thank you again. I’ll be home Sunday night.” I handed her the bag containing Enchilada’s food dish, his favorite blanket, and a canister of his dog food.

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.”

“Be good for Allie,” I murmured, bending down to stroke his soft gray fur one last time.

“You doing all right?” she asked when I rose to my feet. Allie’s brown eyes were filled with emotion, and the deeper meaning behind her concern hit me square in the chest.

She wasn’t asking if I was okay leaving my dog for two nights. She was asking the question neither of us was brave enough to talk about.

“You gave me some really bad advice,” I said softly.

“I know.” She hung her head, looking down at her shoes briefly before meeting my gaze again. “I should have told you to follow your heart. I should have told you to run, not walk.”

Tears welled in my eyes. Allie pulled me in for a hug, her arms tightening around me.

I had my best friend’s blessing at long last. The only thing left to do was go get my man and hope that nothing had changed between us in all these weeks apart.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Cannon

It was finally Friday, and Paige would be here in an hour. I felt like a scared teenager again, my stomach twisted into a knot, nervous over where the evening might take us and imagining it over and over. It was a little ridiculous how much I’d missed her. Since she called yesterday to say she was coming, I’d been wound tight, unable to think about anything else.

I spent the day vacuuming and cleaning my new apartment. I lived in a luxury building not far from downtown with a marble lobby and six floors. My apartment wasn’t on the top floor but it was a corner unit, which meant I had two walls of windows that let in the afternoon sun, and a nice balcony.

After I finished tidying up, I headed to the grocery store to stock up for the weekend, since my goal was that we’d rarely leave the bed. I picked up wine and cheese and fruit for tonight, and ingredients for the French toast I wanted to make her in the morning. Forty-eight hours with my princess wouldn’t be enough. I just hoped I could convince her to stay long term.

I’d been with many women over the years, but no one like Paige. She was precious to me. Growing up with her, I watched her turn into a knockout beauty, never dreaming that I’d get a shot at something more with her. It was almost surreal to think that she was about to visit me here.

After showering, shaving, and applying a little cologne, there was nothing else to do but wait.

• • •

Finally, it was time to leave for the airport and wait for her flight to arrive. I got there way too early, of course, and the airport security patrol ushered me through the line, not letting me stop at the curb and wait for long. I circled the airport three times before she finally texted me that she had landed.

Paige looked even better than I’d remembered, wearing a light blue sweater dress, tights, and tall boots. Her honey-colored hair cascaded down over her shoulders, and she nervously tucked it behind her ear as she looked around. I realized she didn’t even know which kind of vehicle I drove now, and in my excitement, I’d forgotten to tell her. I’d sold the old sedan that had gotten me through college, not thinking it could fare the long road trip, and now drove a black sport utility vehicle. Placing my SUV into park, I climbed out and called her name.

She turned at the sound of my voice, a smile on her lips. Dropping her overnight bag on the sidewalk, she ran into my waiting arms.

Lifting her off the ground, I held her close and breathed in her scent, so thankful that she was here. I didn’t know a soul in this state, other than the people I worked with, and Paige’s presence here felt like everything.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Paige

“How is it going? Do you like it here? Your new place? The hospital?” I wanted to know everything at once, and I was rambling like a lunatic.

Cannon chuckled and reached across the car’s console to place his palm on my knee. He gave it a light squeeze. “Yeah, I like it a lot. I live in an apartment complex near the hospital where several residents live. The hospital was only built a few years ago, so it’s new and really nice. And the cardiology team has all been very welcoming.”

He made it sound like everything was peachy keen. I’d been barely holding it together, almost unable to get out of bed some mornings, and he was clearly thriving in his new city.

“That’s good to hear,” I managed.

Maybe he didn’t want the same things as me. Maybe this weekend trip was just supposed to be zero-expectations fun. I couldn’t allow myself to get my hopes up. Placing my steely wall up, I asked him about the landscape as we drove, and Cannon was all too happy to tell me about his new home, pointing out landmarks as we went.