Love Discovered in New York (The Washington Triplets) (17 page)

“No, no…we’re not thinking like that. It was probably harmless. And even if it wasn’t, you don’t argue outside of a bar with someone you don’t have feelings for. Whatever he had with her—which was probably nothing—can’t possibly touch what you two have. It’s going to be okay.”

I knew she was giving me the sugar-coated bullshit that we generally refrained from using with one another.
But just like a good best friend, she knew when I needed to hear it to keep from freaking out and letting my imagination get the best of me,
I thought, giving her an amused look.

She nodded emphatically to emphasize her point.

I smiled in appreciation. “The last time his phone rang was when I called him over the weekend. That’s when the woman answered,” I stated between bites of my food. “I have nothing else. I have no idea where he could be or who he could be with. I called him a bunch of times last night and each time it went to voicemail.”

“Did you leave him a message?” Kelsey asked as she ate her oatmeal.

“No… I wanted to, but I didn’t have the nerve. I figure if I can just get him on the phone or better yet see him in person, I’d know what to say. If I think about it too much, it makes me nervous.”

“Putting yourself out there is nerve-racking. But I’m so proud of you for going for it! Whatever happens, you’ll be glad you did it.”

“I don’t know. I feel really stressed out about everything. I just need to have my stress-free night at the Waldorf Astoria before preparing to see my family.”

“You did not tell me you were staying there!”

“Oh, I’m only staying tonight and tomorrow night. I didn’t book a room after tomorrow night because after the wedding mess is over, I don’t know how long I’m going to stick around Chicago. And this guy who I was friends with in college works there and hooked me up with a great rate.”

“Nice!”

I winked playfully even though my stomach was in knots.

I needed to fix things with Colton to set my mind at ease. I didn’t let a lot of people in. And besides Kelsey, there was distance between me and everyone I truly cared about. But my father is my father and that doesn’t change no matter how angry I am at him. My sisters are my sisters and on top of that, we’re triplets, so that bond is forever. But Colton, unless he chooses to be a part of my life, is not tied to me in any way. If he chooses to walk away, that’s it. Nothing will change it.

And that scares me more than the idea of letting him in did,
I realized as we finished up our brunch.
My stomach flutters when I think about him. My heart races when I see him. My skin warms when he looks at me. My life is better when I’m with him. It’s crazy… the one man I forced myself to walk away from is the one man I can’t see myself living without
.

I considered admitting that aloud to Kelsey, but decided to tell her later. She would want to discuss that more thoroughly and I just didn’t have the time.

“Call me as soon as you land,” Kelsey said, wrapping me up into a bear hug.

“You know I will.” I squeezed her tightly. We said our goodbyes before we parted ways.

Moving quickly, I checked my bag and then made my way through airport security. It wasn’t until I boarded the plane did I notice that I didn’t have my phone charger. The two-and-a-half hour flight felt like six hours without a book to read or game to play on my cell phone. It was always my plan to read while on the plane, but since battery life was low, I refrained.

Arriving in Chicago was a surreal experience. I hadn’t been back in so long, I felt like a visitor even though I was born and raised in the city. With my sunglasses shielding my eyes, I walked to baggage claim as quickly as possible. I wanted to get to the hotel as soon as possible so I could get my mind right before embarking on the sit-down with my family the next day. Just thinking about hashing things out with my sisters and then with my dad had me exhausted. And to top it off, my phone was dying and I wanted to check into the hotel and relax.

As soon as I got my luggage off of the conveyor belt, my phone vibrated in my hand.

Nicks, what do you want? Unless it’s to tell me you fired Rhiannon, I don’t want to talk right now,
I thought, tucking the phone into my back pocket and heading to the corridor where taxis and shuttle buses picked up passengers.

I considered calling Nicks back once I got into the taxi, but my phone ended up dying completely. The ride to the hotel was quiet and allowed me time to think and overthink how the weekend would pan out.

I should’ve asked Kelsey to come with me,
I thought, imagining the worst.
I don’t want to do this alone.

I checked into the Waldorf Astoria and once I got into my room, I took a long, hot bath. I let the emotional stress of everything I had going on wash away in the warm water. The only thing missing from my stress relief session was alcohol. But after the amount I consumed the night before, it was probably for the best.

I had been in the bath for almost two hours and my skin had pruned. It felt as though I had nodded off in the tub because of how much time had passed without me realizing it. As I quickly dressed and towel dried my hair, I went to grab my phone to check the time.

Shit,
I thought, throwing my hair in a ponytail and then twisting it up into a bun.
I forgot that I didn’t have my charger.

I searched my bag frantically for the charger and couldn’t find it anywhere. I called down to the front desk and they didn’t have any phone chargers at all. I even asked the front desk person about their personal charger and they didn’t have the same phone as I did. I could’ve walked down the block to the nearest store, but I didn’t feel like it. I was too relaxed from the bath. Succumbing to the mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, I fell asleep as soon as I curled up on the king-sized bed.

When I woke up ten hours later, I felt better than I had in a while. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was planning on hashing some things out with my family or because of the relaxing bath and comfortable bed, but I felt good.

Today is going to be a good day,
I thought as I was overcome with a hopefulness that rarely ever surfaced.

I showered and dressed quickly in a pair of black leggings and a blue and black printed t-shirt. I let my hair fall in loose curls all around me. I thought about putting my hair up, but after a second thought, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, leaving it down.

Grabbing my dead phone and my black crossbody bag, I strolled out of the room. When I got to the lobby, I stopped by the front desk.

“Hi! I’m Mya Washington. I’m staying on the second floor. I called last night about a phone charger.” I pulled out my phone and showed it to the woman. “My phone died and I left my charger back home. Would you happen to have a charger that fits this phone?”

“Oh! Mya Washington! I just saw a note with your name on it,” the woman said, shifting papers around. “I just had it.”

That was nice of the nightshift guy to leave a note about my charger,
I thought, smiling widely. I knew today was going to be a good one. I needed a good day.

“Here it is,” she announced holding it up. “You have a message from a Kelsey Stone. I took that message this morning when you didn’t answer your room phone. And another from…I’m sorry, I can’t find the message Taylor took.” She gestured to the man talking on the phone on the other side of the front desk. “If you give us a few minutes, when he gets off the phone, I can have him bring you your other message.”

“Okay, sounds good,” I replied with a smile. Sliding my sunglasses back onto my face, I turned around and walked to the area where sleek, modern chairs were situated by a window. Just before I sat down, I looked to my left and froze.

I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. He walked with confidence toward me and he didn’t stop until there was no space between us. I was frozen in my spot, held captive by his piercing brown eyes. I had to tilt my head upward to maintain eye contact as I stood statue-still from sheer shock. The hotel noise faded away and all I could hear was my heart racing. My breathing picked up and I willed myself to speak.

“Colton?” I whispered breathily as I took in his masculine form. “Colton… I…How—how are you here?” I stammered, my hands pulling at his shirt bringing him closer to me

He didn’t utter a word in response. Instead, he put his hands in my hair and held my head by the nape of my neck. The skin-to-skin contact caused goosebumps to erupt everywhere he touched. The way his nails gently scratched my scalp sent shocks of electricity that started at the base of my head and expanded all over my body. The look in his eyes weakened me as he scanned my face like it was the first time he’d seen me.

Without warning, Colton’s lips brushed mine softly, gently, romantically. My lips tingled from the contact. My heart beat wildly as my eyes fluttered closed. Before I could wrap my mind around what was happening, he pulled away slightly. I could feel his minty breath on my face and when I opened my eyes, he was staring at me.

Removing my sunglasses, he slid them into my thick mass of hair. “I couldn’t go another minute without doing that,” he whispered, brushing his thumb across my bottom lip. He pulled me into a hug and held me against his firm body.

It felt like a dream as we stood holding each other in the lobby. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I breathed, hugging him tightly. “I don’t understand. I didn’t even know where you were. I called and I stopped by and…” I took in a sharp breath.

“I didn’t know you were looking for me,” he murmured, searching my face. “I’ve been here for a few days.”

“I—I called. I couldn’t get through.”

"I had planned to come this weekend for my sister's birthday, but my father got sick--nothing major--but I came back a few days early. My first night here, my sister answered my phone, dropped it, and broke it so it’s at a repair shop. I didn’t see any missed calls, but I was able to call and check my voicemail. I got the message that you left Wednesday night. I didn’t get it until yesterday afternoon, but I got it. And when I heard your voice…” The sentence trailed off and he planted a soft kiss against my lips.

Did I leave him a message when I was drinking Wednesday night?
I thought, struggling to remember what I could’ve said.

“I called you back from my sister’s phone and there was no answer. I figured you didn’t pick up calls you didn’t know. So I called Duke & Duchess and talked to Nicks. He said you were going out of town to visit family. And then I asked him to call you and tell you to call me on my sister’s number. And I asked him to have Kelsey call me. When I talked to Kelsey, she told me you’re from Chicago and you were staying at the Waldorf Astoria. So I came looking for you.”

“You found me,” I breathed in disbelief, unable to even out the tremble in my voice.

His voice dropped when he softly replied, “I’ll always find you, Mya.”

Captivated by the softness in his eyes and the sincerity in his voice, my breathing faltered and something inside of me broke all the way open. Looking into his eyes, everything started spilling out of me.

“I’m sorry.” My vision became blurry with tears. “I’m sorry I said this was a mistake. It wasn’t a mistake. Walking away…that was a mistake. We weren’t.”

I tried to bury my face in his shirt, but he pulled away, tipping my head up with his hands still wrapped in my hair. “Don’t hide from me, Mya. I want to see you. All of you.”

Squaring my shoulders, I took a deep, wavering breath. “When I walked out of your apartment that night, it wasn’t because I didn’t feel anything. I walked out because I did feel something.” I paused briefly. “I still do, Colton,” I whispered, peeking up at him through my lashes. “I don’t know if you’ve moved on or not—”

“You think I moved on?” Colton rasped with emotion, hurt flashing in his eyes.

“I don’t know. You said you weren’t going to chase me and then I didn’t hear from you,” I whispered. “So much time has passed.”

“Mya, I told you I wasn’t going to chase you because it wouldn’t have made any difference. You weren’t ready. I looked in your face and I knew you felt the same way I did, but you weren’t ready to admit it.” Unraveling his right hand from my hair, he stroked my face. “What I feel for you…there’s no moving on from that.”

Capturing my mouth with his, Colton kissed me with a tenderness that caused a tear to escape from my closed eyelids. He took his time, exploring my mouth with his own. The kiss was tender and worshipful. He moved his hands slowly down my back until he wrapped his arms around me. Pulling me flush against his body, he deepened the kiss causing me to moan lightly.

He kissed me as if he were trying to express what he felt for me through his lips. I felt vulnerable and completely exposed as butterflies spread across my belly and through my entire body. My knees weakened and he gripped me tighter, keeping me secure and upright.

When he pulled away from the kiss, he just stared at me and I stared back in awe. A mixture of happiness and nerves radiated through me. I opened my mouth to say what I was feeling and then changed my mind at the last second when I lost my nerve.

“You know your face gives everything you’re feeling away.” Bringing his face even closer, he rested his forehead against mine. His brown eyes burned into me as if he could see my thoughts. “Say it, Mya. I need you to say it.”

My heart pounded in my chest as he looked at me with a pleading mix of passion and understanding. I swallowed thickly, gathering the courage to say the words I felt.

It’s way too soon for me to tell him that I love him…if that’s even what this is,
I thought, taking one shaky breath after another as I tried to slow the flood of emotions I felt.

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” I confessed, staring into his eyes. I hesitated for a second before murmuring, “I’m all in.”

I pushed my lips upward, pressing my mouth against his. I wanted him to feel how much he meant to me. I wanted him to taste how much I desired him. I wanted him to know that he didn’t have to worry about me running again.