New Year in Manhattan(35)

“Hey handsome. How’s the hangover?” I answered.

“Hey. Not good. I went to Andrew and Mandy’s last night and drank too much whiskey.”

“I wish I were there so I could run you a bath and give you a head massage.”

“Yeah?” He sounded tired. “I wish you were here, too.”

“Really? You were pretty grouchy with me earlier.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just have a lot going on . . . ”

“I thought we had a rule that we shared stuff.” I really wanted him to tell me what he wanted for our future. I wanted the no-bullshit Ethan.

“It’s just boring work stuff.”

I wondered if that had been the first time Ethan had bullshitted me.





Ethan

I hated that I wasn’t being honest with her. But I needed time. We had seemed to want the same things out of life up until now. I needed to talk to her about our future but it wasn’t a conversation we could have over the phone.

I decided to go for a run. I’d spent most of the evening in the study, trying to get through a mountain of emails and I didn’t seem to be making any progress. A run would help me clear my head. I changed and headed off. It was quiet out. I normally ran in the mornings, so this was different for me. I should have worn a hat. It was colder than I expected. The warmth of the apartment had lulled me into a false sense of security. I picked up my pace, eager to warm up, and headed east toward Washington Square Park. I tread my familiar route of the smaller roads to my destination, not thinking about work, not thinking about Anna. I just concentrated on my breathing as I settled into a comforting rhythm.

Nobody had told the shivering bodies in the park that it was cold and time to go home. People were scattered across the benches as if it were the middle of the summer. I grinned at a couple who looked like they were having an argument, but were still holding hands.

The laces of my running shoes loosened and when I glanced down, my left shoe had come untied. I stopped at one of the empty benches to fasten it, more aware of my heavy breathing once I’d stopped running.

“Ethan?” A female voice I half-recognized asked.

I looked up to find Clarissa, one of the Hamptons set, walking toward me. I stood and kissed her on the cheek. “Hi Clarissa. Not seen you in a while.”

“No, not since the summer. How are things? How’s work?”

“Yeah, good,” I replied pushing my hands through my hair.

“How’re Mandy and Andrew?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. I saw them last night. And you? What are you doing downtown? Don’t you live uptown?”

“You remembered,” she said, smiling at me as if it were a secret. We’d fucked a few years ago. It had been a one-time deal but we ran in the same circles and we bumped into each other here and there. “I was just having drinks with friends and I wanted to walk through the park before I got a cab home. I love it at this time of night.”

I nodded. “It’s one of my favorite places.”

“You could see me home if you wanted? I have an excellent single malt back at my apartment,” she said.

My stomach flipped at the thought. “I’m with Anna. You met her right?”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “The girl from the Hamptons. I remember her I think. But she’s not here now and,” she glanced down at my left hand and then back up at me, “I don’t see a ring.”

I stepped back from her. “There doesn’t need to be a ring, Clarissa.” I looked at her because I wanted to see her understand what I was saying. “There doesn’t need to be a ring.” I repeated. “Have a good night.” I headed out of the park.

And there it was. The answer I didn’t know that I’d been looking for. I didn’t need to marry her. I wanted her forever and a ring wasn’t what was going to guarantee that. I would just have to work hard every day to convince her to stay. I could do that.

I checked my watch. It was gone ten. Too late or too early to call her, but a darkness had been lifted from me. Just because she didn’t want to get married didn’t mean that I couldn’t convince her to spend the rest of her life with me. And I wanted that life to start as soon as possible.





Chapter Thirteen


Anna

I needed to find a quiet corner of the airport to call Ethan, he’d just texted me, asking me if I was around. He still didn’t know I was flying over. I wanted it to be a surprise. In the end I went into the Gucci shop and pretended to be thinking about buying a handbag. Hopefully, Ethan wouldn’t guess where I was.

“Hey beautiful,” he answered. His mood had shifted this week. Things were definitely better but I wanted to be there to make sure. I was eager to start our forever together.