When we got back to the hotel, Travis and I sat on the bed and talked. We were…well, basically planning our future. Although we were not lovers, we were betrothed and whether we liked it or not, we had lives that we would live together, for the next two years, minimum.
“You said you were thinking of moving cities,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Then come to Manhattan with me,” he said. “You can manage your gallery there instead. You can paint all you want. I’m pretty sure there are dance studios that would be happy to accommodate you.”
“That sounds like a plan.” I smiled. I found that proposal interesting.
“I have an apartment there. You can move in with me.”
“Why? Can’t I rent my own?”
“Useless,” Travis replied. His tone told me that he thought my idea was ridiculous. “When do you intend to get married anyway? You’re appr
In the mornings, I made sure I was up to make coffee for Travis before he left for work. I did his tie and helped him put on his suit.He smiled at me. “You’ll do a good job at being Mrs. Cross,” he teased. “I’m beginning to get used to this.”I laughed. “And who said you were difficult to live with?”Travis rarely came home at eleven in the evenings anymore. Most of the time, it was earlier than that, and we had dinner together.One night, he came home late and I had fallen asleep on the living room couch waiting for him. When I woke up again, I was already back in the bed with Travis snoring quietly on the couch.I had a chat on the phone with Karl one Friday night. He warned me that Travis was in a foul mood. He’d had a meeting with his father, and it didn’t go well.“Like how bad?”“Really bad. Travis was pushing his father to the wall, making him realiz
The next Friday night, I was having coffee with Eric. He was on a business trip in Manhattan. He figured he’d see me first before he went back to Connecticut.We were interrupted when my phone rang. My heart pounded when I saw Chris’s number on the screen.“Chris. What’s he calling me for?”“Realizing what a big fool he’s been?” Eric suggested.I answered the call. “What?”I heard Chris’s intake of breath on the other line. “Brianne…” His voice was sober. “I’ve been waiting for you in your apartment.”“What? Who told you to go there? I should have changed the locks! I cannot believe you had the nerve to actually use your keys!”He didn’t say anything for a while. He took another deep breath. “Are you coming home anytime soon? It’s been nearly two weeks now. And I see no signs of you. I dropped by the dan
I went to Travis’s office on Monday. Since Karl wouldn’t be in, I volunteered to help him out in case he needed assistance. But when I got there, I was the one surprised. There was an easel at one corner of his office, and the coffee table had a box of Godiva chocolates and a bouquet of roses on top of it.“Is it always like this?” I asked him, looking at the lovely roses.He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “I have a special visitor today. I thought she’d like to indulge in a box of sweets.”I laughed and turned around so I could face him. “And the easel is for?”He smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist again. “So you can paint or draw and leave me alone to my work.”“I can paint at home—why did you agree that I come here if you weren’t going to need me anyway?”He shrugged. “I just want you to be here.” He hugged
I had my bachelorette party back home. Friends from college and from the dance club and a couple of my relatives were there. We had it at a little resort. Somebody actually rented a stripper.I was extremely embarrassed when the stripper danced for me. I was pushing Sarah to take my seat at the center of the room.“Come on, Brianne! You’re not getting any from your fiancé—why not just have no-strings-attached fun with that cutie?” Sarah asked.“Because I don’t want my other cousins to think that I’m not faithful to Travis!” I argued. But honestly, had I only slept with two men in my life. One was my boyfriend of two years. And I was marrying the other one in a couple of days.“For someone who’s not really in a relationship with your fiancé, you’re pretty damn loyal!”“If you do this, I’ll do anything you want!” I begged her.“Okay, f
For once, my parents decided to behave in front of each other as they walked me down the aisle.I was nervous as hell, my palms were sweating, and my heart was pounding wildly inside my chest. Did every bride feel like this? I felt scared…terrified. I felt self-conscious that every eye was on me.But when I raised my face toward the altar, I saw Travis standing there, looking magnificent in a tux. He was looking at me intensely…as if he couldn’t take his eyes off me…as if I were the only woman in the room. He was looking at me the way I wanted my real groom to look at me. Tears welled up in my eyes.He looked down to me as he took my hand from my father. He gave me a crooked smile that made my heart stop beating altogether.“Hello, beautiful,” he whispered.“Hey,” I managed to say.He raised my hand to his lips and gave it a kiss. Then he guided me toward the altar.Travis held my han
When I woke up the next day, my head was resting comfortably on Travis’s shoulder. We had our arms around each other, as if it was a natural thing for us to sleep in the same bed.“Good morning,” I greeted him.He smiled lazily. “Good morning.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead gently.I stretched in bed lazily, and then I stood up and disappeared into the bathroom.We had our breakfast in one of the restaurants of the hotel. We chose a spot overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful view, and I was almost sorry I hadn’t brought a sketchbook with me.After breakfast, Travis and I decided to swim on the beach. We went kayaking, and then we sunbathed on the shore. There were some couples there, but it wasn’t crowded and was easy enough to mind our own business.We walked on the shoreline just before sunset, our fingers intertwined.“It’s beautiful here,” I said.&ldqu
The next several days were bliss. It was like there was nothing else in the world but Travis and me. We still kissed, but we both knew where our limits were. We tried not to come close to the edge. We knew we both might not have the strength to stop a second time around.We watched the sunset together every day. Sometimes on the deck, sometimes in the pool.One time, we were lying on a hammock by the beach. I was in his arms, comfortably resting my head on his shoulders with one of his arms wrapped around my waist.“It’s almost over,” I whispered as I watched the sun go down behind the horizon. But I didn’t mean the sunset. The next day we would set back for New York. And somehow, I felt my heart breaking.Travis heaved a deep breath. “I know,” he whispered. “Tomorrow, I put my mask back on. And you’re free to push me back when I come any closer to you.”I stared up at him. “
We got back to our apartment. As soon as we entered, Travis turned to me and said, “It has been a lovely week, Mrs. Cross.”I smiled at him. “It has been.”“Now, we are at a crossroads again,” he said. “I told you I can’t do without my mask. The guy you’ve been with…is far too vulnerable to be able to protect you…keep you safe.”I shook my head. “I don’t believe you!” I said to him. “That guy is more capable of protecting my feelings than anybody else.”He narrowed his eyes. “You have to remember, Brianne. I not only want to protect you,” he said. “There’s a big part of me that also craves you.”I stepped closer to him. “I know what you’re capable of, Travis. I know that guy can protect me, too. You don’t have to put your mask back on. When you told me…you chose to marry me over pursuing the