“I have to go!” she told him, not looking at him because she knew that he was waiting for an answer. But she couldn’t give him an answer. She couldn’t reject his proposal! Although, nor could she accept it. She was trapped!
“I have to go!” she repeated and she didn’t look around. She just raced out of his condo and out the door. She took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator, too desperate to get away, to run from Luke.
She heard his voice call out to her, but she ignored him, needing to get away from him, to protect him.
The startled look on the front desk clerk’s face would have made her chuckle on any other day. Today, all she wanted to do was run. Run away and hide like the coward that she was!
Out on the street, she rushed down to Pike’s Place Market and lost herself in the crowds. Wrapping her arms around herself, she walked and walked, her mind unable to form any coherent thought. Everything was too jumbled in her mind. So she walked. She wasn’t aware of the heels that were making her feet ache or the strange looks from the other pedestrians. She passed by her favorite chocolate place and cheese restaurant, not even smelling the flavors as her mind jumbled all of her thoughts together.
Eventually, she was able to walk far enough that she could start to think. Looking out at the water, she took several deep breaths.
Okay, so Luke had proposed. He’d also ignored all of the boundaries he’d agreed to at the start of this affair. So, she knew that the man didn’t play by the rules. Was that a good thing?
Yeah. She sighed and looked down at the edge of the water, the pilings and thick wood planks that kept the ocean tides from flooding the city. She didn’t have those for her heart and Luke had crept up, invaded her heart. She loved him. So much and so deeply! She could admit that to him. But marriage?
No, she couldn’t do that!
Although…she looked out, noticed a barge coming into port. Her mother was venturing down the marriage path again. Her mother had lived through the marriage to Naya’s father. Naya had only witnessed the pain that the two had caused for each other. She hadn’t experienced it, lived through it like her mother had. And yet, Naya’s mother was risking her heart again. To her, Jeff was worth the risk.
Luke was worth the risk.
Now where had that thought come from?
She looked around, not sure where she was. She headed back towards the heart of the city, her mind still trying to figure out what to do.
Luke was supposed to be the “safe” guy. She’d finally given in and ventured into an affair with him because she’d thought he would never settle down!
And yet, she’d dreamed about being with him forever. She’d dreamed about having a family with him.
Now, her dream could be a reality and she’d run away from him.
“Naya!”
Naya swung around at the sound of Luke’s deep voice. He was standing by the road, his powerful car idling as he glared at her. “Get in the car!”
She almost smiled at his commanding voice. She loved it when they were in bed together, but she wasn’t a fan of it outside the bedroom. Although, in this case, she knew that they needed to talk. She’d run away like a child and that wasn’t fair to Luke. Not fair to herself either.
She walked over to his car and got in, cringing when he slammed the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Thankfully, he drove to her cottage. She needed her things, her turf.
When they were in her house, she walked to the kitchen and started heating water for tea. She didn’t need tea. She needed to feel his arms around her, to feel secure and happy again.
“You’re still wearing my ring,” he commented as he glared at her from the entryway to the kitchen.
She turned and looked up at him. He was so incredibly handsome. Even when he was furious with her, he looked like every woman’s dream man. His hands were fisted on his lean hips and his eyes were narrowed, looking at her as if he wanted to shake her.
“I’m so sorry that I walked out like that.”
He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his neck, striving for patience and understanding. “Why did you do it?”
She started pacing back and forth in her tiny kitchen. “I want to marry you,” she admitted, startled by that fact herself.