smiled. “And I'm tired of having to say goodbye to you every night. I barely get any sleep because I'm usually lying there thinking about you.”
“You get sleep” he countered, grinning back at me. “Shoot, sugar, all I'm ever able to do most of the time is lie there all night with my eyes closed because I can't get you off my mind.”
“So, that's where the bloodshot eyes are coming from these days.”
“Dang straight. But don't you know it's worth it?”
I caressed his lips. “It is for me too.”
He silently let his eyes roam over my face for a moment and slowly bent his head, capturing my mouth with his, igniting a fire in me that burned from the inside out. When he kissed me, everything else went away. Nothing else existed, and I knew his kisses would always affect me that way.
“How soon?” he whispered against my mouth. He pulled back a little. “Next week works for me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“Next week?”
“Next week.”
I grinned in surprise, warmed by the knowledge that he really wanted me, that I was really going to be his wife. “Well, then, I guess next week would be fine with me, too.”
He smiled before kissing me once more, and I knew in that moment that no matter what path my life would take in the future, this is the one I would forever be grateful for, because it led me to Hayden.
I had no idea, however, as we clung to each other under the stars, that our love was about to be tested in ways I never expected.
Reality always keeps a heart in check.
Ten
I was about to head out to where Hayden was finishing the repairs on another section of the fence when my cell phone rang. Checking my reflection in the full-length mirror once more, I picked it up and was startled the see the number for the Zuri Agency displayed on the caller ID.
“Hello,” I answered and grinned when I was greeted by the voice of my friend, Andrea.
Andrea was a secretary for the agency, and a darned good one too. I always told her they never paid her enough, and I had heard it said more than once around the office that she was indispensable. I had only spoken with her a couple of times since coming to Roswell. Both times she called me from her home. This time, however, she called from the office, which surprised me.
“How are you, girl?” she asked, her voice ringing with energetic excitement.
“I'm good. What are you up to today?”
“No good as usual,” she answered and I laughed.
“Well, judging from the caller ID, you must have something important to tell me because you never call from the office.”
“I know. If I made a personal call from this office, girl, they would probably garnish my wages and tell me I owed them for the trouble.”
I laughed at her exaggeration. “You know, I keep telling you to get from behind that desk and start modeling. The money is a lot better.”
“Yeah, right. Me, modeling? That will be the day.”
She always gave me the same answer. “So, what's going on?” I finally asked.
“What's going on is one of our top clients wants you for an ad for their new fall cosmetic line. They want you to be the new face of their company, and to put it simply, the agency wants you back.”
“Who's the client?” I asked curiously. When there was a sudden knock at the door, I put my hand over the phone and said, “Come in.” Caroline opened the door and I put up a finger, indicating I would only be a moment.
“The client is Ebersole & Company.”
“You're kidding me!” I breathed incredulously.
Ebersole was not just one of their top clients, they were the cream of the crop! Only two other models at Zuri had jobs with Ebersole, and they were only fill-ins for when the company needed an extra body on the runway for their clothing line. For me to actually be requested by them was truly amazing. I couldn't count the number of girls who would
“You get sleep” he countered, grinning back at me. “Shoot, sugar, all I'm ever able to do most of the time is lie there all night with my eyes closed because I can't get you off my mind.”
“So, that's where the bloodshot eyes are coming from these days.”
“Dang straight. But don't you know it's worth it?”
I caressed his lips. “It is for me too.”
He silently let his eyes roam over my face for a moment and slowly bent his head, capturing my mouth with his, igniting a fire in me that burned from the inside out. When he kissed me, everything else went away. Nothing else existed, and I knew his kisses would always affect me that way.
“How soon?” he whispered against my mouth. He pulled back a little. “Next week works for me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“Next week?”
“Next week.”
I grinned in surprise, warmed by the knowledge that he really wanted me, that I was really going to be his wife. “Well, then, I guess next week would be fine with me, too.”
He smiled before kissing me once more, and I knew in that moment that no matter what path my life would take in the future, this is the one I would forever be grateful for, because it led me to Hayden.
I had no idea, however, as we clung to each other under the stars, that our love was about to be tested in ways I never expected.
Reality always keeps a heart in check.
Ten
I was about to head out to where Hayden was finishing the repairs on another section of the fence when my cell phone rang. Checking my reflection in the full-length mirror once more, I picked it up and was startled the see the number for the Zuri Agency displayed on the caller ID.
“Hello,” I answered and grinned when I was greeted by the voice of my friend, Andrea.
Andrea was a secretary for the agency, and a darned good one too. I always told her they never paid her enough, and I had heard it said more than once around the office that she was indispensable. I had only spoken with her a couple of times since coming to Roswell. Both times she called me from her home. This time, however, she called from the office, which surprised me.
“How are you, girl?” she asked, her voice ringing with energetic excitement.
“I'm good. What are you up to today?”
“No good as usual,” she answered and I laughed.
“Well, judging from the caller ID, you must have something important to tell me because you never call from the office.”
“I know. If I made a personal call from this office, girl, they would probably garnish my wages and tell me I owed them for the trouble.”
I laughed at her exaggeration. “You know, I keep telling you to get from behind that desk and start modeling. The money is a lot better.”
“Yeah, right. Me, modeling? That will be the day.”
She always gave me the same answer. “So, what's going on?” I finally asked.
“What's going on is one of our top clients wants you for an ad for their new fall cosmetic line. They want you to be the new face of their company, and to put it simply, the agency wants you back.”
“Who's the client?” I asked curiously. When there was a sudden knock at the door, I put my hand over the phone and said, “Come in.” Caroline opened the door and I put up a finger, indicating I would only be a moment.
“The client is Ebersole & Company.”
“You're kidding me!” I breathed incredulously.
Ebersole was not just one of their top clients, they were the cream of the crop! Only two other models at Zuri had jobs with Ebersole, and they were only fill-ins for when the company needed an extra body on the runway for their clothing line. For me to actually be requested by them was truly amazing. I couldn't count the number of girls who would
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