My Favorite Souvenir(47)

My heart sank, and my eyes found Milo’s. “Sorry. I’m on my way down now.”

I ended the call and whispered, “The Uber driver is here. I have to go.”

Milo leaned his forehead against mine. “Don’t say goodbye. I can’t hear you say that word.”

I looked into his eyes. “I won’t. This trip has meant everything to me, Milo. I hope you know that.”

“Me, too, babe. Me, too.”

I forced a smile. “I’ll…see you in New Orleans on Valentine’s Day?”

He nodded. “You bet your ass you will.”

I walked to the door and looked back one last time. Milo was still rooted to the spot where we’d kissed.

“In case you’re wondering, I got my favorite souvenir in Atlanta. Take care, Milo.”





PART TWO





Chapter 15




* * *



Hazel



Two weeks later



The doorbell rang, and I jumped.

God, why am I such a nervous wreck? Ever since I’d agreed to meet Brady to talk, I’d had this looming feeling of dread hanging over me. I’d been so anxious yesterday that it took me forever to fall asleep last night.

At the front door, I took a few deep breaths and smoothed my blouse before reaching for the door handle.

“Hey,” I breathed out as I opened the door.

Brady’s smile was luminescent. “Hey, beautiful.” He leaned in toward me, and it looked like he was going to kiss me on the lips.

I pulled back.

“Shit.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I wasn’t even thinking. I just… It’s been a long time and…habit, I guess. Can I at least give you a hug?”

I forced a smile. “Sure. Of course.”

Brady stepped forward and wrapped me in a tight embrace. I relaxed a little as he held me, the familiarity of his scent and touch giving me comfort. But then the fact that I’d started to grow comfortable in his arms began to freak me out, and I pulled away.

“It’s cold out there. Why don’t you come in?”

I’d been on blind dates that felt less awkward than inviting the man I was supposed to marry only a few months ago into my living room. Brady followed me into the kitchen. Wine was definitely going to be needed tonight. Though alcohol tended to make me emotional, so I planned to have only a glass or two. I wanted to take the edge off, not lose sight of what had happened between us—or what I’d learned about myself.

“Would you like a glass of white wine?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

I already had a bottle open, so I took down two glasses from the cabinet and poured us each one. Brady hadn’t said much since he walked in, and when I looked up, I found him staring at me funny.

“What?” I offered him a glass.

He took it. “Nothing. I just really missed you. I hope that’s okay to say.”

My lips pressed together. “Why don’t we go sit in the living room?”

Brady followed me, and we sat a polite distance apart on the couch. As we drank our wine in silence, I glanced over at him and couldn’t help but make a comparison to Milo. While Milo had big, brown bedroom eyes, shaggy hair that needed a cut, and often sported a five o’clock shadow, Brady was the polar opposite. His blond hair was always neatly trimmed, his skin always smooth and clean-shaven, and his blue eyes were bright and attentive. The only thing the two men had in common was their beautiful, full lips. But it’s not that Brady wasn’t handsome. He was—very much so—just in a different way than Milo. With his buttoned-up, neat appearance and cropped hair, Brady had a Ken-doll quality about him. Milo looked more like he’d walked out of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine.

“How was your trip?” Brady interrupted my thoughts.

Wonderful.

Amazing.

Life changing.

Those were the first words that came to mind.

Yet, I shrugged. “It was good.”

“What did you do?”

This exact question was one of the primary reasons I couldn’t fall asleep last night. I’d gone round and round in my head about what I would say when Brady inevitably asked it. Did I tell him the truth? That I took a road trip with a complete stranger? Or did I lie? Seeing as I never had come to a conclusion, I told the truth… Well, sort of.

“I learned to ski, took some photos, and explored a bit.”

After all, that wasn’t a lie.

Brady frowned. “I was looking forward to teaching you to ski. Did you at least have a good instructor?”

I gulped some wine. “Yeah. The instructor was great.”

God, why did I feel so much guilt? Brady was the one who broke my heart and called off our engagement. I had every right to be with another man—not that Milo and I had been together in that way. But still…the guilt was overwhelming. I needed to change the subject.

“How’s your mother doing?” I asked. Brady’s mom had been diagnosed with Lyme disease right before we split up. She’d had a lot of joint pain and suffered from constant fatigue.

“She’s doing good. The last round of antibiotics really seemed to help.”

I nodded. “I’m glad.”