All's Fair in Love and Chocolate (Marietta Chocolate Wars #1) - Amy Andrews Page 0,72

lump in Vivian’s throat expanded a little more and her chest ached. “Okay.”

She understood but it didn’t stop her wanting to go to him, to hug him and tell him she was sorry. It wasn’t fair to him she knew, but she yearned to feel his arms around her one more time.

“I’m sorry.” She must have looked like she was about to move toward him again and he shook his head pre-emptively, his eyes begging her to stay where she was.

“It’s okay. Just…” He tipped his chin at her bag. “You’re obviously all packed—let’s not drag it out, okay?”

Vivian bit into her bottom lip and sucked in a ragged breath. He was right, everything was ready to just walk out the door. So why didn’t she want to walk out the door?

“Sure.”

There was an awkward pause. “I’m going to take a shower,” he announced. “I guess I might see you around in a few months.”

“Yeah.” Viv nodded.

And then with one last look that gutted her to her core, Reuben strode out of the room.

*

Viv had never been so pleased to see an airport in her entire life. It had been a long day aimlessly wandering around Bozeman, all the time trying not to think about Reuben and his declaration and how her head was telling her to go to Houston but her heart wasn’t sure.

She’d been telling the damn useless thing all day that she’d be back in Marietta in a few months and if it still felt the same way after that time then Viv would reassess the clash of feelings roaring around inside.

But in the meantime she had to go to Houston. The company needed her and she’d never let them down. She wasn’t just going to ditch her career because a guy she happened to like—like—a whole hell of a lot, had told her he loved her.

It was almost time for the flight to board and she was waiting impatiently at the gate. Once it took off, there was nothing more she could do—her fate was sealed. If only her lips and mouth and throat weren’t so dry and her heartbeat wasn’t so loud in her ears as the red electronic digits on the clock stared her down.

Why did it feel like a ticking bomb?

Delving into the bottom of her large holdall for some gum she knew she’d stashed there at some stage, her hand knocked something solid and she pulled it out.

The music box.

Her heart swelled at the sheer beauty of it all over again. Flipping it over she turned the winder at the bottom then righted it, seating it in the palm of her hand, watching the ice-skating couple spin around and around.

And she was back at Miracle Lake with Reuben.

A tear fell from one eye then the other. A choke rose in her throat. Oh crap…this gift. He’d been in love with her when he’d bought it, hadn’t he? It had been bought and given out of love. She could feel the love now, as the couple spun around. The love with which he had bought it and the love within herself that was welling and welling and expanding and taking over everything in her chest, causing pressure everywhere and tears to flow freely now.

She was in love with Reuben Price.

Why hadn’t she seen that? The love in the giving. And her love in the receiving.

God…this complicated everything so much but somehow, it just didn’t matter. Nothing mattered now but being with Reuben.

Contemplating upending her whole life for some guy she liked hadn’t made any sense. But for a guy she loved?

Yeah. Nothing had ever made more sense.

Standing on wobbly legs, she yanked out her cell with her spare hand as she headed for the nearest exit sign. Fast-dialing Reuben, it went straight to his voicemail. Damn it. “Reuben? Reuben? Where are you. I’m coming back, okay? Just hold on, I’m coming back. Ring me when you get this okay?”

Viv started to jog because she had some groveling to do and a confession to make and she wanted that done and over so she could kick the new year off right.

*

Thirty minutes later, Viv alighted from her taxi and was striding into the lobby of that Bozeman hotel where she and Reuben had first met because he still wasn’t answering his phone and her gut was telling her to look here. He had, after all, booked a room for tonight. She wasn’t sure she’d want to torture herself like that but maybe, if he’d