TIES THAT BIND

ss from me. The moment she stuck her tiny little hand in mine at our summer house, the countless rings on her fingers scratching against my palms as we shook hands, I wanted to kn

ition, except she's going to stay more grounded in New York. You'll be based in New York with me, but you'll also travel with me when needed." It appears she just realized that to do this, she'd have to uproot her entire life and move across the country from California to New York. "I'm supposed to move?" "We can't be engaged and live on opposite ends of the country." Her bottom lip juts out in a frown. "My friends are here, not in New York. We all moved out here together. I can't leave them." I bite back the urge to remind her that she also moved out here for Carter. "I'll fly them out there. Or fly you here. You choose. I've got a jet with staff always on standby. We'll figure that out easily." "You have a jet? With people on standby?" "Yes. It's waiting on a tarmac right now. I try to avoid California as much as I can. I much prefer the Northeast." She laughs. "Yeah, you totally have the New Yorker vibe. Rich, full of themselves, and grumpy." I ignore her comment. She probably thinks they're supposed to be insults, but those adjectives don't have power over me. I know who I am. She isn't wrong with her assessment. New York and I fit together perfectly. "What other reasons do you have to convince yourself this won't work?" Margo rubs her lips together, her eyes seeming to focus on the small amount of air between our bodies. It wouldn't take much for us to be touching, just a slight movement from either of us and our bodies would connect. "Well, there's the obvious reason that it's totally fake. How do we expect people to believe us? My friends will know it isn't real.