Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (31 page)

"Simon, that's not helping," Julia chastised.

"More time wouldn't have helped your case," Simon said. "Telling her she needed to get married to protect her reputation was a stupid idea."

"But you thought it was a good idea this morning," Peter said. His head was pounding. He wasn't in the mood and was half tempted to kick Simon and Julia both out of his apartment.

"I thought it was a good idea because you convinced me that it was what she wanted to do. But obviously, since Megan is MIA, you were wrong. I hate to be the one to say this, but maybe she's just not in love with you."

"Fuck you," Peter said. "She might be your little sister, but you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. This had nothing to do with how she feels about me. I know she would have said yes if I had asked yesterday. The media, the phone calls, your asshole father. That's why she said no."

Simon sighed and set down his glass. "Well then, Julia's right. Megan said no because you're treating this like a business deal. You know as well as I do that Megan is a romantic. She's always trying to fix people up." Simon looked over at Julia and smiled, the first one he'd seen all day. "But deep down she's scared. She uses that bravado of hers as a shield. She's riddled with insecurities and doesn't think she'll ever find someone who'll love her for who she is. Despite the fact that I'm pissed off at how this whole thing went down, I get that you love my sister. So if you were telling the truth about this being the real deal, then you need to find her and prove it."

They were right. He'd screwed this up in more than one way. He'd been so concerned with fixing her problem, he hadn't considered her feelings at all. He just assumed she'd go along with the plan. While Peter was trying to decide what to do next, Simon's phone rang.

"Do you have any news? Okay. Do I even want to know how you got this information?" Simon asked. There was a long pause. He waved to Peter and covered the microphone. "Give me a pen and paper." After handing him a pad, Simon scribbled a few notes. "That's great. Thanks again, and be sure to bill all your expenses to Peter."

Simon ripped the sheet of paper off the pad and folded it. "Against my better judgment, I'm leaving you to handle this." He handed the note over and took Julia by the arm. "Don't screw this up a second time."

Peter unfolded the paper to find a flight number and time. Glancing over at the clock, he noted that there were only two hours before the plane was going to take off. That was hardly enough time to get to the airport, let alone come up with some kind of plan to convince Megan to stay.

But fate or divine intervention was on his side, because when he called the airport he found out the flight was delayed due to weather. That bought him some time, and he knew exactly what he was going to do with it.

This was it. His Hail Mary shot. If he couldn't convince her before she got on that plane, there'd be no second chance.

Chapter Nineteen

Modern Girl Tip #19 Make A Clean Break:
When things end—and they will end—walk away without regret. If you were careful, both you and your guy can leave with your relationship intact.

Megan's flight was delayed another two hours. And as the snow continued to fall at a steady pace, she worried that it would be canceled outright. At least she wasn't alone in her current travel limbo. The terminal was packed with grounded passengers—businesspeople and families alike, with no place to go. More than one person was curled up on the floor trying to sleep, and others were trying to stay occupied on their cell phones or laptops. A small group of children weaved in and out of the aisle, trying to stave off boredom, while exhausted-looking parents kept a watchful eye. It was exactly what Megan imagined hell's waiting room looked like.

A few seats over, a woman laughed, catching her attention. The woman leaned into her lover, burying her face in the crook of his neck while he rubbed her back. The two of them were so caught up in each other they were oblivious to the people around them. Things like that never use to bother Megan before, but now she knew what that feeling was like. She turned away only to find a young woman in a glittery ball cap labeled
BRIDE
walking hand in hand with her new husband. Happy couples everywhere. Regret twisted in her gut. Vivid memories of Peter holding her, touching her, ached like a lost appendage. The terminal was hot and cramped. Her heart was racing. Megan looked around, anxious to get away from the happy couples, but there wasn't a sad, lonely travel section.

Maybe she should just call this whole trip off. But then what? She couldn't go home to her empty house. She didn't want to sleep in her cold bed with memories of Peter still fresh in her mind. Besides, he'd find her there and insist they make peace, and she wasn't ready for that. Her only other alternative was a hotel, and she didn't want to do that either.

What she wouldn't give for a rewind button, so she could go back to yesterday when everything was simple. When there was a future with Peter.

There still could be
, a little voice in the back of her mind reminded her.

But that voice was stupid and needed to shut the fuck up. There was no future with him because she would never be sure why he was with her. Was it meant to be, or was it just Peter trying to protect her all over again? Damn him. Damn him and his stupid honor. Why did he have to ask her to marry him?

Ask! That was funny. No, he didn't ask. He decided that she was going to marry him, like the infuriating, overprotective jerkface he'd always been.

But he didn't have to worry about her now. Damsel in distress she was not. Megan had this shit handled, starting with the public statement her agent released to the press that afternoon. She'd checked the news on her cell. Her agent was doing a brilliant job, putting the focus on her writing instead of whatever perceived bad act they assumed Megan was involved in. In a few days, the whole scandal would settle down and be the perfect launch pad for her books and her brand new public image.

Peter could forget about the trainwreck she'd brought into his life and go back to his manwhoring. And she would start her more public role as Meg Wylde, Author. They both could pretend like this last month never happened. Who knows, they might still be able to salvage their friendship.

Although Megan highly doubted that. She couldn't imagine looking at him without wondering what might have been. Would they have eventually gotten married?

A little girl in a pretty green dress ran past her and jumped into the waiting arms of her father. Megan watched the interaction. Would they have had children? Her office would have been the perfect spot for a nursery. She didn't need all that space to work, but it was just the right size for a nursery. She could almost imagine a little girl with Peter's olive skin and her light brown eyes. Peter was going to make a great father…with someone else.

Fuck.
Was she crying now? Megan wiped the errant tears away with the back of her hand and fished sunglasses out of her purse. This was why she'd avoided relationships. When things collapsed, and they always did, the "what if's" became a raw sore she couldn't stop picking at.

If she was going to stay for her flight, she was going to need a drink. Something strong. She slung her computer bag over her shoulder and beelined for the bar. The young girl in the green dress cut in front of her as she left the aisle and they collided.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Megan said, catching the girl so she didn't fall. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

The little girl giggled and handed her a rose. "That's for you," she said in a small voice and ran back to her father.

"Thanks," Megan said and looked down at the red bud. "I guess."

Great. That's what she got for crying in an airport. Little children were now taking pity on her.

Megan turned, the drink no longer an option; it was a necessity. If she was going to make it to New York, she needed to be drunk or at least have a healthy buzz going. But she didn't get more than two steps before a boy around six pulled on the hem of her jacket. He handed her another rose and ran off. The two kids who were playing tag were right behind him with flowers also. She scanned the terminal and there were a dozen or more kids with flowers, watching her.

"What's this for?" Megan asked as an older girl added to her growing collection.

The girl smiled, a pink blush staining her cheeks. "You should turn around and look."

She turned around and a woman she didn't know came out of the crowd playing a guitar. Megan couldn't quite place the song until a man joined her and started singing the lyrics to the sappy eighties love ballad, "Against All Odds." But that still didn't explain what the hell was going on. Then she caught sight of him. Peter, standing in the crowd, holding another dozen roses.

Figured. The guy couldn't take no for an answer. But this time he had to. No flowers or stupid song about lost love and heartbreak was going to change her mind.

Peter's heart started to race the moment Meg spotted him. This might be the best chance he had and he was nervous as fuck. He didn't have enough time to prep and his idea was a half-assed mash-up of some cheesy romance movies he'd seen. If she wanted a grand gesture, a big romantic finale, he was determined to give it his all.

He approached cautiously. "You didn't think I was just going to let you walk way, did you?"

"Phil Collins? Really?" she said coolly, slipping on her sunglasses. "It's not going to work. You might as well go home because I'm not changing my mind."

She sounded detached and apathetic, but before she'd put on her glasses he saw the puffy redness of her eyes. She wasn't nearly as unaffected as she'd like him to believe.

Robyn continued playing the song in the background as he pleaded his case. "Please don't leave. You really are the only person who knows me, and I can't lose you. Without you, there's this huge void that no one will ever be able to fill."

"Stop. This whole shtick isn't going to work."

"I wasn't thinking this morning. When it comes to you, I, on occasion, do things that are incredibly stupid. My heart was in the right place, but I realized what a horrible mistake I'd made as soon as you left. I took charge and didn't stop to consider what you want."

"That's the understatement of the year," she huffed. Meg looked around the terminal at the growing crowd that had gathered and shook her head. "Peter, what are you doing here? Where'd they come from? How did you even get past security?"

He pulled out a ticket and glanced at the destination. "Evidently, I'm going to Northwestern Arkansas." That garnered a laugh, and for the first time in hours, he felt a sliver of hope. "That's Robyn from accounting. She plays guitar, and that's her husband who's kindly singing in my place. I wouldn't want to scare you with my off-key rendition. They're taking a last-minute trip to the Bahamas as soon as the snow stops."

"I'm not impressed by all this," she said, swinging the flowers in a wide arc. "We can try staying friends, but the relationship thing didn't work. You don't need to protect me. I can take care of myself. Let it go. Let me go."

"But I can't," he said honestly. "I'd be lost without you. I didn't realize what I was missing in my life until I had you completely, and now I don't know how I'm going to be able to go on without you. I need you. Not just your friendship. Not just the sex. I need all of you." The song changed to Train's "Marry Me." Peter got down on one knee and fished out the box in his jacket pocket. "Megan, you are the only woman I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. And I want to spend every last day with you. Will you marry me?"