Darkness Before Dawn

lip. When I shimmy out of his lap and back to my side of the seat, I smile widely at him.
    "He does have a nice ass, though," I reply, trying to hold in my laughter.
    He looks at me with a serious face for a couple of seconds before his lips break out in a grin. "Nice ass?" he asks, pursing his lips and nodding his head slowly. "All right, I'll remember where your eyes are the next time we're at a game and the cheerleaders stand in front of us to do their little routine."
    "Not funny, jerk," I say, flashing him my middle finger, which makes him laugh loudly and lean in for a kiss before he wraps his arm around my shoulder and tucks me into his side. I sigh happily as I lean into the comfort of his hold, but my heart drops when we drive by the park and awful memories flood my mind. I feel him stiffen beside me and hug me a little tighter.
    "I read your letter," I whisper. He backs away a little and lifts my chin to look at him.
    "Which one?" he asks softly.
    "The one you wrote after I broke up with you. How many were there?" I ask with a small laugh, hoping to lighten the mood a little.
    "There were many letters," he says with a sad smile before kissing the top of my head.
    "Well, I read that one. Aubry brought it-"
    "We're here," Bruce interrupts as the car comes to a stop in front of the airport.
    Cole searches my face before exhaling. "I meant every word that letter said, but it doesn't matter anymore. I have you now and neither of us is going anywhere. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you always. You've always been it for me, Blake." He kisses my smiling lips before opening the door and pulling me out of the car with him. Photographers and journalists are waiting for us as soon as we step out of the car. They're all shouting questions about my disappearance and my kidnapper as Spencer shields us from them and Cole rushes me into the airport.
    I leaf through a magazine while Cole gets our trip sorted out in the business lounge of the airline. When he comes back, he hands me our tickets, and I put down the magazine to make sure our seats are together.
    "I think I got the window seat," I say with a smile, making him frown. Cole hates not sitting by the window.
    "Nope, I doubt it," he replies as he scrolls through his phone and types.
    "Umm...I'm pretty sure A is the window seat, just saying," I say still smiling.
    "It doesn't really matter, Blake, you know I'm sitting there anyway," he quips.
    "I wouldn't bet on it," I respond, picking the magazine back up to continue idly looking at pictures. I don't care where I sit, I just love that he gets defensive about his window seats. I've had to listen to enough of his stories to know that he hates arguing with passengers about sitting there.
    He lets out a breath and puts his phone away in the breast pocket of his jacket. "Are we seriously having this conversation right now?"
    I bite down on my lip to keep from laughing at his serious face. "Are you really going to pout about it?" I razz.
    "I'm not pouting! You know I hate sitting in the aisle and middle seat! My legs are too long for people to cross and go to the bathroom! And why the hell do people go to the bathroom during a two-hour flight anyway? I don't get it! Did they not know they had to pee before boarding the airplane?" he exclaims, throwing his hands up as his eyebrows draw together and his jaw grinds.
    I sputter in laughter, tears forming in my eyes at his outburst. "You're so cute," I say with a smile, grabbing both sides of his face and giving him a smack on the lips.
    "You're such a pain in the ass," he says with a light laugh as he flicks my hair away from my eyes.
    Our trip to New York ends up being the best idea ever. Cole fills me in on why the interview is so important. Apparently, it's a pilot they're filming for a new show. It isn't news to me, as he's been talking about the plans for this show for what seems like three years now, but the fact that they gave him the opportunity and he almost passed it up is a lot to take in. His interview with Jack is the first for the show called Inside the Locker Room With Cole Murphy.
    Everything is a success and the views are amazing, which means he gets to film four more interviews in hopes that the show will continue to air. It bothers me that Cole even worries about things like his show flopping, when he knows it won't. He's too charismatic for anybody not to want to watch, and every time he mentions being worried about it, I find myself trying