Unbroken, page 9
“They’re so expensive,” Naomi sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed and watched him button up his shirt. “By the time you pay for a roundtrip flight and a hotel room, that’s no small chunk of change. I mean, how often are we going to do this?”
Jesse pulled her into his arms. “We’ll make it work,” he promised. “Now get dressed and go downstairs. Enjoy your breakfast. Enjoy your job. You love it, don’t you?”
She reached up to play with a button on his shirt. Despite how happy Jesse made her, she wasn’t foolish enough to think he could ever be the source of all her happiness. She had learned that painful lesson when she had run away to Italy with him. “I do love it,” she sighed. “So much sometimes my heart aches at the thought of ever living without it.”
Jesse leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. “I understand that more than you’ll ever know,” he whispered. “So please, go enjoy what you’ve worked so hard for, and call me when you miss me.”
Pushing back a wave of fear, she nodded and buried her face in his neck. “I already miss you.”
XIII
One Year Later
“So, this is it,” Naomi said as she rolled her suitcases into the front lobby of Bella Fonte. She turned around to face the line of restaurant staff who had assembled to see her off. Gianni stood in the middle of the line, his eyes filling with tears he kept brushing away with the back of his hand.
“I am embarrassed,” he said, stepping forward. “Grown men shouldn’t cry at such partings.”
Naomi let go of her suitcases and stepped forward to hug him. “I’ll never forget my time here,” she whispered into his ear. “It was the chance of a lifetime. Thank you.”
He squeezed her. “But you have better things on the horizon,” he sighed, and then kissed her on both cheeks. “Now, go! Be happy and change the world.”
Naomi laughed. “I doubt I’ll be changing the world.”
“Oh, you will,” Cecily said from the line. She was in her chef’s uniform, the confidence Naomi had helped her build towering even taller than her pristine white hat. “A big company like that.”
Naomi shook her head and laughed. She would be working for the Berlin division of her father’s company. She was sad to leave Bella Fonte, but she knew this was the next step for her, just as she’d known Bella Fonte was her next step when she had left La Preferita. Management was in her blood, and as she had turned Bella Fonte completely around and watched its transformation from money pit to critically acclaimed culinary hotspot, she knew only bigger things would satisfy her craving for success.
“I’ll do my best to change the world,” Naomi laughed, giving Cecily a hug. She went down the line, saying her goodbyes and holding back the wave of tears threatening to break free. When her taxi arrived, she grabbed her suitcases and left the restaurant.
Bella Fonte had just disappeared around the corner when her phone alerted her to a text from Jesse: Are you on your way? I’ll be at the airport when you get here. Meet me at our usual spot.
She answered the text and then returned her phone to her bag. The past year of her life had been a whirlwind of work and romance. She had flown to Berlin to be with Jesse so many times she’d lost count. He had come to Italy as often as he could, but it was harder for him to get away from work.
She rested her head on the back of her seat and smiled up at the ceiling of the taxi. Distance wouldn’t be an issue anymore. All she had to do now was learn German. Her father’s office was bilingual, but she doubted she’d be comfortable living in a country and not knowing the language.
Eager to see Jesse, she was the first one off the plane after her flight landed. She went down to the baggage claim, grabbed her luggage, and headed straight for the little bakery that had become their meeting place. She spotted Jesse at a table, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose as he read a newspaper and sipped a cup of coffee.
Naomi studied him for a moment, remembering when she had looked at the photo of Gianni on the wall and asked herself what she truly wanted for her future. A large part of it—the most important part, she knew—was sitting right in front of her. She walked up to him and kissed him on the mouth.
“Mmm,” he muttered between her lips. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Start paying attention,” she laughed, and sat down next to him. He had ordered her a croissant, and she lifted it from the plate and took a big bite. “I missed you,” she said through a mouthful of flaky pastry as she nudged his toe under the table.
He leaned forward to kiss her again. “I missed you too. Want to get going?”
She swallowed and set down her croissant. “What’s the rush?”
There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he took off his reading glasses and slipped them into his suit coat pocket. He stood up and held out his hand to her. “No rush,” he said, fighting back a smile. “I just thought we could go for a walk around town, get a bite to eat. You know, the usual stuff before we have to get back into the daily grind on Monday.”
“You know you love it,” Naomi said, taking his hand as she stood. “And I don’t have to work weekends now.”
“That’s a bonus,” Jesse laughed. He took charge of her suitcases and they headed for the exit. When they stepped outside, Naomi looked up at the gathering storm clouds.
“Looks like we might have to delay that walk,” she said, rubbing her arms as a cold, stiff wind whipped through the open concourse. The weather had been blissfully warm in Italy, and all she was wearing was a thin, sleeveless blouse.
Jesse glanced worriedly down at her arms and then up at the clouds. It was only a matter of moments before they split open and dumped buckets of rain. A taxi pulled up to the curb, but it would be a minute before the passengers would finish unloading their luggage.
“We’ll get that one,” Jesse said, moving forward. He glanced at Naomi again as she wrapped her arms around herself against another gust. “Here, wear this while we wait,” he said, shrugging out of his suit coat. Naomi realized he must have come to the airport straight from work. He swung the coat open to settle it over her shoulders, but the wind blew it in the opposite direction and he had to grab it before it whipped away.
Naomi laughed and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes. As the jacket flapped in the wind like a flag, something slipped out of one of the pockets. She thought it might be Jesse’s reading glasses, but it was the wrong shape. A small black box tumbled to the ground and bounced to the edge of the curb.
“Oh no,” Jesse groaned, and rushed forward to grab the box.
Naomi took a step back, her heart thudding. That couldn’t be what she thought it was. “Jesse?” she asked cautiously as he stood straight and faced her. She looked down at the box in his hand. “What is that?”
A raindrop splashed onto his nose, and he looked up at the clouds. “This is not how I wanted it to happen,” he said, disappointment twisting his face into an expression so heart-wrenching Naomi wanted to hug him. But she couldn’t move.
“Wanted what to happen?” she asked, frozen in place as raindrops started falling more steadily. They hit her arms like little cold kisses.
Jesse looked down and opened the box. “This,” he whispered.
Inside the box was a modest but beautiful diamond ring. Naomi opened her mouth and closed it again. She had suspected for a few months now that Jesse wanted to ask her to marry him, and she had been fully prepared to wait as long as it took. Their relationship had been through so much that she hadn’t wanted to rush into anything.
But this didn’t feel rushed. It felt perfect.
“I love you,” Jesse said, stepping close enough to take her hand in his. “I want to make you happy, and I want to do this right. Will you marry—”
Naomi kissed him before he could finish, her lips meeting his as the clouds above them split open to their fullest and drenched them to their bones.
“A thousand times yes,” she shouted over the roar of the sudden downpour, and kissed him again.
He lifted his hands to her face, pulling her closer as the rain fell even harder. “Let’s go home.”
Naomi felt the wind whipping her wet hair, the rain pelting the top of her head, the storm raging around her. But it couldn’t touch her. Not now. She pulled away, her nose still touching Jesse’s as she said, “I am home.”
Download the complete Breakaway series in one digital bundle to read deleted scenes and author notes about each of the books! Search for The Breakaway: The Complete Series on Amazon and other eBook retailers.
About the Author
Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She adores cheese, chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in the time she grabs between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.
Table of Contents
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
XI
X
XI
XII
XIII
About the Author
Michelle D. Argyle, Unbroken
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Jesse pulled her into his arms. “We’ll make it work,” he promised. “Now get dressed and go downstairs. Enjoy your breakfast. Enjoy your job. You love it, don’t you?”
She reached up to play with a button on his shirt. Despite how happy Jesse made her, she wasn’t foolish enough to think he could ever be the source of all her happiness. She had learned that painful lesson when she had run away to Italy with him. “I do love it,” she sighed. “So much sometimes my heart aches at the thought of ever living without it.”
Jesse leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. “I understand that more than you’ll ever know,” he whispered. “So please, go enjoy what you’ve worked so hard for, and call me when you miss me.”
Pushing back a wave of fear, she nodded and buried her face in his neck. “I already miss you.”
XIII
One Year Later
“So, this is it,” Naomi said as she rolled her suitcases into the front lobby of Bella Fonte. She turned around to face the line of restaurant staff who had assembled to see her off. Gianni stood in the middle of the line, his eyes filling with tears he kept brushing away with the back of his hand.
“I am embarrassed,” he said, stepping forward. “Grown men shouldn’t cry at such partings.”
Naomi let go of her suitcases and stepped forward to hug him. “I’ll never forget my time here,” she whispered into his ear. “It was the chance of a lifetime. Thank you.”
He squeezed her. “But you have better things on the horizon,” he sighed, and then kissed her on both cheeks. “Now, go! Be happy and change the world.”
Naomi laughed. “I doubt I’ll be changing the world.”
“Oh, you will,” Cecily said from the line. She was in her chef’s uniform, the confidence Naomi had helped her build towering even taller than her pristine white hat. “A big company like that.”
Naomi shook her head and laughed. She would be working for the Berlin division of her father’s company. She was sad to leave Bella Fonte, but she knew this was the next step for her, just as she’d known Bella Fonte was her next step when she had left La Preferita. Management was in her blood, and as she had turned Bella Fonte completely around and watched its transformation from money pit to critically acclaimed culinary hotspot, she knew only bigger things would satisfy her craving for success.
“I’ll do my best to change the world,” Naomi laughed, giving Cecily a hug. She went down the line, saying her goodbyes and holding back the wave of tears threatening to break free. When her taxi arrived, she grabbed her suitcases and left the restaurant.
Bella Fonte had just disappeared around the corner when her phone alerted her to a text from Jesse: Are you on your way? I’ll be at the airport when you get here. Meet me at our usual spot.
She answered the text and then returned her phone to her bag. The past year of her life had been a whirlwind of work and romance. She had flown to Berlin to be with Jesse so many times she’d lost count. He had come to Italy as often as he could, but it was harder for him to get away from work.
She rested her head on the back of her seat and smiled up at the ceiling of the taxi. Distance wouldn’t be an issue anymore. All she had to do now was learn German. Her father’s office was bilingual, but she doubted she’d be comfortable living in a country and not knowing the language.
Eager to see Jesse, she was the first one off the plane after her flight landed. She went down to the baggage claim, grabbed her luggage, and headed straight for the little bakery that had become their meeting place. She spotted Jesse at a table, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose as he read a newspaper and sipped a cup of coffee.
Naomi studied him for a moment, remembering when she had looked at the photo of Gianni on the wall and asked herself what she truly wanted for her future. A large part of it—the most important part, she knew—was sitting right in front of her. She walked up to him and kissed him on the mouth.
“Mmm,” he muttered between her lips. “I didn’t see you there.”
“Start paying attention,” she laughed, and sat down next to him. He had ordered her a croissant, and she lifted it from the plate and took a big bite. “I missed you,” she said through a mouthful of flaky pastry as she nudged his toe under the table.
He leaned forward to kiss her again. “I missed you too. Want to get going?”
She swallowed and set down her croissant. “What’s the rush?”
There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he took off his reading glasses and slipped them into his suit coat pocket. He stood up and held out his hand to her. “No rush,” he said, fighting back a smile. “I just thought we could go for a walk around town, get a bite to eat. You know, the usual stuff before we have to get back into the daily grind on Monday.”
“You know you love it,” Naomi said, taking his hand as she stood. “And I don’t have to work weekends now.”
“That’s a bonus,” Jesse laughed. He took charge of her suitcases and they headed for the exit. When they stepped outside, Naomi looked up at the gathering storm clouds.
“Looks like we might have to delay that walk,” she said, rubbing her arms as a cold, stiff wind whipped through the open concourse. The weather had been blissfully warm in Italy, and all she was wearing was a thin, sleeveless blouse.
Jesse glanced worriedly down at her arms and then up at the clouds. It was only a matter of moments before they split open and dumped buckets of rain. A taxi pulled up to the curb, but it would be a minute before the passengers would finish unloading their luggage.
“We’ll get that one,” Jesse said, moving forward. He glanced at Naomi again as she wrapped her arms around herself against another gust. “Here, wear this while we wait,” he said, shrugging out of his suit coat. Naomi realized he must have come to the airport straight from work. He swung the coat open to settle it over her shoulders, but the wind blew it in the opposite direction and he had to grab it before it whipped away.
Naomi laughed and pushed some of her hair out of her eyes. As the jacket flapped in the wind like a flag, something slipped out of one of the pockets. She thought it might be Jesse’s reading glasses, but it was the wrong shape. A small black box tumbled to the ground and bounced to the edge of the curb.
“Oh no,” Jesse groaned, and rushed forward to grab the box.
Naomi took a step back, her heart thudding. That couldn’t be what she thought it was. “Jesse?” she asked cautiously as he stood straight and faced her. She looked down at the box in his hand. “What is that?”
A raindrop splashed onto his nose, and he looked up at the clouds. “This is not how I wanted it to happen,” he said, disappointment twisting his face into an expression so heart-wrenching Naomi wanted to hug him. But she couldn’t move.
“Wanted what to happen?” she asked, frozen in place as raindrops started falling more steadily. They hit her arms like little cold kisses.
Jesse looked down and opened the box. “This,” he whispered.
Inside the box was a modest but beautiful diamond ring. Naomi opened her mouth and closed it again. She had suspected for a few months now that Jesse wanted to ask her to marry him, and she had been fully prepared to wait as long as it took. Their relationship had been through so much that she hadn’t wanted to rush into anything.
But this didn’t feel rushed. It felt perfect.
“I love you,” Jesse said, stepping close enough to take her hand in his. “I want to make you happy, and I want to do this right. Will you marry—”
Naomi kissed him before he could finish, her lips meeting his as the clouds above them split open to their fullest and drenched them to their bones.
“A thousand times yes,” she shouted over the roar of the sudden downpour, and kissed him again.
He lifted his hands to her face, pulling her closer as the rain fell even harder. “Let’s go home.”
Naomi felt the wind whipping her wet hair, the rain pelting the top of her head, the storm raging around her. But it couldn’t touch her. Not now. She pulled away, her nose still touching Jesse’s as she said, “I am home.”
Download the complete Breakaway series in one digital bundle to read deleted scenes and author notes about each of the books! Search for The Breakaway: The Complete Series on Amazon and other eBook retailers.
About the Author
Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She adores cheese, chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in the time she grabs between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.
Table of Contents
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
XI
X
XI
XII
XIII
About the Author
Michelle D. Argyle, Unbroken
