Chapter 9 - The Blueprint of ForeverThree weeks later, the Tribeca penthouse was finally quiet.
The boxes of imported candles and fabric swatches were gone, moved down to the grand ballroom where final preparations for Claire’s wedding were entering their frantic final stretch. The autumn wind whistled softly against the glass windows as dusk settled over the Manhattan skyline, painting the sky in strokes of bruised purple and gold.
Nora sat at the marble island, reviewing the final seating chart on her laptop, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
Adrian pressed a warm kiss to the crook of her neck, sending a delicious shiver down her spine.
“You’ve been staring at that screen for three hours,” he murmured against her skin, his hands sliding around to rest flat over her stomach. “Tell me the wedding planner is officially off the clock.”
“The wedding planner is exhausted,” Nora sighed happily, leaning back against his chest and resting her hands over his. “The florist is confirmed, the cake is ordered, and Claire hasn't tried to orchestrate a public scandal in at least forty-eight hours.”
“A new record for my sister,” Adrian chuckled, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Though I think she’s currently focusing all her matchmaking energy on her maid of honor.”
Nora turned her head, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. “Oh? Who’s the target this time?”
“My head of architectural development,” Adrian said innocently. “Apparently, he likes wine, blueprints, and women who aren't afraid to knock him flat on his back in a towel.”
Nora laughed, the sound bubbling up bright and unreserved. She turned in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and looking up into those familiar, intense green eyes that had haunted her dreams for a decade.
“You know,” Nora whispered, a playful smile touching her lips, “you still never explained why you were wandering around the guest suite in only a towel that first morning.”
Adrian grinned, a slow, wicked expression that made her heart skip a beat.
“My brownstone had a burst pipe, Claire gave me the key, and I had just stepped out of the shower when a certain stubborn wedding coordinator decided to storm into the room without knocking.” Adrian leaned in, his lips brushing hers. “Best plumbing disaster of my life.”
“You planned it,” Nora accused softly, though she was smiling.
May you like
“Maybe,” Adrian admitted against her lips. “Some things are worth waiting ten years for. But I’m never letting you walk away again.”
Before she could answer, his lips captured hers in a deep, possessive kiss that wiped every thought from her mind except for one undeniable truth: her future wasn't a blueprint designed by someone else. It was right here, built by the only man who had ever truly owned her heart.
