Come Away with Me (Midnight in Manhattan, #3)

by Rachel Lacey

She’d spent the last eight years jetting around the world in search of adventure, but maybe all she really needed was a little house filled with people she loved.

Maybe she was in love, because her house felt empty without Piper here to share it with her.

Fuck fear. She still had a long way to go, but at this exact moment, Piper felt invincible.

As Chloe met her gaze, she knew for sure this was love. There was just no other explanation for the warmth that filled her chest when she was with Piper or the soul deep contentment that filled her at the thought of spending the next two weeks with her, not to mention the heat that spread through other parts of her at the thought of having Piper in her bed tonight.

The fact that the paint shared its name with the bar where she and Piper met was just the icing on the cake.

The absolute sincerity in Piper’s voice was like a balm on Chloe’s heart because she felt the same way.

“I love the city. I always have, but I think I’m going to love the mountains too. It’s peaceful.”

“Am I a jealous asshole if I admit I hate thinking of you kissing other people and filming sex scenes for work?”

“One of my favorite hobbies,” Chloe said as she came to sit beside her. “I find them very relaxing, and it’s something Cait and I enjoy doing together.”

but right now, she couldn’t be happier to be here in the woods with Chloe as her guide.

Instead, she’d shared so much more and formed an immeasurable bond with this amazing woman.

Piper felt something warm bloom in her heart when she realized what Chloe was asking her to do. Dr. Jorgensen had given her a similar assignment once, so she knew the power of sensory memory, although she hadn’t remembered to utilize it lately.

Twenty-four hours, and Chloe was more in love than ever, but she knew that wasn’t what Piper had meant.

Which meant she did think Chloe was worth that effort. Tears welled in her eyes as she gripped Piper’s hands and pulled her in for a kiss.

Five days in the mountains, and she’d become the kind of woman who bumped into deer on her daily jog and worked on puzzles for fun. And she liked this version of herself a lot.

“Thank you. I really appreciate this. I never expect anyone to cook something special for me.”

She missed having a job that fulfilled her. She missed traveling. And she missed Piper, even though she hadn’t left yet.

Piper had only said them once before, and that relationship had fallen apart in the face of trying to maintain a long-distance relationship.

Chloe was worth fighting for, and Piper needed to tell her that before they parted ways tomorrow, because she’d seen Chloe’s insecurity and fear.

“Well, it’s true, and now that we’ve said the words out loud, we can enjoy the rest of our day knowing that we’re two women in love.”

If she fucked this up, the consequences could be devastating for her career.

Yes, she’d initially become a vegetarian as a way of rebelling against her parents, but it was an important part of her lifestyle now,

but she wished her mom didn’t always relegate her to a side dish. Would it have been so hard to cook a meatless meal tonight, the way Chloe’s mom had done?

No one was going to jump. She could do this.

“I don’t think he did, but I was difficult today. It’s hard enough in this industry as a woman, especially a queer woman, and…I’m just disappointed in myself. It’s not how I wanted my first day on set to go.”

“So is talking to you,” Piper said, and poof, Chloe’s heart turned to gooey mush inside her chest.

Before she knew it, she was crying again. The only time she could remember feeling something similar to this was when Cassie dropped out of college. When it came down to it, Chloe wasn’t very good at being away from the people she loved.

And she feared loving Piper from afar was slowly going to break her heart.

hoping Piper was already soundly asleep and that she had a better day tomorrow.

Celebrity spotting was like a professional sport out here, not to mention the paparazzi.

Hollywood moved at a frenzied pace. It always had, and it always would.

“Just don’t forget about your small-town girlfriend.” Chloe said it jokingly, but Piper heard something vulnerable in her tone.

“I’ll still be yours at the end of it, as long as you’re willing to wait for me.”

It meant she’d be crashing here between shoots when there wasn’t time to go back to her apartment to sleep.

An hour later, she walked onto the set, exhausted but firmly in control of her emotions. It was time to repair the crew’s initial impression of her and prove she had what it took to make it in Hollywood.

they made Chloe feel very small. They made her feel left out, and she hated that feeling.

Everything was going well, except her relationship with Chloe. They were still struggling to sync their schedules, and Piper could tell that Chloe was upset about it, although she didn’t know how to make it better. Chloe worked all weekend, and Piper was working every waking minute during the week.

“It just seems like you’re always out with Landon and all these other famous people, and yet you never seem to have time for me.”

what the hell, Chloe? “I’m working my ass off out here, and you’re upset that I went out to dinner with friends a couple of times?”

“But I’m also not going to apologize for catching up with a few of my friends while I’m in LA. I hate that you and I haven’t been able to talk more often, but I’m only home on the weekends, and that’s when you’re at work. It sucks, but it’s only for a few months. I don’t know what else to say.”

I won’t tell you not to cyberstalk me, because I have nothing to hide, but you need to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.”

“But you can’t use it to guilt me like this. It’s not fair.”

“I know it’s not.” She’d been out with her own friends plenty of times over the last month, probably more often than Piper had, but no one had written about it in the gossip pages. She was being an asshole. “I’m really sorry.”

Chloe had never been in love before. Everything about a serious relationship was new to her, including the hard parts, like jealousy and geography.

“I want to be with her too. I’m miserable without her, as you’ve probably noticed, but I don’t know how to make it all work. I’ve tried, and I’ve tried, and I just can’t figure it out.”

Chloe looked at the pile of puzzle pieces on the table, realizing it was a mountain scene, and her heart grew almost too big to contain in her chest. “Oh my God, I love you so much.”

a fountain.” “Mm, back rub,” Piper murmured. “Yes to all of that, but first, I want to make sure you know how hard I fell for you.”

“I’ve been yours for the taking since the moment we met.”