“I think it’s better that I come to you,” Brady finally said in answer.

“I’m slightly intoxicated, so that might be a good idea.”

“Why does this not surprise me?”

“Hey, I broke up with my boyfriend today. Alcohol is allowed,” she said, trying to make light of the situation.

“I bet that was a fun conversation,” Brady said tersely.

“When you come pick me up, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“You do realize you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met, right?”

“That means I’m unforgettable,” Liz said with coy smile.

“Now, that is spin from a reporter, if I’ve ever heard it.”

“I didn’t get a job at the New York Times for nothing.”

“The New York Times?” Brady asked with a low whistle afterward.

Liz preened a little at the recognition. It was a good job, a really, really good job. She was proud of it, and she hadn’t even gotten to celebrate.

“I’ll tell you all about it when you come to get me.”

“Just don’t go to sleep,” he said firmly. “I’ll get there when I get there.”

Brady was coming. He was actually coming to see her. This wasn’t like the last time, when he had picked her up outside of school. While she had the same emotions swirling through her about Hayden, she was no longer denying how she felt about Brady.

It made her body hum with anticipation. She couldn’t sit still and she ended up changing her outfit half-a-dozen times. She finally decided to go casual in a pair of dark jeans, a red V-neck sweater, and black riding boots with gold buckles. Her hair and makeup were still done up from going out with Victoria earlier that night. That already felt like forever ago. It was hard to believe it had only been a few hours since her world had shifted. The job offer, Hayden’s byline in the newspaper, Clay revealing that Brady was no longer with Erin, and then finally she was going to get to see Brady. Her body could hardly keep up with the highs and lows.

Every time a car drove down her street, she jumped up and looked to see if it was the familiar Lexus pulling up to get her. But after a couple hours, she was starting to wonder if Brady had lied to her. That wasn’t like him at all. He would have just told her that he wasn’t coming if he actually wasn’t going to come see her. But still . . . she couldn’t keep from getting frustrated as the hours ticked by.

Headlights flashed in her window and Liz jumped up, hoping, praying that he was finally here. She glanced down at her phone to check the time. Three twenty-seven in the morning. Christ! If it were anyone but Brady, she would have probably already passed out.

The car turned into her driveway. Liz’s heart leaped. Brady! He was actually here. She grabbed her purse, threw it over her shoulder, and then dashed out of the house. Before Brady could even kill the engine or get out of the car, she was already sprinting around the front and pulling the door open. Liz ungracefully plopped down in the passenger seat and slammed the door.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly. She needed to play more tennis if a short sprint knocked the wind out of her. Or maybe it was Brady’s gorgeous face staring back at her.

His hair had grown out a bit since she had last seen him. He was probably due for a haircut, but it couldn’t look bad on him. His brown eyes were shadowed in the night. His full lips as tempting as ever. Liz was surprised to find him in casual clothes as well. It was after three in the morning, but still, this was Brady. He had on jeans, a dark fit T-shirt, and the Arc’teryx jacket he had worn that day at the diner when they had agreed to pursue this relationship. She just wanted to reach across the car and kiss the life out of him.

He shook his head at her breathless entrance. “Hey.”

“It’s good to see you,” she whispered, biting her lip.

Brady’s eyes roamed her face, down her body, and then back to the windshield. He shifted the car into reverse before backing out of her driveway. “I’m going to have a lot of people angry with me in the morning,” he said in response.

Liz didn’t know what she had been expecting. Here she was putting herself out there again, and she was dealing with the same cold Brady. She hoped that once they got wherever they were going, his ice would thaw.

“Does that mean we won’t be back in the morning?” Liz asked hopefully.

“We’ll see.”

Well, this was starting off promising.

“I . . . Look, Brady . . .”

“Let’s save the conversations for when we get to where we’re going,” Brady said.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he told her. “You should try to nap now. It’ll be a while.”

Liz raised her eyebrows. Her interest was piqued. He was taking her somewhere far enough away that she could sleep on the drive. He must be trying to go somewhere that reporters wouldn’t think to find him . . . them. Yeah, if they were seen together tonight, the night the story broke, it wouldn’t be in anyone’s interest.

“All right,” she said before settling into her seat and turning her body to stare up at him. It had been so long since she had just been able to look at him that if she was going to be here for a while without talking, she was going to take advantage of the opportunity.

Twenty minutes into the drive her eyes started fluttering closed and she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to hold on to consciousness for much longer.

“Brady,” she whispered into the silence. She moved her hand across the car and covered his with hers.

“I thought you were asleep.” But he didn’t move her hand away.

“I’m sorry.”

He sighed, lacing their fingers together. “I know. Go to sleep.”

The soft click of a door and the feel of her body being held by a rather strong, capable man woke Liz up. Then her mind latched on to what had happened. Brady. Brady was carrying her. Oh God, she could die happy. She must have been really out of it for her to sleep through him lifting her out of the car and carrying her nearly all the way inside.

“Mmm,” she groaned softly as she came to. She leaned into his body and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Good morning,” he said, coming to a stopping point and setting her gently back onto her feet.