Worth The Wait

Two

CHAPTER 2

The walls of the hotel suite felt like they were closing in.

Lara couldn’t sit still. She needed air. Space. Distraction. Anything to stop the ache in her heart and the hurricane of questions in her mind.

She grabbed her coat, slipped on her shoes, and left the suite. But even the chill of the evening air did nothing to soothe the storm in her chest. She had tried distracting herself with a walk, hoping the city lights and noise would drown out the whirlwind in her head. But no matter how far she walked, her thoughts kept circling back to Reagan.

The article. The photos. The model. The rumors of an engagement.

What if it’s true? What if he’s really getting married?

It was too much.

She ended up outside a small, cozy izakaya tucked between two shops. The scent of grilled meat and clinking of sake cups lured her in. Without much thought, she sat at the counter. The staff greeted her politely, but she barely registered their smiles. She ordered a few dishes, and then asked for a drink. One bottle turned into two, then three, until eventually, she was five bottles in and heavy with both alcohol and emotion.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, but time slipped away faster than her grip on sobriety. By the time she realized how late it was, her head was already spinning. She paid clumsily through her Uber app and stumbled into a cab. Her mind was hazy, heart heavier than ever.

When the elevator dinged at her floor, Lara stepped out, dragging her feet toward her door until she noticed someone standing in front of her suite.

Lara stopped. She blinked, swaying slightly.

Who...?

Her vision was blurry, and her drunk mind tried to make sense of the shadowy figure. She squinted, took cautious steps forward.

Then, the figure turned around.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Reagan?

Her heart dropped to her stomach. Was she hallucinating? Dreaming?

Did I drink so much I’m seeing things?

But when he stepped forward, his face lined with a mix of concern and frustration, reality hit her like a slap.

“Lara,” he said, voice firm but low, like he was trying to hold himself back. “I’ve been calling you for hours. Your phone’s unreachable. And now I find you here—drunk?”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. Her lips parted, but the words tangled on her tongue.

“I—I didn’t know you were calling,” she mumbled, her voice hoarse. “My phone was on silent…”

But as soon as the shock of seeing him wore off, all the emotions she’d been trying to drown in liquor surged back, stronger, hotter.

She narrowed her eyes, stumbling forward. “Why are you even here?” she snapped, voice rising. “Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée? With that model? Or are you here to tell me about the engagement in person, you jerk?! You absolute asshole!”

Reagan’s brows furrowed in disbelief. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Stop pretending you don’t know!” she yelled, hands clenched at her sides. “I saw the article! I saw the pictures! You…” her voice cracked, “you shouldn’t have made me fall in love with you if you were just going to leave me too!”

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them, burning hot and bitter.

“You said you loved me!” she cried, her chest heaving. “You made me believe you were going to wait. And now you’re marrying someone else?! You said you were different, but you’re just like everyone else! I hate you!”

Reagan stepped closer, looking completely baffled and slightly breathless. “Lara, what do you mean ‘someone else’? There is no one else. It’s always been you. Only you.”

“Liar!” she snapped, swaying slightly as she pointed at him. “Then who was that woman in the photo?! And what about the article saying you’re engaged?! Don’t even try to deny it because I saw it with my own eyes! Those pictures aren’t photoshopped!”

Reagan just stared at her for a moment… and then, much to her surprise—he laughed. A soft, breathy chuckle escaped him, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Damn… I didn’t think it would actually work,” he muttered under his breath, too low for her to catch.

Lara’s jaw dropped. Her eyes narrowed, her tears momentarily forgotten as confusion took over. “You’re laughing? Are you serious right now?! You think this is funny?!”

But Reagan didn’t look like he was mocking her at all. His eyes softened as he took another step forward.

“No, baby,” he said softly, voice low. “I’m not laughing at you.”

Then he gently pulled her into a hug, firm and warm. His chin rested lightly on her head as he murmured, “I’m just… happy.”

Lara’s brows pulled together even tighter, her face still pressed against his chest. She jerked back just enough to look up at him, eyes wide and confused.

“Happy?!” she echoed, loud and offended. She wriggled in his arms, trying to push him back. “You’re happy you’re getting engaged?! Why you absolute son of a—!”

But before she could finish cursing him out, Reagan tipped her chin up with gentle fingers, leaned in—and kissed her.

Lara froze.

Her mind went blank. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t move. Everything slowed, her thoughts drowned out by the feel of his lips on hers. Warm. Soft. A little hesitant, like he wasn’t sure if she’d push him away or pull him closer. His fingers, still at her chin, trembled just the slightest bit.

When he finally pulled back, she stared at him, stunned and breathless.

“Why did you kiss me?!” she burst out, frowning, her voice wobbling more from confusion than anger now.

Reagan tilted his head, a small grin playing at the corner of his mouth, the kind that always made her feel both irritated and weak in the knees.

“Because you’re jealous,” he said casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Of course I am!” she snapped, still frowning. “You said you love me, so you’re mine. You can’t just go and get engaged to someone else!”

Reagan’s grin widened, brushing a thumb against her cheek. “God, you’re so damn adorable.”

But Lara couldn’t laugh with him. She was too emotional, too fragile, the weight of everything still overwhelming her.

Her voice softened as the insecurities she tried to keep buried bubbled to the surface. “Are you really getting engaged?” she whispered. “Are you… tired of me already? Don’t you love me anymore?”