My eyes open after a long and restful sleep and I reach out for Gavin’s warmth next to me, but when my hand touches cold sheets, I look over to see the empty space beside me. Where is he? I wrap the sheets around me and my feet shuffle down the hallway to where I hear Gavin speaking on the phone. He must be in his office, I think to myself. I was hoping that he didn’t have to go back to work so quickly, but I know his work is important, vital to the man I love and I wouldn’t want to ever change that. So, I settle in to make some coffee and skim my fingers over the bookshelves lining the walls in the spacious living room. I’ve never seen Gavin with a book in his hand and it surprises me that he has such a large collection. Charles Dickens, Ray Donovan, Marie Barnes, Nicholas Sparks, the authors range from one genre to another and somehow I know that most of these couldn’t be Gavin’s. I couldn’t imagine him reading a full length novel like Great Expectations. He thrives on action,

“I’ll obviously have to make some calls, but there is an up and coming ballet that is looking for some new talent. It’s called Alas the Night. Is that something you’d be interested in?”I’m immediately thrilled. I’ve done recreational dancing, professional dancing with a troupe I’d joined back when I was studying, but it was always my dream to dance in the spotlight. The ballet. I hastily nod my head and beam with a smile so wide it hurts.“That’s the dream,” I say simply and with the nod of Scott’s head, I know he understands.The moment I get back in my sister’s car, she sees my wide, happy smile.“Things go okay?” She asks as she starts the car. Her eyes are trained on me and I bet she knows already that the meeting went well.“Things are looking up,” I say and wink at her so she can see my smile. I feel hopeful that I haven’t lost my only opportunity in the dance world after-all.I lead us up the steps toward Gavin’s penthouse, ours actually.“Why would you hesitate to move in her

It’s a sunny Saturday morning and Farah and I go in and out of shops on Central Avenue in downtown Chicago, searching for the bridesmaids dresses Kel described to us. Lavender with a cup neck, strapless and length coming to just under our knees with black heeled sandals to match. The more time goes by, the more my feet hurt from all this walking. Crap, I forgot just how much I hate shopping. I remember, when my mom used to take Kel and me; it was torture."Seriously, are we done yet?" I whine, grinning when Farah gives me what can only be explained as the fuck-off look. From experience, I know that when she's on a mission, which she is now, there's no stopping her."No, we have two more stores to go. Come on honey."I begrudgingly follow her inside Neiman Marcus, promising myself a pint of Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road ice cream after this.After searching high and low, I hear Farah squeal in delight and hold up yet another sleeveless dress, this one with a black embroidered sash at the

Gavin stands with me against his chest and nods toward Lucas and Kel who are both smiling. They know exactly why we’re leaving and with that realization, my cheeks heat.“Have fun.” My sister practically sings and I can’t help but laugh as she hugs me and whispers in my ear.“It’s good to see you so happy, Sophie. See you soon.”Gavin takes my hand and tugs me out into the cool Chicago night air and immediately pushes me against the hood of his car. He dips his head and begins to run kisses down my throat and neck.“Oh, please take me home Gavin,” I beg and pull his head back with my hands so I can see the depths of his brilliant blue gray eyes.“Home,” he drawls, skating fingers down my face to grasp my chin. Those eyes of his fill with tenderness and it melts me into a puddle before him. I nod and smile shyly.“Take me home.”It feels like it takes hours to get back to the penthouse and then also for the short ride up the elevator. Gavin keeps his arm around my waist the entire wa

“Cancel them. I have a personal matter I have to attend to. Give my apologies and see when they can possibly reschedule. Tell Clay to go ahead with the contract after I’m gone. I have no reservations on that.”He quickly nods and writes something into his tablet.“All clear?”“Yes, of course. I hope everything turns out OK for you, Gavin.”Inwardly I am hoping the same thing. I just have to keep Sophia safe.***Spencer shakes my hand and sits across from my desk the moment he enters. The grim set of his mouth tells me this is just as bad as I initially thought.“Mr. Williams was spotted just outside of the Garment district this morning. He was seen at a hardware store buying cable ties, duct tape, and rope. He was also seen in the lot of Ms. Jones’s dance studio. I was tailing him for a good three hours before we lost the tail.”I force myself to take deep breaths and not panic. I start stating facts in my head: Sophia is with Farah at her apartment today, she texted me earlier and s