text: Normally, sleeping late left her content and relaxed, ready to conquer the day. Not today. Blaine was more irritated than she'd like to admit. The surprise going-away lunch Iona put together didn't make up for getting dragged out of Jack's bed before she'd gotten to love him. Or enjoy a quiet moment of snuggling with him while birds chirped outside his window. Blaine had been looking forward to both moments with Jack. Having those opportunities ripped from her had turned her last day in Sander's Valley into a bitter one.
  
  "Where is Alex meeting you?"
  
  Jack's question slumped her shoulders. The flight to Russia would be torture. She'd be in small-talk hell. "At the coffee shop. He's driving down from New York, though. He might not get here until close to departure."
  
  "No matter. I plan on staying until you get on." Jack took her rolling luggage and carry-on, leaving her with her violin.
  
  "You don't have to." Blaine cast a sideways glance at him. "It's a long drive back, and it's already late."
  
  Jack moved them off the main sidewalk and pulled out his phone. He tugged her close, cheek to cheek, and held his phone up. "Smile, Blaine."
  
  She did, flashing a grin deserving of Jack. The flash went off. He straightened and tapped the screen of his cell. Her phone dinged with a new text message. He glanced at her. "For my profile so I'm not a faceless name come next year."
  
  She focused on the blinking indicator light. Regret hit her. She hadn't taken a single picture while in Sander's Valley. Even the view off the cabin's deck or the image of Jack in a tuxedo would only live on in her memory.
  
  Her throat tightened. Dang it. She was going to cry. She coughed into her arm. "Seriously, Jack. I don't want you to get into an accident or something driving home. You should leave now."
  
  "I'll be fine." He gripped her elbow, drawing her forward. The moment she settled into step with him, he released her. "There's something I wanted to talk about anyway. No better time. You might not be around till next summer, right?"
  
  Swallowing hard, she glanced at Jack as they entered the airport. Possibilities of what this talk could entail tormented her. Or maybe it was her guilty conscience surfacing. After telling him about her trust fund last night, she kept trying to find the right words to tell him she wasn't on birth control and their little encounter in the cabin when passion had wiped their common sense away might guarantee her half of a very large pot of money, while he got nothing besides a kid he didn't want. "What do you want to talk about?"
  
  "Eliot. The tour. Your violin." Jack shrugged. "And stuff."
  
  The "and stuff" could be anything, including the topic she'd decided not to broach. Why go there when everything might be fine? She'd know in a couple of weeks, maybe three. Her cycle wasn't exactly regular, and she couldn't remember when she'd last had her period. "Nope. Don't bother. I don't want to talk about any of those things. I am not giving up the career that's made me a household name so I can play a violin with a bunch of other equally talented violinists in an orchestra."
  
  "In Russia, you're a household name. Here you're just Iona's friend."
  
  "True." And she'd never been more grateful to be an unknown. "These past few days have been absolutely amazing. Maybe the best of my life." And saying that out loud made her question her sanity.
  
  She had a wonderful life in Russia. Fame, money, powerful friends, and a gorgeous town house situated next to other equally rich people. A few days living in obscurity with Jack should not be better. She'd spoken the words from her heart, though. In this moment, she felt the truth behind her declaration.
  
  Jack stopped walking and waited until she glanced over her shoulder. "Mine too."
  
  The reluctant expression on Jack's face matched the tone he used. Apparently, she wasn't the only one confused by emotions. Her leaving now was best for both of them. They were happily single.
  
  Turning her gaze to the floor, she took a moment to center herself. She was a visitor to this country, and while she'd been here, she'd had a good time with a man who called this country home. That was all. Now it was time to go to her home. Her unplanned vacation had come to an end.
  
  Jack slid his free hand down her arm, then twined their fingers. "Let's find the coffee shop. I'm going to need a large one for the ride home."
  
  The press of Jack's palm to hers warmed her. She curled her fingers more firmly with his. "You don't have to stay. I'm serious. I've been in more airports than I can count."
  
  "Not alone, I'd bet."
  
  "I'm a big girl, Jack. I can function just fine on my own."
  
  He stared at her for a long heartbeat. "You know, you don't have to face everything on your own."
  
  She rolled her eyes. "Of course I don't. I pay very good money to have people handle those things I don't want to be bothered with."
  
  "What about moments like this? Do you pay people to share the ordinary things in life with you?"
  
  With Jack's hand in hers, she walked forward, following the sign for the coffee shop. "Point made. I simply wanted to give you an out. You've given up a lot of your time to bring me here. I don't want to impose on you anymore. You have a life to get back to, and mine is waiting for me."
  
  "I want to be here." Jack drew her to a stop outside the coffee shop and turned her to face him, blocking her view of the busy store. "And I'm not sure the life waiting for me is the one I want. I told you that."
  
  He had. She empathized with his indecision too. "I'm not sure the one that's waiting for me is the right path to continue on either, but it's still waiting for me. I have obligations. A sold-out show in a little over two weeks."
  
  "And offers to consider."
  
  Setting her violin case on the ground between her feet, she stepped closer to Jack and rested her cheek on his chest. It seemed the right thing to do, as if Jack's comfort could make everything better. He settled his hands on her waist. "Yes, Eliot's offer. Crazy, but I am still considering it even though I keep saying I shouldn't. It's tempting, really tempting. I don't know if it's worth giving up everything I've worked so hard to accomplish, but I'm still intrigued by it no matter how many times I say it'd be foolish to abandon my singing. I just don't know what I should do. That's the honest truth."
  
  He stroked his hand over her back and drew her closer. "Do me a favor, will you? After your next show, take some time and think about how you feel performing for your current fans versus how you felt playing your violin for me. See which one calls to you over the other. The answer will come to you. Trust yourself."
  
  "Will you be doing something similar with your pub?"
  
  "Yeah, I will." Jack brushed his chin over her head. "Nothing's quite the same as it was when I got out of the Marines."
  
  "Life's not meant to be constant."
  
  "It's not guaranteed either. I think that's the part I never fully got despite losing some very good friends to a fight I never started."
  
  Blaine tipped her head back. "I've wanted to ask you about your life in the Marines, but there never seemed a good time, and now…"
  
  "We're out of time." Jack finished her thought.
  
  Jack's sudden stiffness stopped her from responding. He raised his stare and focused hardened eyes on something over her head. She released Jack and looked in the direction he did. Nobody familiar stood there. "What's wr—"
  
  Alex weaved his way through the crowd. He inclined his head at Jack, then her. No smile warmed his features. He appeared well and truly annoyed to be here. She couldn't help but wonder if Alex hadn't gotten a say in his plans for the next couple of months.
  
  "You made it." Blaine picked up her violin case, holding it in two hands and avoiding Alex's cool ones.
  
  "Of course." Alex took the rolling suitcase and carry-on from Jack, then motioned to the corridor leading to the escalators. "Are you ready?"
  
  "The flight doesn't leave for a while. Thought Blaine might want to grab a coffee with me before she has to leave."
  
  "Blaine doesn't drink coffee." Alex settled his palm between her shoulder blades and focused on her, his back to Jack. "We should head up so we can get on as soon as we can. I'd rather you be safely on the plane than out here where someone might recognize you."
  
  While she wanted to enjoy her last little bit with Jack, Alex had a point. She wanted his memories of her to be happy ones. Surprise publicity wasn't for everyone.
  
  Blaine stepped around Alex and went to Jack. With her violin case held between them, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. "Goodbye, Jack. I've had a wonderful few days with you."
  
  Jack flexed his hands on her hips. "Me too, Blaine."
  
  She tipped her head back and studied his intense face. "No goodbye?"
  
  "Goodbyes imply never seeing each other again. You'll be back around sometime, right?"
  
  Her vision blurred with a sudden burst of emotion. She didn't want to leave Jack. Not yet. "Yes, though I'm not sure when."
  
  "No matter. When you come around, I'll be here. I'll see you then."
  
  Only, it wouldn't be the same. Life wasn't meant to be constant. Things changed. So did people. And this adventure she'd shared with Jack ended here. Just like her symphony, it felt unfinished.
  
  "Yes. I'll see you then." She forced a smile.
  
  "As your bodyguard, I must insist you follow my directives. You'll be safer from unwanted eyes in the waiting area where there are fewer people."
  
  Safer, yes. Happier, no.
  
  Blaine nodded. She glanced at Jack one last time, then left him behind. Forewarning gripped her the farther she walked. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd turned her back on more than an unexpected lover. She didn't want to get on this plane. Didn't want to sing in her next show. Didn't want to engage in small talk with people she didn't care about.
  
  She didn't have a choice.
  
  What she'd told Jack was the truth. She had obligations, including a show in a little over two weeks. Her fans had paid good money to see her. She couldn't disappoint them. After the show, however, she too had to do some thinking. The life she'd built wasn't guaranteed. Things changed. So did people, including her.