Prologue

Here I was sitting in the LAX airport waiting for him to arrive. Why had I answered the phone that day? Why had I agreed to let him stay at my house? What was I thinking on the day of September 20, 2014, exactly 10 years after I walked out of his life he re-entered mine? I still remember that call on that day…

I was sitting outside on my patio doing some last minute detailing on my autobiography. I was at the point of my life when I had moved in with Sean. After that week home, I went back to Toronto to finish my high school education. A year after graduation I had become a singer. Marty Jones, my manager, found me singing in a karaoke bar and decided I was the next best thing. From that moment on my life was different. I barely saw my family or my friends after that.

As I was reading the heartache of junior year at Degrassi High school, the phone started to ring. I reached for the phone placing my pen in my book. "Hello?"

I heard some crackling at the end of the line and a masculine voice, "Autumn? Can you hear me?"

I could hear the voice but didn't know who it was. "Yes, I can hear you. Who is this?" It wasn't Sean's voice beside the fact that Sean had called just an hour ago.

"Autumn, it's Craig…Craig Manning. How are you? I haven't talked to you in a while." Craig? Craig Manning?! Why was he calling? Why was he calling after so long? Craig and I didn't quite rekindle our romance once I got back to Toronto. I had no trust in him. We just acknowledged that we known each other at one point in life. As time had gone along, Craig and I started to become friends again, but no more. Craig and I lost touch soon after graduation and neither one of us had made an effort to contact the other. As far as I knew, Craig was now a journalist for Rolling Stone.

"Craig? Um, hi, it's nice to here your voice. How are things?" Basically I was speechless. I never would have thought Craig would be calling me.

He chuckled softly, "I'm good; I'm good. How are you? How's your book coming along?"

"It's coming along. I was actually just reading over a heartache I had about ten years ago. Ignore me; I'm just a little out of it today. What's going on?" I got up out of my chair and started to pace around the patio.

He took a deep breath and I could tell he was about to ask something big. "I know this is probably a dumb question, but do you think I could stay at your house for a week? Hold on let me explain. I'm not sure if you're publicist told you or not, but I'm doing a week long special with you. I thought it would be a lot easier than trying to work out schedules and all that other stuff…"

Craig? Craig at my house? Before I could rationalize my thoughts I blurted some dumb words that I was sure to regret. "Sure, we're friends. I don't see why not. When are you arriving?"

"I'll be there in two days at 1:48 p.m. I can't wait to see you. I've really missed you." I couldn't help but smile at this.

"Me too. I'll pick you up in two days then. Until then, have a good flight and I'll see you then." I still got a little nervous just his hearing his voice. So nervous that I started to bit my bottom lip like I used to do in high school.

"Thanks, bye Autumn." I hung up feeling almost sad to have him leave me. That's when I realized what I might be getting myself into. Okay, so I have to admit I never really stopped "loving" Craig. It was hard to let go, but he did kill me in high school. Craig was coming here to do a piece on me so I wouldn't let his good looks or his charming wit mess up my head again.

That's why I'm here now at LAX. I'm sitting here waiting for this amazing man to walk back into my life after shutting him out for so long. What was I getting myself into?