The first week of the new year was a flurry of packing for New York, and January sixth saw us on a flight for JFK. I felt bad to leave Lucy and Molly, because they weren't babies anymore; they knew something was up, and I knew they'd miss us.

The return date of our trip was open ended, because it depended on the results of the audition, of course. If I got in, apartment hunting would kick in to high gear, and perhaps we'd go directly to the Bahamas from New York.

The boys had settled on the Bahamas for their album writing session this year, which was to begin some time in February. Welcome to the life of a rockstar, Foster. Of course, management hadn't exactly okayed my going with them, but the boys hadn't asked, either. There was a distinct possibility that I'd be kicked off the island, so to speak.

If, on the other hand, I didn't get in, we'd probably just return to London right away while I pondered where to apply for a doctoral program for next year. Teddy was adamant that I finish my doctorate, and I had to admit, I had always thought of myself as Dr. Foster, PhD in something or other.

However, there was a third possibility. I'd been enamored with New York my whole life, though I'd never been there, and Teddy had been wanting another real estate investment; he had been to New York, and he loved it, so we might end up staying and apartment hunting anyway.

If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be traveling first class from London to New York with my rockstar boyfriend to check out real estate investments I would have sent them to the nearest loony bin, yet here I was, sipping champagne at 30,000 feet. Life was nuts.

Our flight arrived at night, showing New York City lit up like a fairy tale, and Teddy told our driver to take the long way into the city, over the Brooklyn Bridge, so we could enjoy the view. I cried, because that's just what I did. Teddy hugged me. Traffic approaching the bridge was pretty heavy, and it was going to take us a while to actually get on it, but it was all joy to me. I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. The air was frigid, and so clear that I felt like I could reach out and touch the Chrysler Building. I felt Teddy tugging on my sleeve and I reluctantly pulled my head in.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked, touching my nose.

I shook my head, smiling.

"You're barking," he said, pulling me close and kissing me. "But if you're going to do that, this is much better." He closed the privacy window between us and the driver, and opened the sunroof, which I hadn't even noticed. We stood up, our upper halves sticking out of the sunroof.

Wow. It was like the scene in Titanic, when Rose says she's flying, only way cooler, because New York City was spread out in front of us; the financial district glittered off to our left, while midtown and uptown, with the Empire State Building right in the middle, sparkled to our right, the Bronx and Yonkers barely visible far off to the north.

Teddy squeezed behind, putting his arms around me, his face next to mine, the cold air making our eyes water.

He put his lips next to my ear. "Happy?"

I nodded, squeezing his hands, which were around my waist.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

I shook my head, turning to talk into his ear. "Not at all." We'd spent many hours of the flight wrapped up in each other's arms, asleep, a good, deep sleep, in the comfortable pod.

"I have an idea," he said, and even with the wind, I could hear the smile in his voice. "I'm going in for a bit, you stay up here, okay?"

I nodded. He kissed my cheek and disappeared into the car.

In a few minutes he tugged on my coat, and I reluctantly sat down on the seat. We had just inched onto the bridge, and I'd been looking forward to a much improved view. My cheeks were burning after being in the frigid air for so long.

"So, here's the plan," he said, smiling his particularly tickled smile at me.

"There's a plan?" I asked him.

"Yes. I've arranged for the driver to take our luggage to the hotel. You and I are going to get all bundled up in these hats and scarves that you made for us with your lovely hands," he broke off to kiss my hands, "and put on some gloves, and we are going to walk across the bridge and into the city.

"Unless you don't want to?" He gazed at me. "Too tired?"

I was almost speechless. "Secret Pinterest?" I whispered.

He nodded, touching my hair. "I have a good memory," he said with a smile, touching his own head with his forefinger.

I wrapped my scarf around my neck, put my hat and gloves on, grabbed my purse, and followed him out of the car. He slapped the hood of the car twice and it pulled away, leaving us.

We had to backtrack a little bit to get off the bridge. We took the stairs up to the pedestrian walkway, and started walking toward New York City, arm in arm. It was beautiful.

We took our time, enjoying the view and each other's company. At one point, I turned to him. "I don't really get that cold, you know that, but you feel the cold terribly, always. Aren't you freezing?" I rubbed his arm.

He rubbed his hand up and down my side, squeezing me and leaning his head on mine for a moment as we walked. Then he stopped walking and turned to me, putting both arms around me. He leaned his forehead against mine. "I'm with you," he said simply, shrugging and smiling. "I'm warm inside." He kissed me. Once again, like when we were in Hertfordshire, his mouth was so warm it was shocking in the cold air. He pulled away, but I followed, going up on tiptoe, unwilling to end the kiss yet, and he smiled, and came back, pulling me closer.

Our night-time walk into New York City took about an hour, though it was barely a mile, one of the most romantic hours of my life. The air was so clear, and the lights of the city looked so close that I got dizzy a couple of times and had to look down at my feet to re-orient myself.

When we got to the other side, we caught a cab to take us to the Plaza, another of my dreams, ever since I was a little girl and read my first Eloise book.

Once in the cab, I leaned against him. "Thank you, so, so much," I said. I took his hand, took the glove off, and kissed it. I put the glove in his hand and placed the hand in his lap. I looked up at him. "I just don't know what else to say," I said with a smile. I shrugged, absolutely helpless. "I'm out of words for the gratitude I feel toward you."

"Just keep smiling," he said kissing my forehead. "That's all the thanks I'll ever need." He pulled my head against his shoulder. We rode a few blocks in companionable silence. "And blowies," he added.

I laughed, hitting his chest. He grabbed my hand and kissed it, holding on to it after.

We pulled up at the beautiful, iconic Plaza Hotel twenty minutes later, and I got out of the cab, staring up at the facade I'd dreamed of seeing all my life. And I knew that if I walked east for about one minute, across the plaza, I'd be standing in front of the actual store where Audrey Hepburn stood and ate her croissant in the iconic movie version of Truman Capote's novella.

"Psst." I felt Teddy blowing air into my ear. "You ready to actually enter the hotel, or would you like to stand out here a little longer?"

"Oh." I looked at him. "I can go in now, if you want." I smiled. "But isn't it super cool out here?"

He looked around. "What exactly do you see, love?" he asked curiously.

"What don't I see?" I countered. "There's Central Park, there are the cabs, there are the people, there's Central Park South, there's Fifth Avenue way over there, there's the Grand Army Plaza, there's Pulitzer Fountain, I can almost see the actual Breakfast at Tiffany's Tiffany's store, there's the Apple Store, Park Avenue--"

"Okay, okay, Jesus," he shushed me, laughing. He brushed his lips against my forehead. "We have a suite with a lovely view of the city, okay? I thought you'd prefer that to a park view, but if you'd rather we can switch to one with a view of the park. Or a view of both, for that matter, I don't care."

"A view of the city and the park?" I asked, amazed. "But that would make it cost, like, twice as much. We are so not doing that, Theodore Shelley," I said firmly.

"Yes, dear," he said, laughing and kissing my temple again. "Can we get ourselves into some type of room, at least? Only I'm freezing my bollocks off out here."

"Crap, I'm sorry," I said. "Come on, let's get inside, you definitely need those bollocks, don't you?" I smiled at him.

"Sometimes they come in handy," he laughed, as we went inside.

The suite was lovely, on the sixteenth floor, with a terrace and a spectacular, dizzying view of Fifth Avenue and the city. Another dream come true. My entire apartment in Los Angeles would have easily fit into the common living area. Wow.

"I can't believe we get to live here for the next two weeks," I said, falling backwards on the bed. "I keep feeling like I'm going to wake up and be back in my little apartment with Ben, and these last eight months are just going to have been a dream."

Teddy came and fell, face forward, next to me, making me bounce. "Yeah, I know," he said, rolling so he faced me, sideways. He shook his head so his hair was out of his eyes. "I feel the same way."

"What are you talking about?" I turned so I was facing him. "Your life hasn't changed. Mine's the one that's done a complete one-eighty.

"A year ago you were a rock star millionaire. A year ago you traveled the world. A year ago you had hordes of adoring, screaming fans. And now you still have all those things.

"A year ago I was a waitress. A year ago I had to think about money every single day. A year ago I'd never been anywhere except LA and Tokyo. A year ago I was a virgin." I scooted closer to him. "And a year ago I was lonely, even though I didn't know it. And now I'm none of those things."

"Well, that last one was true for both of us," he said softly. "Only I didn't know it, either. I had my boys, my mates, but I was lonely, too." He scooted closer, hooking his leg over me, pulling me into his body. "I had a hole in my life, in my heart, the size and shape of a little half-Japanese hummingbird," he said, smiling. "And now it's been filled, and it's amazing, how much stronger I feel, how complete, how ready to do anything, everything." He kissed me, putting his strong hand on my throat, exhaling through his nose, making me weak, making me want him, making me forget everything in the world but him.