“I don’t want that to be the moment I lose you again,” he said. “I don’t want you moving to a foreign country to be the moment our relationship ends again.”
“Well, I don’t want that either,” she started. “But I don’t see how—”
He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. “We do long distance,” he said. “Just…agree to that much, please. We’ll take it day by day. But please say yes.”
“Yes.” The word flew from her mouth, and Jack grinned, the weight easing off his chest.
“Remember how, when we were in Mexico, we made the most of every moment? And we didn’t worry about the future so much as we simply enjoyed what time we did have?”
“Yes…”
“Let’s do that now.”
“Do what?”
“Make the most of whatever time we have left until you leave. I get what you’ve been saying. We both have dreams, things we want to do with our lives. I can’t ask you to stay in the States with me any more than you can ask me to move to Russia with you. It’s not fair to either of us. We’re too young to compromise, and I don’t want either of us to wake up one day and regret our decisions, or resent each other.”
Her lips quivered as she said, “That would never happen.”
“I’d like to think you’re right, but you can’t know that.” He gave her a sad smile, slightly amused by the way the tables of this particular argument had turned.
On the surface, it would seem there were no winners here, no matter what they did. Either way, it was going to hurt like hell, death by a thousand cuts, so much worse than parting ways in Mexico had been.
But he’d meant what he said, both when he’d told her that he wasn’t going to lose her again, and that he wanted to soak upevery single second together before they had to find out how to be together from over four thousand miles apart.
“I have an idea,” he said.
Jessica stepped toe to toe with him, her hands snaking around his waist and settling at his lower back. “I’m listening,” she said, tipping her head to meet his gaze, chin resting on his chest.
“A bucket list,” he blurted.
“What kind of bucket list?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “A bucket list of things we want to do—youwant to do—before you leave.”
“Like…watch my super hot hockey player boyfriend play in a national championship game?”
Jack’s smile grew, loving her more in that moment than he thought possible for the simple fact that she saidplayand notwin. “Exactly,” he said with a nod.
“And what about you?” she asked. “What do you want to do?”
“I want…”
Jack trailed off, considering his answer. What could he ask this girl for that she hadn’t already given him?
“I want us to spend a weekend in Traverse City with your family,” he said at last.
“I want tomeetyour family,” Jessica retorted.
“You’ve met my mom,” he reminded her.
“So I want to meet your dad and brother.”
He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I think that can be arranged.”
And he knew that would be simple, coordinating a meeting between her and his family, but he also knew right then he’d move Heaven and Earth to give Jessica whatever she asked for, forever.
Because he hoped that, one day, his family would be her family, too.
