His to cherish, Goddamnit.
His to fight with, and figure shit outwith,too.
His.
Ah, he was a luckycolossalass.
“I want to meet your parents,” he whispered fiercely. “Let them know you met a boyatcamp.”
“A man,” she murmured as she pressed her face into his neck. “I met a man. And it’scomplicated.”
Not as complicatedas he’d thought. It wasn’t that having a fight clicked everything into perspective…but it was a little like that. Layered with a shift in perspective on thelastyear.
He hadn’t been numb to missing her. He’d been numbbecausehe missed her. Because he’d missed out on a chance to date her and get toknowher.
Then he’d had that chance this week. Demandedit,even.
And he almostbungleditup.
He squeezed hertighter.
“I want to dateyou,too.”
“We might be passed the whole ‘get to know you’ movie and dinner night type ofthing.”
“There’s a lot I still need to learnaboutyou.”
“You’ve figured out a lot of it. I’m a stressed-out workaholic with a demanding job and an even more demanding travelschedule.”
“Yet another thing wehave in common,” he murmured. “We’ll figure it out. I can put in for a transfer to the eastcoast.”
“I can do the same for the westcoast.”
“Maybe we should stagger those requests so we don’t end up flipping the problem onitsend.”
She laughed, and his heart practically sighed in relief. Oh, thankGodshe was laughingathim.
“I know it’s not going to be easy. ButI was an idiot to think it wasimpossible.”
“That’s my fault. I gave you that idea. I thought it was impossible, too. Last night…” Her voice caught. “I thought that was the last time we might betogether.”
“No.” Not while he was drunk and handsy. Not that he ever wanted them to have a last time together. The thought made him feel like his chest wasrippingopen.
“That’s whenI realized I loveyou,too.”
He picked her up and spun her around in a circle. Then he carried her into their cabin. No asterisk on that now. It was definitely theirs, and he had plans for their last night in it—forthisyear.
There was a wedding next year,afterall.
