"I'm still scared," she continues. "Probably going to be scared the whole way. But I'm tired of letting fear make my choices."
"So..." I don't want to assume. Not this time.
"So if we do this, we do it right." She steps closer. "Partners. Equal say. I'm not following you to Texas—we're going together. And I have conditions."
My heart kicks into overdrive. "Name them. All of them. Whatever you need."
"I need to finish my consulting work for the base. Give them proper notice, help them transition. That'll take at least two weeks, maybe three."
"Done."
"I need to find someone to take over my practice. Someone good. That could take longer."
"However long it takes."
"And I need you to stop looking at me like I just agreed to marry you, because this is terrifying enough without your golden retriever energy."
I grin. Can't help it. "I'm more of a German Shepherd guy, actually."
She tries to hold back her smile. Fails. "You're impossible."
"You like it."
"I'm reconsidering."
Maverick barks, high and sharp, and we both look down. He's tangled himself in the leash, wrapped it around my ankles, and is now trying to climb my leg.
"Sit," Callie says firmly.
The puppy sits. Immediately. Tail still wagging like crazy, but he sits.
"Show off," I mutter.
She laughs—really laughs—and the sound breaks something open in my chest. The tension that's been coiled there since I left her house drains away, replaced by relief so strong it makes me dizzy.
"Come here," I say.
"You're tangled in a leash."
"I'm aware."
She crosses the remaining space between us, careful to step over Maverick's impromptu obstacle course. When she's close enough to touch, I cup her face in my hands and kiss her.
It's different from before. Softer. Less desperate and more promising. Like we're not trying to fit a lifetime into one moment because we actually have time now. Time to figure this out, to build something real.
When we break apart, she's smiling.
"Hi," I say.
"Hi yourself."
"So. Texas."
"Texas," she agrees. "Eventually."
"Partners."
"Partners." She glances down at Maverick, who's trying to eat my shoelace again. "Does this mean I'm stuck with your dog too?"
