And then—because her life refused to let anything be simple—she felt the question sitting in her chest, heavy and unavoidable.
“What happens when you leave?” she asked, before she could talk herself out of it.
Joe went still for half a beat before rolling over back to his side of the bed.
“I’m trying to land something,” he said, looking over at her. “My editor mentioned Malta. I’m hoping I can travel around a bit more of Europe too. He’s looking into it, but it’s not locked yet. And I don’t know how long it would be. Could be a few weeks. Could be longer.”
Krista nodded like she was processing it calmly, like her insides weren’t doing a slow, panicked tumble.
“And after that?” she asked, trying to keep it light.
A flicker of a smile hit his mouth, but his eyes stayed serious. “After that, it’s usually something else. I don’t…stay in one place for long.” He exhaled. “But I want to. I want to come back to you.”
“So what are we saying?” Krista asked.
“I’m saying that I don’t want to stop this. Whateverthisis.”
Her throat tightened. She tried to blink it away like she always did.
“I don’t either,” she admitted.
Then Joe said, a little rougher, “We can try long-distance.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“No,” he said, honestly. “But I’m sure about you.”
The warmth of his words washed over her.
Krista nodded slowly. “Okay,” she whispered. “Then we try.”
Joe leaned down and kissed her. It was slow and lingering, like he was sealing it in place before fear could undo it.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. “We’ll be realistic,” he murmured. “Your life is…a lot.”
“So is yours,” she said, because she could already picture him in some far-off city, chasing light through narrow streets, pretending he wasn’t lonely.
“But we’ll make it work. We’ll call, text, figure out time zones. I’ll come back when I can. And when I can’t…” He swallowed. “I’ll still be yours.”
Krista’s heart gave a hard, aching thump.
“Okay,” she said again, because it was the only word she trusted not to break.
He rolled, bracing his arms on either side of her, caging her in. “For the record,” he said, his voice going softer, “I’d stay like this all day with you too, if I could. In fact, I’m hoping to spend some more time with you while I can.”
“Is that so?” Krista smiled up at him.
He wiggled his hips, making the mattress bounce. “Very much.”
Her phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand.
Krista groaned. “I better check that. It might be Gramps.”
Or my parents, she thought grimly.
She twisted, stretching an arm out to snag the phone. Joe reluctantly moved aside.
It wasn’t Walt. And it wasn’t her parents.
