Page 137 of My Favorite Hero

I heard Casey’s SUV and waited patiently, smiling when the sound of her footsteps coming closer reached my ears.

She appeared, wearing jeans and a hoodie, casual, simple, and the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

“Hey,” I greeted her, holding out my hand.

“Hi,” she replied, taking it with a squeeze but then dropping it and sitting down.

I found that odd, but I smiled. “How was girls’ night?”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

“You didn’t have fun? Miss me too much?” I teased.

She paled. Even in the dim light, I could see her skin go white.

“Too much on my mind, I guess,” she replied, staring into the fire.

Something was off. Everything about her was wrong. Her expression was tormented, her posture stiff—it was as if she was collapsing in on herself. And her voice. It wasn’t the warm, soft tone I loved so much. It was removed. Distant.

I was about to move and go to where she was sitting when she spoke.

“I had an interesting phone call and email today.”

“Oh?”

“My old boss out west. He offered me a huge project.”

“Wow. Congrats, Pix. That’s awesome.”

She stared into the fire, not meeting my eyes. “It’s a great opportunity. The salary and bonuses are incredible. I get to hire the team. Oversee it all. The equipment budget is crazy.”

“Wow. How long a project is it?”

“Nine months to a year.”

Something in her tone alerted me to what she wasn’t saying.

“Will you have to rent a bigger space for the equipment you’ll be needing?” I asked.

“No.”

She lifted her gaze from the fire to mine. “I have to move back out west.”

It felt as if the earth shifted under my feet. Her face swam in front of me. “What?”

“I have to be on-site. Manage the whole thing.”

“For the whole project?”

“Yes.”

I started talking without thinking. “Maybe you can arrange something. Work here part of the time, fly there when needed. There’s Zoom, all sorts of ways around that.”

Her voice was flat. “Why would I want to ask for that?”

I was on my knees in front of her before she could blink.

“You know why, Casey. I’m here. We’re here. Our life together is here.”