Page 26 of Jack's Legacy
He leaned in for a kiss. It was soft and slow, full of promise and regret. When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Rachel smiled.
He drove to their beach, stopping at the end of the wooded lane just before the dunes. Laying the back seats down, he spread out a blanket left over from when he was hauling some items for a buddy at the Academy.
She wasted no time as she crawled to the back and lay down, her arms raised to him. He followed, gathering her into his arms.
“I love you,” he said against her hair. “I never stopped.”
“I love you too.” Rachel pulled back to look at him.
Jack kissed her, deeper this time, with all the longing and love he'd been holding back for months. Rachel's hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, and Jack went willingly. Then he settled beside her, propping himself up to look at her in the moonlight.
“You're so beautiful,” he murmured, tracing the line of her jaw.
Rachel's breath whispered over his cheek. “So are you.”
They lay, looking out as the stars twinkled over the sparkling bay, time seeming to slow as they held on to each moment.
“When will you find out where you’ll be stationed after you graduate?” Her voice was soft, tentative.
Jack stilled as a heavy sigh left his lungs. “I don't know. The truth is...” He took a breath, steeling himself. “I’m hoping for Norfolk, but it could be anywhere. And… no matter where, when I'm out to sea, you'll be alone.”
Rachel’s gaze searched his face. “You don’t have any say in where you go?”
“No… none.”
“When you’re at sea, how long would you be gone?”
“Months at a time.” He watched her face, seeing the realization dawn, hating he couldn’t give her more assurances. “Rachel, I want this to work. I want us to work. But I can't ask you to wait around for someone who's going to be gone more than he's here.”
“We’re not really making things better on ourselves, are we?” Rachel's voice was tight.
Jack's chest constricted. He'd thought he could navigate college, his career, and his relationship. But looking at Rachel now, seeing the resignation in her eyes, he knew he was being selfish.
“I guess we need to be realistic.” The words felt like glass in his throat. “You've got another year of college. I'm starting my career. The future is murkier than I want to admit.”
Tears slipped down Rachel's face. “I want to believe that what we have is worth the distance and the waiting and the difficulty.”
Jack wanted to say yes. He wanted to promise her everything. But the image of Rachel sitting alone in an apartment while he was on the other side of the world, unable to call or visit or be there when she needed him, made his chest ache.
“Christ, I have no idea what to do,” he said finally, wiping her tears with his thumbs, each one branding a trail on his heart.
She nodded slowly. “Me either.”
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I'm so sorry.”
“Me too.” Rachel held his gaze. “Is this goodbye, Jack?”
The finality in her voice broke something inside him. “I don’t want it to be goodbye. Maybe just…”
“The continuation of a time-out,” she said with a forced smile.
He nodded, each movement feeling like a nail in a coffin.
Climbing back into the front seat, they faced the front as he started the engines. They drove in silence to Shiloh and Joseph’s house, parking outside.
Turning to face her, he raked his gaze over her face. Things had seemed so easy in high school. Now, as adults on different career paths, it was difficult to navigate the churning waters of their relationship.
He walked her to the front porch and cupped her cheeks, having no idea when they might see each other. His dad had taken time off, and tomorrow, he and his family were traveling to the mountains for a holiday that, hopefully, involved skiing. By the time they returned, he would have to pack to head back to the Academy.
