Page 75 of A Match Made In Fall

"What?" I finally ask.

His smile softens.

"I'm just enjoying being here with you."

I suck in a breath. "But like you said there's a lot to do."

He nods. "I know."

"Then let's get moving," I tell him, standing. "I'll put these flowers in water, and then we're off."

What I don't tell him is that I need to stay busy. If I'm busy, I won't have time to think about all the questions circling in my head or the doubts. And I won't wonder if the distance will change things. Sometimes feelings fade with time. When someone isn’t part of your everyday life, they can become out of sight, out of mind.

A few months ago, I thought my injury would be the hardest thing I'd face this year. Looking back, I couldn't have been more wrong. Recovering from an injury is simple compared to this.

Nothing prepared me for falling in love with someone while knowing you're losing them at the same time. Just the constant ache of wanting to hold on while feeling them slip further away. And somehow, that hurts so much more than any physical injury ever could.

CHAPTER TWENTY

AUSTIN

Isabella continues to surprise and amaze me. She’s completely taken charge of this moving situation, while I feel like I’m paralyzed. I never would’ve guessed that packing up all my belongings could be enjoyable under these circumstances, but somehow Isabella is making it happen. There are boxes everywhere, music playing in the background, and a notebook filled with detailed lists of things I need to get done. She ordered salads and pizza for dinner, and she’s quickly moving from task to task like it’s effortless. But I can tell she’s feeling the emotions too. A few times I’ve caught her dabbing the corners of her eyes when she thinks I’m not looking. I don’t call attention to it because I know this is hard on her too. Moving is stressful, but at least we’re spending time together.

Meanwhile, all I really want to do is forget the boxes and everything that comes next. I want to sit on the couch with her in my arms and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a few hours. Unfortunately, there isn’t time for this.

We’re in the middle of packing a box of books when my phone buzzes on the kitchen counter.

I glance at the screen. It’s my brother Logan.

I answer. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Just checking in on you,” my brother says. “How’s it going?”

I look across the room at Isabella. She’s sitting in the chair with a box in front of her, carefully stacking books while quietly singing along to the music playing through the speakers.

“I’m surviving,” I admit. “Isabella’s here insisting on packing and basically doing all the work.”

“What?” Logan says. “Let me talk to her.”

I laugh. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“My brother wants to say hi,” I tell Isabella, holding the phone out to her.

She looks up, a bright smile spreading across her face as she takes it.

“Hello,” she says warmly. “It’s nice to meet you too, Logan. Austin talks about you all the time. Congrats on your engagement.”

She glances over at me, her smile growing even wider at whatever Logan is saying.

“Well, thank you,” she says, laughing softly.

A moment later she shakes her head. “No. I totally took charge and didn’t give him much of a choice. I tend to do that sometimes, and honestly there’s no point in him trying to argue.”

“I told you, Logan,” I call from across the room.

She waves me off and leans back in the chair like she plans on being there for a while. I listen as their conversation continues, and they sound like old friends catching up after months of not talking. This totally makes sense because that’s Isabella, she has this ability to draw people in without even trying. It happened to me.