Page 78 of Chasing Forever
“Don’t apologize. Why don’t we sit down?”
“Okay.”
He took her hand and led her to the couch. Once they were seated, he gathered her close, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Want to talk about it?”
She took a moment to collect herself. “It’s a combination of things, I guess. First, it was my grandma, and now your sister’s leaving, and soon…”
He was smoothing his hand over her hair, and he paused. “Soon what?”
“Soon we’ll be leaving too.”
“We still have a couple of weeks left.” After he said it, he knew it wasn’t enough—for either of them.
“But before we know it, we’ll be heading back to Michigan, and all this will just be a memory.”
Placing his index finger under her chin, he tipped her face up. “Is that all you want it to be—a memory?”
She searched his eyes for a moment, and he wondered what she saw there. Knowing how observant she was, he guessed she saw a man who was in love with her.
She slowly shook her head, and he broke out in a smile.
“Me either.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I never expected this to happen, Callie. But now that it did, I’m not ready for it to end.”
She sighed, and he felt her whole body relax in his arms. “I’m so glad I’m not the only one.”
He considered picking her up and carrying her to his bedroom, but he had some more things to say to her first.
“Would you like something to drink? I’ve got wine.”
“That sounds great.”
He got up, and she started to follow him, but he motioned for her to stay put. “I’ll get it. You just relax.”
She smiled sweetly, and he went into the kitchen to pour their drinks. Truthfully, he’d needed a minute to compose himself after what they’d just shared. Was he getting in over his head? Was it too soon?
His hands were shaking when he poured the wine, and he spilled some on the counter. He couldn’t remember ever being this nervous, even when he’d taken the bar exam!
It’s not like you’re getting married, you dufus. You’re just admitting you’d like to see her when you get back home. No big deal. But somehow it felt like a very big deal.
He took a few deep breaths and returned to the living room with two glasses of wine. He noticed Callie had kicked off her shoes and was sitting with her legs curled underneath her. She’d worn shorts and a T-shirt for their outing, and her mostly bare tanned legs had been tempting him all day long. How he longed to run his hands up them, and then his tongue…
“Thanks,” she said, eagerly accepting the glass of wine.
If he wasn’t mistaken, she seemed a bit nervous too despite her casual pose.
They sipped in silence for a moment, and then he cleared his throat. “There are a few things I’d like to explain to you.”
“Okay.”
“First of all, about my ex…”
“You don’t have to…”
“No. I want to, especially now that Miranda brought her up.”
Callie nodded.
“She cheated on me with one of my best friends.”
