“That’s how I roll,” I replied, smiling over at him.
We set off down the beach, each carrying our shoes in one hand, our other hands linked together. “Well, we talked about what happened in the Middle East, obviously. But that’s kind of a dead horse at this point. Everything’s been documented and should be done. After that, there was a bit of a twist.”
I raised an eyebrow as I looked over at him. “A twist?”
“There were quite a few other job offers. Seems I’ve made a splash, so now other bases want me to come and work with them. Most of the offers were for training positions, which I would love, but none of them are here in California.”
“Oh.” His statement rang through me and a pit of dread dug into my stomach. “And are you considering any of these other positions?”
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
“But you will? Soon?”
“They won’t wait forever.”
I stopped walking and turned to him. His eyes were dark and obviously conflicted as he stared back at me. “I trust you, Jack. I know you’ll make the right decision.”
He considered me for a moment and then nodded. “Even if I was stationed overseas? One of the job opportunities is a three-year stint in Germany.”
The suggestion scared me to death. I had gone through so much to get him back, and the idea of him being so far away again—even if it was to the relative safety of a base, shook me to my core. I couldn’t imagine him leaving, and there was next to no chance we’d survive three years separated by time differences, and thousands of miles, but I also couldn’t be selfish and ask him to stop pursuing his dreams to stay with me.
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Jack. I can’t tell you what to do with your career. I don’t want to be responsible for that. We just met a couple of months ago!”
Jack reached for me and gripped my arms. His hold was firm, but he wasn’t hurting me. “Holly, don’t you dare give me that again. We’re together and I know that we both want it to stay that way. Why don’t you tell me what you want?”
“I want you to stay!” The words burst from my mouth in a more demanding tone than I’d intended. “I can’t even imagine being three hours away from you right now. I’ve been worried the past two days that this is all a dream and that tomorrow, or the day after, I’m going to wake up in my bed and you won’t be there.”
I shook my head, trying to regather my composure. “I can’t imagine what would happen, or how I’d feel if you were in another country, and we got to see each other, what? Once a year? Twice?”
“I don’t want that either, Holly. That’s why I haven’t agreed to anything yet. I knew I had to talk to you first. I’ll only go to Germany if you agree to go with me.”
“What?” My eyes went wide at his suggestion. “I can’t go with you, Jack.”
“Why not?”
I was stunned into silence. I couldn’t scrape together one good reason why I couldn’t go with him. Any answer that came out of my mouth would be the old Holly talking. The version of myself that had been scared of falling in love, terrified of letting her walls down, and who had spent three years rebuilding such a busy life that there was no room for anyone else... then I met Jack.
“Holly, I love you.” My eyes whizzed back to Jack’s. “I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you running after Hunter on the beach. Your hair was flying everywhere and you were so terrified for your little pup. Then when we talked, you were so shy and sweet. I knew I had to get to know you, and now that I have, I’m crazy about you. I want you in my life no matter where I go. The past two months, spent away from you, were hell and I don’t want to ever have to do that again. When I was stuck out in that desert, scared for my life, and wondering how the hell I was going to get home again, you were the only thing I could think about. How I had to get back home because I promised you I’d come home. And...I had to tell you how I felt.”
Tears were streaming down my face at his bold, sweet words, and I didn’t even bother to wipe them away. “I love you too, Jack. When I thought you were…gone…I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t imagine not seeing you again. Never being able to see your smile, or kiss your lips, or hold your hand. It may sound selfish, but you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met and I couldn’t—I can’t—lose you.”