All of Me

“No. I think I’ll wait until I get home.” She tapped the envelope against her other hand, not sure she wanted to see the contents. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

Damian caught Karen as she made it to the classroom. “Hey. Everything okay? You look upset.”

“Just a little nervous.” She held up the envelope.

His eyes lit up, and his mouth curved in a wide grin. “Is that what I think it is? Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked eagerly. “I know just how we can celebrate.”

Karen wished she could muster the same enthusiasm. She’d been working toward an opportunity like this her entire career, but somehow, the moment felt bittersweet.

“Baby girl, you’re killing me with the suspense.”

She chuckled. It was hard not to get caught up in his excitement. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and removed the sheet of paper. Her heart beat erratically in her chest as she read the words. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered. “I got it.” She shook her head. “I got the job.”

Damian whisked Karen off her feet and swung her around. “Yes! I knew it.” He stopped, lowered her to the floor and gave her a long, drugging kiss. “Congratulations, sweetheart. I’m so happy for you.”

On one hand, she was ecstatic about reaching one of her career goals ahead of the timetable she had set for herself. On the other hand, she didn’t know what to do about her and Damian. Surely he would tire of sporadic visits over a long period, and in the back of her mind Karen would always wonder if he’d found another woman to occupy his time with. She couldn’t go through that again.

“We can go out to dinner and celebrate. Let’s invite Kyle and Melissa...” He trailed off, and his brow knitted. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy?”

“Yes, but...”

“But what? You told me this was part of your dream.”

“It is, but...but I didn’t think about... It never occurred to me...” She turned away.

He turned her back to face him and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Talk to me, Karen. What’s going on?”

She stared up at him, trying to choose her words. “It’s just, I never imagined meeting someone like you and now...now this changes things.”

His brow lifted. “What things?”

“Us.”

“Why would it change things between us?”

“I plan to be in this position at least two years.”

“Yeah. And?”

“Come on, Damian. You don’t honestly believe this relationship can last two or three years long-distance. I know you’ve thought about it.”

“Why not? We can do it if it’s what we both want.”

Karen folded her arms. “So what happens if there are weeks or months when we can’t see each other?”

“We deal with those times as they come.” Damian angled his head. “Karen, what’s this about? Are you having second thoughts about us? I thought we already talked about the distance thing.”

“No, I don’t want to stop seeing you, but I also don’t want to wonder if you’re seeing someone else when we’re not together.”

He heaved a deep sigh. “Baby, I love you. I would never cheat on you.”

As much as she wanted to believe him, thoughts of Andre’s betrayal leaped to the forefront of her mind. Although she loved Damian, she couldn’t take that chance again.

“Honey, this is your day. Let’s go out and celebrate tonight, and we can talk about it later.”

She shook her head and smiled ruefully. “I’m not really in the mood to celebrate right now. I think I just want to go home.” She packed up her belongings and rushed out of the room with Damian on her heels.

He didn’t say anything as they passed through the office. When she made it to the car, he gently caught her arm. “Karen, wait a minute. Listen to me.”

“I worked too hard for this position to give it up.” Her voice cracked.

“I’m not asking you to give it up. I would never do that.”

“I know that and I love you, but I just don’t think this is going to work.” She couldn’t ask him to give up his career, either. His mouth settled in a grim line, and her heart broke at seeing the pain reflected in his face, knowing she was the cause.

“Karen—”

“It not that I don’t trust you, Damian, but I... I don’t know. I just...” She opened the back door, tossed in her stuff and closed it. She opened the driver’s door and hopped in, but he held on to the door, preventing her from closing it. “I’m sorry.”