Rushed (Adventures in Love 1)

“What do you mean?”

“We need to figure out if I’m going to sell and move here, or if you’re going to move to Montana with me so we can start our life there.”

“Oh,” she says quietly, her eyes going from her trailer to her shop, then the trees surrounding us.

Cupping her cheek, I wait for her gaze to come back to me. “If we decide on Montana, you don’t have to sell this place—you can keep it, and we can use it when we come to visit, or you can rent it out for a little extra cash or even sell it later on down the road.”

“I love you.” She rests her forehead on my chin.

Fuck, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to or tired of her saying she loves me. Yeah, I’ve had Mav and Blake, along with his family, but until her, I’ve never had anyone of my own, and it feels good, better than good, to have someone to belong to. “I love you too.”

“I know that it’ll take Jade, Maisie, and Bernard time to get used to me being away, but I . . .” She lets out a breath. “But I was happy with you in Montana. It felt like home when I was there, and even though I’m going to miss everyone, I’m ready for a change.”

“You sure about that?”

“Would you sell your house and move here if I told you that I didn’t want to leave?”

“Yes.” I don’t even have to think about it. I never wanted to sell my portion of the business, but I would choose Cybil every single time.

“I know you would, so I need you to have as much faith in me as I have in you.” She lets out a deep breath, then presses her forehead into the crook of my neck and wraps her arms around me, holding on tight. “I trust you.”

“That means a lot, sunshine.” I hold her tight, knowing that no matter what happens, as long as she and I find our way through this together, everything else will be all right.

Hearing the engine of Dave’s plane start up, I look down at Cybil and wonder if I’m making the right decision. Being away from her isn’t something I want, and I know she doesn’t want it either. But after lots of conversations and talking to Maisie, Bernard, and Jade, we decided that I would go back to Montana to work. She would join me in a month—enough time to get the rest of her place packed up and on the market.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy being away from her, especially after spending the last few weeks together, day in and day out. As I look into her eyes, I realize the next month is going to test our relationship, specifically with me being away from my cell and not contacting her while I’m out with clients.

“I love you.” Her chin trembles as she tips her head back to look up at me.

“I love you, too, sunshine.” I brush my lips across hers, trying to force myself to release her when everything in me is screaming to hold on tighter and never let her go. “One month.”

“One month,” she repeats, taking a step back with her fingers still curled around my tee at my sides.

“Be good,” I order, and her lips curl up into a smile.

“I will be.”

I have no doubt, but it doesn’t make this any easier, and it also makes me realize how every taken man I was stationed with felt when they had to leave the lives they had behind in order to go out and fight for the country they loved.

“I’ll see you in a month,” she says.

“You will.” I kiss her once more, this time thrusting my tongue between her lips and dipping her back over my arm. When I come up for air, I look into her eyes, knowing without a doubt that this is going to work, that even if everything else turns to shit, we will be solid. We’ve found something within each other that neither of us was looking for, but it’s impossible to deny, and outside of that, nothing else matters. “See you in thirty days?”

“You will.” She lets me go, then gives me a smile. “Remember, I love your house.”

“I don’t care why you come back to me,” I tell her, and her face softens.

“Call me when you land.” She takes another step back, and I let her. With her out of reach, I turn and head for the open door of the small plane that will take me home, then stop to look at her once more. Seeing her looking so small and unsure, it kills me to hop into the empty passenger seat and wave goodbye to her. I know she’s nervous about what’s to come, and so am I. But I also know this is the beginning of our future.