She sighs and rests her forehead on my chest, and I tip her chin up with my pointer finger until she’s looking up at me once more. “We’re going to make this work, Addie.”
“I know. When will I see you?”
I swallow down the knot of guilt. “I’m going to try my best to get to Juniper Ridge for New Year’s. I have a huge project that I have to get wrapped up and I’m going to be working all over the holidays.”
“I know. Me too. Christmas is our busiest time.”
“We’ll make it work.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I fucking hate the way that she says it like that. I know it will be hard, but people have long-distance relationships all the time.
My Uber pulls up and I wrap her in my arms and kiss her so hard, she’ll still feel my lips on hers until I see her again. When I get into the cab, she waves me off, a smile on her face even though I can see the tears rolling down her cheeks. I hate this, but I have a life and responsibilities in LA that I can’t just leave behind.
As soon asI landed three days ago, I headed straight to my office and I’ve barely left since. The Dallas job has been taking up way too much of my time, not to mention some headaches popping up from a project that was completed weeks ago. But some asshole got a copy of some building code regulations he says we’re in breach of, even though I know for sure we’re not. Still doesn’t stop the asshole trying to screw us over though.
Keeley pops her head into my office. “You asked me to tell you when it was six o’clock.”
Shit! I did. I can’t believe it’s already that time—the time I agreed to call Addie. I hate these all-too-brief calls, especially when she always sounds so sad when they end. It’s not enough. Never enough where she’s concerned. And at the end of everycall, I wind up feeling guilty as hell that I’m not giving her enough of my time.
“You also have that new meeting scheduled in ten minutes,” Keeley reminds me.
Fuck! Addie was right. This long-distance thing isn’t going to work. My job is my whole fucking life. I don’t know when that happened, but it did. Like it or not, I can’t live this life and have her too. No matter how much I might want to.
Chapter 34
Addison
CHRISTMAS EVE
# Red flags are green if you squint in just the right way
It’s been twelve days since Chase left for LA. We spoke every day for the first six days, although each call got progressively shorter and shorter. Usually, he’d call me first, but then it was me calling him. And then he’d be in a meeting and would promise to call me back, and the time between missing my call and returning it would get longer as the conversations got shorter. Always rushing off to another meeting or to fix something.
I can’t blame him. I knew this long-distance thing wouldn’t work. He’s too busy for a relationship with someone living in the same state as him, never mind someone living on the other side of the country. We haven’t spoken at all in two days now. Just a text from him this morning telling me he loves me.
I’m sure that’s true, but sometimes love isn’t enough.
My mom steps back from the Christmas tree, clapping her hands and admiring her handiwork, and deservedly so.
“It looks beautiful, Mom.”
She wraps her arm around me, her eyes shining with delight. “It always reminds me of you kids and how excited you used to get. You always used to love Christmas.”
Her expression turns sad when she looks at me. “And then, it seemed…” She tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “For a while, it seemed like you stopped.”
I hug her tightly. “I still love Christmas, Mom,” I assure her. Now is not the time to think about Chase Hunter. I’ve forgiven him for breaking my heart all those years ago, and even though it’s breaking again right now, that’s not on him. I’m sure he really did want this to work as much as I did.
The doorbell rings.
“I’ll get it,” Eva shouts, followed by the sound of her stockinged feet scampering down the hallway.
The door opens and she shouts again. “Addie. It’s for you.”
I look at Mom and she shrugs, like she has no idea who would be calling here for me either. Only Emma would drop by to see me, and she’s definitely in Chicago based on the thousands of photos she keeps posting to her Instagram page.
I walk out into hallway, passing a grinning Eva on my way. She’s closed the door on whoever is out there and I can’t help wonder if this is some kind of surprise my family have cooked up. A Christmas singing telegram? Carolers? A pony? All of the above?
