Page 98 of Sand in My Boots

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Will do. Dinner?”

I’m not sure if this conversation is over, but I have to put my feelings about the subject aside. I don’t have any say in what she does with her life, and if our relationship is going to work, I have to trust her. And she has to trust me.

“I ordered groceries to be delivered later today. What’s your opinion of chicken with mushrooms?”

“If you’re making it, I’m eating it.” She claims to “not be a good cook,” but she has some skills she showed off at my house. Here, in her domain, I’m sure they’ll be better.

“Tell me if there are things you won’t eat, otherwise I’ll expect your plate to be clean from whatever I put in front of you.”

She’s joking, evidenced by the jovial tone and grin on her beautiful lips, but damn if I don’t want to make sure I do exactly that.

“There’s not much I won’t eat.”

“Easy to please. I like that in a man.”

I return her smile. While it’s my easygoing nature, pleasing Juli is at the top of my to-do list. And if it makes her life a little easier, too, I’m going to do it.

Nibbling her bottom lip, she looks like she has more to say.

“What’s up?”

“What happens when you leave?”

My finger falls onto her lips. “We’re not talking about that now, remember? Living in the present, in the moment.”

“I know, it’s⁠—”

I shut her up the only way I know how—with my mouth over hers. Swallowing her gasp, I press her shoulders gently, causing her to fall against the pillows on the headboard.

Thoughts of what happens next week try to infiltrate my brain, but I deepen the kiss, shooing them away.

Here, in the moment, is exactly where I need to be.

Exactly where I want to be.

Four days pass in a blur. A whirlwind of sightseeing, doing touristy things with a local guiding the way, stopping by all of Juli’s favorite haunts, and dinner with her family. They were less skeptical than she initially made it seem. We had a pleasant conversation over dinner about the resort, how well it’s doing, catching them up on my life. Her dad made a few comments about our relationship, but she shut down his worries brilliantly. With the truth. I grabbed her hand in mine under the table in solidarity.

Maybe I don’t deserve a woman like Juli Langley, but I’m not squandering my chance since I have her.

We didn’t make any plans for my last day, wanting to chill. She forced me up early to watch the sunrise at a nearby lake. It was reminiscent of the last time we said goodbye, except without all the unanswered questions, and with no pretense of being friends.

Sure, we still have some topics on the table to discuss—when she’s coming back for another visit—but I’m reveling in knowing she’s mine for the foreseeable future. However long that future looks, I’m laying claim to her.

“Thanks for showing me your world. I enjoyed my visit.”

“I’m glad. Thanks for coming to visit me. I know it wasn’t easy to take the time off, to leave Whispering Tide in such a rush. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to you last week.”

“But now you are?” I question, humor in my tone.

“Never, if I’m honest. But I get it has to be like this. For now,” she tacks on.

“But not forever,” I add quietly. Almost so she doesn’t hear me. The comment could go two ways—it’s not forever because one of us moves, or it’s not forever because we’re not forever.

The sky lights up in vibrant orange, the sun starting its ascent over the horizon. Juli sits between my open legs, her back against my chest. She draws my arms around her waist, cinching her hands over mine. “It won’t always be this easy.”

“No. But the hard parts will be worth it. The distance, the not seeing you, the knowing you’re staring at other men’s chests . . .”