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“I see,” she slowly says. “This is a tough one, Hunter. I know how much you love working. You’ve paused your life for me and my problems. I guess I haven’t thought much about it because I’ve enjoyed being with you so much, but we’ve both known for a while that the real world will come back with a vengeance. Maybe it’s simply coming back much sooner than either of us are ready for.”
“Can’t we build a place beneath the ocean and hide from the world?” I ask. She laughs.
“No, but I want you to know that if you go, I’ll be right here when you get back. They haven’t cleared me yet... and I honestly don’t know if that’s my path in life anymore. I’ve been struggling with it too. I don’t want to hold you back though. That’s not what people who care about each other do. We’re a team through the good times and bad. The more time we spend together, the more I understand this.”
“Damn, I love you so much,” I say. I try not to say it too much, but there are simply times I can’t hold back. I truly do love this woman. She smiles at me.
“I know you do.” She leans in and kisses me. Soon she’ll be saying it back to me. “You’ve been my rock for months and I’m grateful for every single moment we’ve had together.”
My heart swells with a mixture of emotions — gratitude, relief, and a profound sense of belonging. We do belong together, and we’ll be this way no matter what happens in the near future. It’s a guarantee.
Jasmine isn’t vulnerable with too many people, but she’s opening up for me, showing me her softer side, showing that she trusts me. It means so much more to me than three little words I know will be said soon enough.
Looking into this woman’s eyes, I realize my feelings for her go so far beyond anything else in my life. She’s my heart and soul. My priorities have shifted. I’ve wrestled with this decision, but there really is no choice in the end. We’re in the middle of our book, and we need to finish our story.
“Thank you. You trusting me, and allowing me to get through this without guilt or anything else, is the best gift you could give me,” I tell her, my voice filled with full sincerity. “I’m so glad you joined the FBI, and you landed in Miami. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it.”
Jasmine’s eyes shimmer with unshed tears as she slides her fingers across my cheek and back into my hair. No matter which room we’re in, or what we’re doing, we don’t go too long without having to touch one another. She gazes at me, love shining in her crystal blue depths.
“Hunter, I’m in, I’m so in. I haven’t said it to you yet, but I no longer question how much I’m yours. These past months have been the best of my life. I hope I get my memories back so I can remember what I felt the first time I fell in love with you, but even if I don’t, it doesn’t matter. I understand why I fell the first time.”
As the weight of her words settles over me, a wave of clarity washes through me. I have my final answer. The path I envisioned for my life has shifted, morphed into something different, but undeniably beautiful.
“I’m not going anywhere, Jasmine. I love you, and I don’t know how long this mission will take. I want to finish my journey with you, make sure you’re fully back to being healthy. I want to be by your side when the doctor tells you everything is okay. I want to be by your side forever.” I stop short of proposing marriage. The ring in my shirt drawer is calling me, but it’s not the right time yet. Soon, I assure myself, very, very soon, it will be the right time.
I want to fly to Africa and propose to her there, just like I did in my dream. It was beautiful and perfect, and I want it more than I’ve wanted anything else. I say this a lot when it comes to Jasmine.
Jasmine laughs as she throws her arms around my neck and hugs me. “You can change your mind and I’ll still be here, but I’m not unhappy about you staying. I’m pretty clingy right now, and letting you go seems like utter hell.”
Now I’m laughing, feeling so much freer now that I’ve made this decision. I’m not looking forward to telling the FBI I’m out. They don’t like people leaving. They also don’t like those not loyal to the Bureau to stay though. If my heart’s not in it, it’s better for me to quit.
“Woman, let’s get you in the shower,” I tell her as I rise from the chair with her in my arms.
“Are you telling me I stink, Hunter Sparks?” she asks with laughter as I move through the large condo toward our bedroom.
“I’d never say such a thing,” I say as I march straight into the bathroom before setting her down.
We’re both eager to strip away our clothes. I barely beat her, before starting the shower and pulling her in with me... where we get lost in each other’s arms for the next hour. Oh yes, I’ve made the only decision I can possibly make because it would be hell to be away from her.
I’ve never needed another person like I need her. It’s as if our souls are aligned, and when we get too far apart, the very life that gives us breath begins to fade. Love is both beautiful and consuming, and I wouldn’t have it any other way than what we have right here and now.
ChapterTwenty
Hunter
My phone pings with a message from Rick Moss, my best friend, and I cringe. It’s a 911 and he’ll hunt me down if I don’t respond. I look over at Jasmine who’s doing something on her computer.
“Hey, babe, Rick wants to have a drink. Are you up for going out?” I’m not sure Rick wants a guy thing right now, or if everyone’s invited, but I have to make the offer. She waves her hand in the air.
“Hunter, if you don’t hang with the boys sometimes without me tagging along, they’re going to have me kidnapped and tortured for male bonding interference. I have a ton to do on this project anyway. Ember has me working,” she says without looking up.
“I think you’re kindly telling me to get out,” I say with a laugh. She briefly glances up and shrugs with an innocent look in her eyes.
I shoot Rick a quick reply, saying I’ll meet him at the bar, then move over and give Jasmine a kiss. She brushes me away and dives back into the program on her computer. I love seeing her engrossed in a project. She’s finding her way back to where she’s always been. Jasmine’s a worker. She can’t go long without stimulating herself.
I get to the bar in about fifteen minutes and walk inside, immediately spotting Rick in the back, then cringe as I notice James, our local IT guy and my friend, sitting with him. This could be an intervention. Crap!
I move through the sparsely crowded bar, and they look up as I approach, pointing to the seat across from them, a beer already waiting.
