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She nodded, a smile surfacing on her beautiful mouth.
“I don’t want to lie to you, Emily. It’s going to be so hard having you leave, but the hard part is missing you, nothing else.”
Emily rested her head on my chest and let out a happy sigh. “I wish I hadn’t waited so long to let my guard down with you.”
I pressed my lips to her and let out a deep sigh. “I’m kicking myself for that too. I should have told you sooner.”
“Speaking of, I can’t believe you’ve let me think that you’ve been going on all these dates with women nonstop.” She eyed me with a wicked grin. “That’s sadistic.”
“I dropped as many clues as I could think of. Do you really think I’d comment about how loudly a woman eats or how I couldn’t have a deep conversation, or worse, have to chase after them?”
She chuckled. “I just thought it was code for something.”
I brought her in close, but the heaviness in my heart had already started. I knew I would miss her even more than I could imagine.
Emily turned toward me. Her eyes searched mine, and I realized I saw the same trepidation mirrored in her gaze.
“I kind of feel like it's Murphy’s Law. Like, of course, I finally find my soulmate, and then I suddenly disappear for a few months because of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Soulmate.
Hearing that word from her lips made my world spin, knowing I’d made the right decision to tell her how I felt.
Things would be okay. We’d get through this.
“On so many levels, I can’t believe this is happening.” A soft tremor threaded through her voice. “It’s like the longer I sit with the news, the more worried I’m getting.”
“Don’t overthink it, Emily. You’re right. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
She looked at me and nodded. “But so is this.”
I pulled her into a hug, feeling the steady beats of our hearts. “Now, we’re both overthinking things. Three months is barely anything. You’ll be so busy, I doubt you’ll even remember I exist.”
She loosened her embrace and laughed. “Not likely.”
“I mean, that’s what I’m hoping happens.”
Emily threw a soft punch in my direction and laughed.
I realized how it came out and chuckled. “I meant for you.”
“Sure you did, buddy,” she teased.
“You’re about to embark on an incredible journey, and I will be there as much as I can without stepping on your toes,” I promised. “And I won’t get my feelings hurt if you tell me to buzz off.”
“I would never do such a thing.” She grinned. “Hey, how did Brad respond when you dropped off Oscar?”
I laughed. “Actually, I think he was surprised that I didn’t buckle and ship him off somewhere else.”
“Yeah?” She looked surprised.
“And he had a little heart-to-heart with me.”
“No…” Her eyes widened.
“Yeah. You’ve got a good brother.”
“I do.” She nodded. “I’ve got a good family. A good boyfriend. An opportunity that I can’t pass up.” She turned to me, still holding her phone. “Should I hitAccept?”
