Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I’m openly sobbing. “I love you. I don’t want to leave you, either, but I can’t give up on my passion. I’m torn. My heart is breaking at the thought of leaving you.”
“I’ll be right here, Scarlett. Do you remember what I told you all those months ago?”
I shake my head because all I can think about right now is that I’ve found him. The man of my dreams, and I can’t keep him. At least not him and my career as a travel photographer. I don’t see how when some assignments are months at a time. Archer deserves someone to share his life with, not someone who stops in a few times a year.
“I don’t care where you are in the world, if you need me, you call me. Do you understand? My love for you doesn’t stop because you’re chasing your dreams. We knew this was what was going to happen. We knew you were leaving, but we didn’t know you’d capture my heart.”
“It hurts to even think about it.”
“I know, baby. But we have to talk about it. I don’t want to push this under the rug. I want to know that you understand that you are my entire fucking life. I would do anything for you.”
“I want to ask you to come with me. I just can’t take you away from your family and your job.”
“I’ve thought about it,” he confesses. “I don’t know how I would make a living if I were to follow you around the globe.”
“Just the fact that you’ve considered leaving your family for me, Archer, you are the greatest man I’ve ever met.”
“Always yours,” he replies. “You have to go. You have to chase your dream, and if that dream ever changes, this is where you land. Here with me.”
“People change over time.”
“I won’t stop loving you.” There is so much conviction in his tone. I’d be crazy not to believe him.
“Thank you for all of my amazing gifts.” I’m changing the subject, but I have to. It hurts too much to talk about this. I know he’s right that we need to, but we still have time, and I want that time. I won’t let my leaving rob us of that.
“You’re welcome. Thank you for mine.”
“Will you hold me?”
“You ready for bed?”
“Yeah.”
Together we work on cleaning up our mess and stacking our presents under the tree. I want to play with my new camera, but there will be plenty of time for that. I need his arms around me more. I unplug the tree as Archer turns out the lights and leads me to his room.
Once we’re in bed, he holds me tightly all night long.
I never want him to let go.
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Archer
It’s Valentine’s Day. It took me weeks to decide what we were going to do tonight. When I asked Scarlett, she said to surprise her. I thought about a nice restaurant, maybe even spend the night in Atlanta, or taking her to the Mexican place she loves in Harris, but both of those options required me to share my girl, and that’s not going to work for me.
We are down to weeks before her contract runs out with Palmer, and I know she’s been entertaining offers for jobs. She’s yet to tell me if she’s taken one, and although I hate to ask her because I hate thinking about her leaving, I will.
I’m not just blowing smoke up her ass. I do support her, but I also don’t want her to go. My conversation with my dad a few months ago still runs through my mind. We could find a way to make it work. I keep telling her that I’m her place to land, hoping that between assignments, she can come here so that we can spend a week or weeks together before she’s called out again. At this point, I feel as though I sound like a broken record, but I need her to understand that it doesn’t matter how much time passes. She’ll always be the love of my life.
I used to look at it as a blessing that once a Kincaid man falls, he falls hard, and for life—at least as far as I know from our family history—but it also kind of feels like a curse. It’s not that I want to love someone other than Scarlett, but the idea of living life alone, wishing for her, sounds miserable. Then I think about early in our relationship, and we both decided we’d rather have this time than not to, and I still stand behind that.
Loving Scarlett has made me a better man.
So, we’re staying in tonight. I can’t handle having to share her time. I’m still off work. The weather has been good, so there’s talk of calling us back sometime next month. I hope it’s not until after Scarlett leaves. I need as much time with her as I can get.