Page 32 of Signed With Love

And so we do, but I ease into the run to let his food settle. Jamison shows me just how much he wants to be part of my world, even when it involves working up a sweat other than between the sheets.

Though we do a pretty good job at that again when we get back to the house.

A few hours later, Jamison is dressed again. His jeans fit snug, and so does the black t-shirt that stretches across his chest. His hair is finally dry from the shower we shared earlier. He bends down and slips his well-loved work boots on. I watch every movement he makes with a precise focus. He’s methodical as he prepares to leave me.

There’s a tug on my arm. His warm hand wraps around my wrist and stops me from pulling on the shirt I’m wearing. I glance up and give him a reassuring smile. I’m really okay, and I tell him that.

I’m going to miss you. He signs right before he buries his hand into my hair. He kisses my forehead.

I bring my hands up between us. Only two weeks.

He slips his hands free to sign, A long two weeks.

He’s right. It’s going to be a long couple of weeks.

Thank you for coming up and surprising me. That draws a charming smile from him. He comes back to steal my lips in a kiss. This isn’t a goodbye, just a goodbye for now. But he tastes me like he doesn’t want to forget me the entire time he’s gone. I smile against his lips and he smiles back. We know we are stalling, but he really has to go. He’s got an entire flight plan he takes Monday mornings, and there are people who won’t get the supplies they need if he isn’t there.

I shove on his chest and break the kiss. Go, I sign with a smile and shove him toward the door. The way I feel after he closes the door makes my smile fall. I know it’s a risk being with Jamison, but it’s an adventure too. And I can’t wait for the next few weeks to go by to see him again.

When I wander into the kitchen to grab a glass of water, I find an envelope resting on the table. This one is written on my stationary, but when I get closer, Jamison’s script is clear.

???

Hey, babe,

I’m going to be thinking about you the entire time we are apart. I’m going to kiss you so hard before I leave.

I hope your classes are good this week. Don’t let those kids give my girl too hard of a time.

I’ll be doing my normal flight plan Monday, so I’ll be dropping off supplies in Kodiak, then swinging around to the smaller surrounding villages. It’s a beautiful trip.

There’s something I want to ask you to do with me for our next date, but I want to give you time to consider both of the things I have planned for us when you come up. And don’t worry, Billy already warned me not to hog you all to myself while you’re in Casper.

The first thing is that I want you to consider flying with me. Think about it, because I’m certain you’re worried right now. Don’t be.

Second thing is, there’s a wedding I have to attend. It’s not something I want to do alone. It would be easier with you at my side.

Jamison

???

I’m not sure what part of his letter to focus on first. The fact he’s going to take me on a date to a wedding, of all things? My chest constricts just thinking about attending a wedding with him and what I’m sure will be all his friends. I don’t even know who the wedding is for. Then there’s the flying. I’ve never been in a plane before. I don’t know what could happen while we are in the air.

Perhaps the most terrifying of all things is that he called me his girl. I don’t know how to be someone’s person. I’ve never had a person aside from Maddie, and I lost her. No one’s ever needed me. And being around Jamison is intense. He has this magnetic field of danger surrounding him. This risk and consuming adventure that bleeds into his soul. He needs to take on the world and save it, just like Maddie did. If Jamison was the one shopping that night, he would have stepped in front of the bullet too. He wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

Me, I would have run away from the danger or froze up. That’s a normal response. I don’t want to be the hero of a story. I don’t want to make a change to the world. I just want to wake up in the morning and run alone. I want to spend the evening sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a fuzzy blanket. I want to teach my kids, then grab pineapple pizza for dinner after.

Maybe he isn’t going to want to do those things, and there’s no way I’ll fit into his world.

Chapter Sixteen

Jamison

I pushed her too hard. That hadn’t been my intention, but nonetheless, it’s what happened. She hasn’t written me back. Her texts are short. When I ask her about work, she says it’s okay. When I ask her if she’s considering what I planned on our date, she says she isn’t sure yet. And now that I ask her what she thinks of the wedding, she’s clamming up again.

When I read her text, my body deflates further because I want her around me the entire weekend, but she’s right, she needs to check on her parents too.

I’ll see how things go with Dad. I haven’t been back up since his heart attack. I want to clean up their place. Make sure Dad is taking all his medications and help Mom with some shopping.

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