Page 70 of Chosen

“I’m just worried that it’s going to hurt more than I’m prepared for, being apart from Sam like that. I was barely expecting to fall for someone out of nowhere and now I have to be okay with not seeing him for possibly months at a time?”

“No one said anything about being okay with it.” Parker’s voice was low. “But if that’s the sacrifice you have to make, I think it’s worth the pain. Finding the right person… that kind of thing sometimes only happens once in a lifetime, right? You’re supposed to hold on tight if you can.”

“You sound pretty sage about love for someone who’s been inexplicably single pretty much ever since I’ve known him.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. This isn’t about me.” Parker grinned. “I’m just saying. You should sort out whatever’s going on with you and Sam before it’s too late, all right?”

Parker passed the bottle of wine back to me before he nodded toward his Jeep. “It’s also a very, very good thing I only had a sip of this.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m about to head back to HQ.” He chuckled. “I think you and Sam need to have a long conversation. And to be honest? I don’t think I want to be around if that convo goes super well. No offense, but the thought of you lost in the throes of passion—”

Parker pretended to gag before I playfully hit him on the shoulder.

“Asshole!” I said, with a laugh.

Parker laughed with me. “I’ll see you at HQ tomorrow? Maybe? Assuming everything goes well? Or if it all goes to shit?”

“Yeah, let Jacob know I’ll be clocking in, either way.”

“He’ll love to hear it.” Parker beamed, already heading toward the Jeep. “Let me know how it goes! I’ll be waiting by the phone!”

I waved him off as he slipped into the driver’s side of the Jeep, quietly watching as he pulled away from the cabin.

I then took in a shaky breath as I turned back around, gathering up all the courage I could muster before I stepped inside the cabin, knowing that it was going to be now or never for Sam and me.

Knowing that this one conversation had the power to change the rest of our lives.

* * *

“Did Parker just leave?” Sam asked, as soon as I was back inside the cabin, confusion written all over his face. “I thought we were all going to HQ tomorrow—”

“He just decided to head out early,” I cut him off, trying to sound reassuring. “He… uh… he wanted to give us some privacy.”

“Oh.” Sam’s face fell as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“Sam? What’s wrong?”

“I was just wondering…,” Sam sounded unsure as he spoke. “Did he head out early because he found out about us, and he freaked out about it? Because you can tell me the truth, Damon. I know not everyone is as accepting as we’d like them to be—”

“What? No.” I shook my head. “It wasn’t anything like that, Sam. Parker isn’t that kind of person.”

“Then, what is it? Why’d he leave?”

“He left because he wanted us to have a conversation.”

“A conversation?”

“The conversation,” I clarified. “The one where we figure out what’s going to happen with us, when you go back to Atlanta and I have to stay here. The hard one we’d both probably rather avoid if we could.”

“Right,” Sam murmured, his posture remaining the same, closed-off and guarded. “That conversation.”

“Do you want me to start?” I asked, taking a step closer to him, my hands reaching out for his own.

“You can start if you want to,” Sam replied, his fingers softly intertwining with mine.

“Okay,” I took in a deep breath before I spoke, “Sam, all I want is for you to be happy, whether that’s here with me or in Atlanta. And I understand that Atlanta is how you’re going to make all your dreams come true. And I want you to have everything that you’ve worked so hard for in your career… but I can’t pretend like I don’t want you here with me, too.”

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