Page 90 of Undeniable

She contemplated it a moment, and I actually thought she might be considering it. “How long?”

“How long what?”

“How long would we have to do long-distance?”

Hope swelled in my chest. “What sounds reasonable to you? What do you think you could handle?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. Our relationship has always moved on a different timeline, but it feels strange to put a deadline on it. On us.”

“It wouldn’t be like that,” I said.

Her expression soured. “I know you say that, but I don’t like the idea of giving our relationship an expiration date.”

“Neither do I. But I’m trying to come up with a solution that doesn’t involve this being the end.” This couldn’t be the end. There was no way I was willing to accept that.

“I know.”

Now would be the perfect time to tell her I loved her. But…I couldn’t. I didn’t want to put even more pressure on Olivia to agree to a long-distance relationship when she’d already made her wishes clear. Even so, I was bursting to tell her. To say the words.

“It sounds great in theory,” she said. “But what happens when we go weeks without seeing each other? Or when you get pulled back into the field or are somewhere else entirely?”

“I don’t know.” I sighed, dragging my hand over my head. I honestly hadn’t thought that far down the road. “I don’t. But I want to be with you.”

She smiled softly, her green eyes filled with emotion. “I want to be with you too. I mean—” She rubbed her hands up and down my biceps. “This past week has been amazing.”

I dropped a kiss on her forehead, wanting to stay in that moment. Wanting to pretend there wasn’t a huge “but” poised on the tip of her tongue.

“It has been.” I held her close, not wanting to let her go. Not now. Not ever.

“I mean, is this even real life?” Her tone held a hint of wonder.

I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You came here on vacation. I took off from work. We had the week to have fun without responsibilities. Without…obligations or stresses.”

“What about the panel?” I asked. “Or Maverick’s party?”

“That’s different, and you know it.”

“I get what you’re saying, but it feels like you’re looking for excuses.”

Her eyes flashed with pain. “I’m being realistic. It’s easy to make a relationship work when everything is easy and fun. But it won’t be easy or fun when you’re back in New York and I’m here.” She took a breath. “The chances of a relationship surviving long-distance are slim.”And there it is.“In the end, it feels like we’re merely delaying the inevitable.”

I took her hands in mine, sensing that she was teetering on the edge. “Goody, we are not your parents.”

“No, but that’s just it. They probably thought they’d be the exception too. And they weren’t.” The words were said with finality, and the look in her eyes told me I was wrong. She wasn’t going to budge.

I hung my head. “Is there anything I can say to change your mind?”

She hesitated a moment then finally shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I just…” She let out a shaky breath. “I know myself…”

I tucked her hair behind her ear, feeling as if she were slipping away. “But what if—”

She placed her finger to my lips, silencing me. Her green eyes blinked up at me, pleading. “Don’t.” She shook her head, her unspoken words hanging between us.Don’t ruin what little time we have left together.“Please don’t make this harder than it already is. I’d rather us walk away from this week as friends, while we still can.”

I was tempted to protest, but seeing the hurt in her eyes made me realize that maybe this was what she needed. And for once, I wasn’t going to push.

“What do you need?” I rasped, knowing that if I spoke, my voice would be clogged with emotion. But I’d give her anything. Anything she’d asked for. “Do you want me to go?”

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