Page 89 of Undeniable

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, kicking at the grass. “She doesn’t want long-distance.”

“Talk to her,” Wyatt said. “Things have changed for you. Maybe they changed for her too.”

“Pigeon!” Zeke called from across the backyard.

“See you Monday,” Clay said, reminding me that I was headed back to New York tomorrow.

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

He gave me a thumbs-up before walking off in Zeke’s direction.

I stood there, watching Olivia for a long time. The way she smiled. The way she gestured with her hands, clearly passionate about whatever topic they were discussing. She was mesmerizing.

“Hey.” I slid my arm around her waist, pressing my lips to her forehead. She smelled like sugar and vanilla, and I wanted to soak in everything about her while I still could.

“Hey.” She turned, smiling up at me. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, my body relaxing now that she was in my arms. “It is now.”

And in that moment, I knew it was true. Everything was so much better with her in my arms, in my life. And I didn’t want this to end just because I was leaving.

I thought about what Wyatt had said, about the possibility of change. My conversation with Olivia a few days ago didn’t inspire much confidence in her desire to try a long-distance relationship, but maybe he was right. This past week had shown me how good we were together. How nice it was to have a home, a partner. Maybe things had changed for Olivia too.

A plan started taking shape in my mind, and I only hoped Olivia would agree.

“You ready to head out?” I asked, craving some alone time with her. We needed to talk.

She nodded, and we said our goodbyes. Olivia was quiet on the drive home from Maverick’s, and so was I. I followed her into the bedroom, trying to ignore my duffel bag. Trying to ignore the fact that I’d be heading home in less than twelve hours. These past eight days had flown by.

“I can see why you like those guys.” She stepped out of her shoes, removing the tie from her hair and shaking it out. “They’re a lot of fun.”

I nodded, stepping closer to place my hands on her hips. “This whole week has been fun. But I want to make one thing clear. You’re not just a fling or a hookup. At least not to me.” God, she was so much more. Somehow—over the past few months, through countless emails, texts, and phone calls—Olivia had become my everything.

“You’re right,” she said. “I’m sorry I said that. You’ve never made me feel that way.”

I stared into her eyes, searching for answers. I was usually pretty good at reading people, but in this moment, I had no idea what she was thinking.

“Did you say it because that’s how you feel about us?” I asked, hating how weak my voice sounded. Almost needy. But that’s what she did to me. Made meneedher with a fierceness I’d never felt before.

Prior to Olivia, I’d never needed anyone. Neverletmyself need anyone. It was a lesson I’d learned early on, thanks to my father’s abuse. And then my mother’s death.

Being part of the SEALs was the first time I’d learned to rely on anyone, and that was only because my life had depended on it. Even so, death was a constant companion, both in training and later. It was difficult to allow myself to get attached to anyone when there was a good chance any number of us wouldn’t come home.

But Olivia was the light to my darkness. The joy. And now that I’d found her, I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

So I took a deep breath and told myself to be brave. Because somehow, putting my heart out there was more terrifying than anything I’d ever faced.

“I don’t want things to go back to the way they were,” I finally said. “I can’t. Not after this week.”

“I know,” she said, resting her head against my chest. “But what choice do we have? You know how I feel about long-distance relationships.”

So that hadn’t changed.I’d figured as much, but it was still disappointing to hear.

“What if it was temporary?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” She peered up at me.

“We’ll give ourselves a deadline. Until that point, we’ll give this—us—a chance. And if we want to continue after that”—which I had complete faith that we would—“we’ll figure out a way to be together. All the time.”

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