Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“The team is in Paraguay right now, and they’re not set to move to the next location for another few weeks, so it’s really up to you.”
Paraguay. We could be in freaking Paraguay.
I locked eyes with Weston and my stomach twisted. He was as unreadable as always. “How long do I have to decide?”
“The article is going live tonight,” she said quietly. “And if you know you aren’t interested, we’d offer the internship to the second-place finisher. But you’d still be our winner, of course. How long do you think you need to make a decision?”
“I don’t…” How long did I need?
“How about I give you a call tomorrow just to see where you’re at? I can put you in touch with one of the other staff that travels with their kids so you can make a more informed decision about homeschooling and what it costs for her travel.”
“That sounds great.”
We hung up and I slid my phone into my pocket, my eyes never leaving Weston’s as he came toward me. “I can take Sutton. On the internship. For World Geographic. I can take her.”
“That’s what I gathered.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a real one. “When do you leave?”
“It would probably be a couple of weeks…but I don’t know if I can do it,” I whispered, my heart at war with my mind.
“Sure you can.” He cupped my face and caressed my cheek with his thumb. “And you should.”
I shook my head. “It would probably eat my savings. I’d have to pay for Sutton’s travel, and I won’t know until tomorrow how much that will be.”
“Do it anyway.” He brushed his mouth over mine and heat rushed through me, just like it always did. It was soft, lingering, and even when I rose on my tiptoes, he didn’t deepen the kiss. He lifted his head, and there was a resolve in his eyes that made my thoughts trip.
“We can’t go. Sutton has a broken arm—”
“And I’m sure they have doctors wherever you’re going.” His gaze moved over my features like he needed to memorize them.
“But I’m just starting to get my feet under me with the heli-skiing photography and I really love it.” Every excuse not to go flooded my brain, but I refused to acknowledge the biggest one.
“It will be here when you get back. If you choose to come back.” His hand slid away from my face, and he stepped away, turning his back on me and heading for the kitchen.
“I’d have to homeschool her.” I followed him, dread growing, filling my chest.
“She’d do just fine in online school.” He took a glass from the cabinet and then moved to the refrigerator.
“You really think I should go, don’t you?” It came out like an accusation.
“I do.” He grabbed the orange juice from the fridge and poured it into the glass, his hands and words steady.
“I would be gone for a year, Weston!”
He put the juice back and closed the refrigerator. “Those have always been the terms, right?”
“You don’t care that I’d be gone for a year?”
He leaned back against the counter and sipped the juice before answering. “This is your dream, Callie. I don’t factor in.” He shrugged.
He fucking shrugged.
“You don’t…” I shook my head, fumbling for words.
“You were pissed because, by entering you, I’d forced you to choose between your dream and Sutton.” He lifted his brows. “Now you don’t have to choose.”
“But I’d be leaving you.” My heart ached in protest at the thought. I needed him. Didn’t he need me too? Wasn’t there some part of him that cared?
“That would be the logical conclusion, yes.” He took another drink and set the glass on the counter.
A fissure opened under my ribs. “Is that all you have to say?”
“I think you’re a fool if you let this chance pass you by, because you won’t get another one. Not like this. It’s all you’ve ever wanted.” His features were flat. His walls were up. I got the sinking feeling he’d shut me out for good.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I whispered.
“You sure about that?” He arched a brow. “Because yesterday, it sure seemed like you did.”
My cheeks heated. “I was really angry about Sutton getting hurt, and I lashed out. I know it wasn’t your fault—”
“Sure it was. I’m the one who taught her. I’m the one who put her up there.” He looked away, his jaw tensing. “You can’t make a decision like this based on what you think we have between us.”
I stared at his stoic, gorgeous face and forced my lungs to inhale. “Of course I have to think about us, Weston. I love you!”
He flinched, his gaze pinned on the island ahead of him. “And yesterday, you told me that love had blinded you. That love had gotten Sutton hurt, right? You said your trust in me had been misplaced, so why would you care about my opinion today?”