“Stefan, how can I ever trust you?”
He frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. All I can do is show you every day that I love you and hope that one day you believe me.”
“What if that’s not enough?” I asked, afraid of his answer.
“I made you happy once. I can do it again. I know I can. All I need is the chance.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him close and buried my face in his chest, whispering, “I want to believe you. I’ve missed you so much. I’ve never been so unhappy in my life. I want to be like we were, but what if too much has happened?”
He hugged me tightly and said, “I can’t believe that. You don’t believe that either. Tell me you don’t and that you believe in us.”
“I love you so much I don’t know what to do. Every instinct in me says to walk away, but my heart keeps saying stay.”
Stefan tilted my head back and smiled. “Then listen to your heart.”
“I’ve never listened to my heart. I’m a scientist. I listen to my head. But my head says to run away because you’re that person I met that first day at Club X.”
“That guy wanted you from the moment he met you. Maybe not for the right reasons, but he did. And then when he got to know you, he saw a million more reasons why he’d want to be with you. What does your heart say?”
“That being without you hurts so much all I wanted to do was lie in bed and cry. That being without you left a hole in my life nobody could fill.”
“You know what my heart says? That whatever it takes I’ll do it because I love you, Shay. Please. I’m begging you. Give me another chance.”
“I want to, but it hurts so much to think of what you did.”
“Then don’t think of it. Give us the chance to create a million other memories so that one gets pushed out of your mind. I love you, Shay, and I swear I won’t screw up again.”
Every logical part of me said no, but for the first time, I listened to my heart and how much it hurt to go on without him. Taking me in his arms, he held me close to him and I let myself feel how incredible it was to be next to him again.
“I love you, Stefan.”
“I won’t let you down, Shay. I promise to be that man I became because of you. I promise.”
FOR THREE weeks, Shay and I had spent every minute we could together. Lola quit when she realized I wouldn’t keep doing her and Shank’s bidding, so Shay and I ran the bar and then went home together to my condo every night. I didn’t want to think about it, but every morning when I woke up, I knew we were another day closer to her leaving me again, this time for a whole year.
And then that day was here.
Shay rested her chin on my chest and stared up at me. “You look a million miles away. Where are you?”
I ran my hand over her soft hair that fell across my stomach. “Right here where I should be.”
“It’s only for a year, Stefan. I know it seems like a long time, but it’s not. We can Skype every night before you go out into the club, and it will be over before we know it.”
“I guess.”
She slid up to kiss me. “Think of it as the last year you get to do whatever you want before settling down.”
“I don’t need a year to do anything. I’d rather be with you.”
Shay remained quiet for a minute as the thought of seeing her get on that plane in a few hours made me feel like I was losing my entire world. I didn’t want to let go, but I had to and it was tearing me up.
“What are you worried about, baby?”
Finally, I admitted the fear that terrified me most about her leaving me for a year. “That you’ll meet some scientist who can understand what you mean when you talk about your work and you’ll realize he’s what you really want. One night you’ll send me an email saying you can’t talk that night, that you’re busy, and then before I know what happened, I’ll have lost you to someone smart like you.”
“Oh, Stefan, that won’t happen. I promise.”
“Why wouldn’t it happen? You’re going to be surrounded by all those science guys who know exactly what you’re talking about and one thing will lead to another and…”
She chuckled at me. “Have you ever seen any science guys? They’re notoriously not hot. I’ve never met one that turned my head in the least.”
“That’s not helping.”
Holding my face in her hands, she stopped teasing me and said quietly, “Stefan, I’m madly, crazy, out of my mind in love with you. That’s why it won’t happen.”
“And what happens after the year is up?” I asked, knowing even after a year in Copenhagen that her work might keep her away from Tampa.
“I don’t know. I’ve worked a long time to get where I am in my work, but there might not be any way I can stay here and still do my research.”
“I’ve never lived anywhere else, you know that? I have all this money and I never even go on vacation to other places. Maybe it’s time I should.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe it’s time I think about leaving Tampa.”
Shay knitted her brows. “Leaving? Where would you go?”
I looked down at her and smiled. “Wherever you go.”
“Could you do that? Would you?”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah, I would.”
Her smile lit up her face, and she hugged me. “That means so much to me that you’d be willing to go where I could do my work.”
“I already lost my house and my bike over you. Why not completely change my life up?”
Shay sat up next to me and poked me in the side. “That was your fault you made that bet. You and Kane are bad. By the way, when does he move in?”
“He doesn’t want to collect on the bet. I think he likes his rooms at the club. Maybe I’ll tell him if he’s willing to wait a year, he can have this place when you get back since we’ll either be moving to our own place here or moving to a new city.”
“I like that idea.” Her smiled slowly faded away. Running her fingers along my jaw, she touched my cheek. “I need to start getting ready. My flight leaves at 1:30.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I know.” I’d thought about that flight and when she’d leave me every day since we got back together. I knew.
She leaned down and kissed me softly and whispered, “I love you, no matter where we are. Don’t forget that.”