“Reid?” she said breathlessly as she sat up and moved to the edge of the bed to examine it, tears immediately welling up in her eyes. The scrolling font I’d picked out didn’t do her name justice. It was nice, but barely conveyed how amazing I thought she was. “I can’t believe you did this,” she said, leaning in to press her lips against my chest above my new tattoo before replacing the bandage and tape. It was fresh and still needed to be covered for it to heal properly.
“Only girl’s name that has ever really mattered,” I said as moved onto the bed. I could tell that she liked my new ink, but for me it was more than that. Having her name on my skin was my way of feeling like I had her with me all the time. It was my way of showing her how committed I was to her.
“I love it.” She scooted back and we laid down next to each other. I swept the hair from her face and looked at her as she turned to face me. Her blue eyes. Her pink lips. The dimple on her left cheek. I wanted to just lay there and look at her. Memorize every inch of her, like I had many times. I’d need the memories of her face, and of her body, to get me through our time apart.
When I didn’t lean into kiss her, she took it upon herself to cover my mouth with hers. The urgency of her actions as she climbed on top of me made her intentions clear. Placing one leg on each side of my body, she sat up straight and pulled the shirt over her head, revealing what I’d thought to be true. Nothing underneath.
I was right. And, lucky.
When she tossed the jersey aside and pressed her chest against mine, I captured her lips with mine and swept my tongue into her mouth. My hands greedily surfacing over her curves. She giggled as I flipped us over in her bed and I quickly removed my jeans.
The slow, steady way that we made love that night was exactly what we both needed. I savored her. Cherished her. And, she did the same with me.
“You’re the love of my life, Nora Bennett,” I said, as I held her in my arms. She kissed me softly and I felt her lips spread to a smile against mine.
“Guess that means you aren’t going to get sick of me anytime soon then,” she said, pulling from arms and sitting up.
“How could I?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
I was confused by what she meant. I was leaving tomorrow and the last thing I was going to be was sick of her. Sick of missing her, sure. I sat up and watched as she pulled my shirt back over her head.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I asked.
“I’ve just heard that couples that are together all the time tend to get on each other’s nerves.” She grinned as she walked over to her closet and rolled out her suitcase. Judging by the weight of it, it was packed.
“Don’t tease me.”
“I’m not,” she promised. “I decided today that if you’re leaving, I’m leaving.” She stood proudly beside her bag and smiled. “Brett can keep an eye on Georgia. The real estate office will survive without me. My life is with you. Besides, I can’t very well make a living on taking pictures if I never go anywhere, now can I?”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously. I don’t want to be apart anymore. I don’t want to spend the next few weeks just talking on the phone and texting. I want to be with you.”
I didn’t say anything as I jumped off the bed and pulled her into my arms. I didn’t need to. She’d just made me the happiest man in the entire universe. I picked her up and spun her around, her tinkling laughter filling the air.
Not only did she love me, but she was coming on the road with me. I kissed her until my lips were numb.