At night, we cook, read, play games, and typically end up in bed, wrapped around each other for hours. Basically, life is perfect.
I shove away the needling thought in the back of my mind that the other shoe is going to drop at some point. Alister will get tired of me or I’ll need to run to the mainland to get something and be recognized by the Romanos.
I know I need to have another talk with Alister about the future, but things are so good right now. Besides, what options do we have?
As if my thoughts conjured him into being, I hear Alister charging up the stairs. Seconds later, he bursts into the loft and beelines straight for me. I don’t have time to react before he lifts me in the air and seals his lips over mine.
I welcome his kiss, wrapping my legs around his hips and holding on as he ravishes me.
“Missed you,” he breathes out, resting his forehead on mine.
“It’s been two hours,” I say with a smile.
“Two hours too long,” he grunts, kissing me again.
I giggle, breaking the kiss. Alister nips at my neck, and I squirm in his arms, hopping down and playfully pushing him away.
My gentle giant scoops me up in his arms and carries me over to the couch, sitting down with me on his lap. I beam up at him, still in awe that this man wants me. That he finds me sexy and addictive.
“So, I need to talk to you about something,” he says.
I tense at his words, my stomach plummeting to my feet. Hello, other shoe. Thanks for dropping in. “Okay…” I say with more confidence than I feel.
“I have an old military buddy, Emmitt, who has a good chunk of land down in Texas. Comes from a long line of ranchers, and the place was left to him after his folks passed.”
I nod, trying to follow along. What does this have to do with anything?
“He’s still on active duty at the moment, but he’s back on leave. I called him up this morning and asked about helping out around the ranch.”
“Oh.” I blink rapidly, hoping to stem the tears trying to burst free. He’s leaving me.
“Yeah,” Alister continues unfazed. “It’s hard work, but so is keeping up this lighthouse. I figured a change of scenery would be good. I can sell this place and get a good amount of money to build something close to the ranch.”
Did I read him all wrong? Was I hallucinating all the stuff he said about forever?
“Uh-huh,” I respond, trying with all my might not to burst into tears. How is he being so nonchalant about this?
“Well, what do you think?” he asks.
I can’t look at him.
“Sounds like you got it all figured out!” I say with all the fake happiness I can muster.
I scramble away from him, but Alister curls his hands around my hips and plops me right back down on his lap. I glare at him, setting my jaw. He wants to break up with me? Fine.
“Delaney…”
“I don’t have much in the way of luggage,” I attempt to joke. “So I should be out of your hair pretty quickly. If you could arrange a boat or something for me to get back to the mainland, that would be helpful. I’ll just–”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Alister growls.
I glare at him. Why doesn’t he understand he’s breaking my heart?
“You’re moving, right? So, no more roommates. No more us.”
“Wait, what?”
“What, what?” I huff. “We’re over, right? That’s what you’re trying to say.”