Sunlight broke through the blinds in my room, and I stretched my muscles, the creak of bones sending a groan through me. Damn, I was getting old. Quickly though, my thoughts returned to last night and my phone call with Callie. My blood heated, and my morning wood screamed for attention. I ignored it since my hand was no replacement for Callie’s tight heat. I got ready for breakfast with said lady. Our time in Myrtle Beach was winding down, and I needed to figure out what I was going to do about Callie and me.

I hurriedly got ready and was knocking on her door at five ’til eight. The door opened, and there she stood, looking more beautiful than a woman had a right to look.

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

Her whole smile lit up her face, even as a blush covered her cheeks. “Good morning.”

We walked hand in hand down to her car. We spent the rest of the day together and all I could think of was how much I didn’t want the day to end. I wanted to spend more days with her, learning everything about her. Kissing her. Making love with her. Damn, I had it bad.

For the next few days we spent almost every waking moment with each other. Thankfully, I didn’t have to feel guilty about keeping her from her friends. They all seemed to be finding love with the guys. I was happy for my friends. Each of them deserved a good woman in his life.

It was our last night in Myrtle Beach, and Callie and I were out to dinner. Both of us were quiet as though savoring the time with the other, but also hesitant to bring up the future. I knew where Callie stood when she’d left Miami, but after pushing her away, maybe her feelings had changed. I know mine had.

I broke the silence, unable to contain myself any longer. “I’m sorry I pushed you away in Miami. I was scared of what you made me feel.”

She reached across the table for my hand. “You don’t think I was scared too? You were the first man I’d been with since Travis. I was terrified. I still am. But, I’m willing to fight for this. For us. I can’t do it alone though.”

I scooted closer to her and gently cupped her face. “You don’t have to. I’m falling hard for you, Callie. Hell, I started falling for you back in Miami. That’s my only excuse for pushing you away. Everyone I’ve ever cared for has left me. I don’t know if I could handle it if you left me as well.”

“So, you left me first.” It wasn’t a question.

A shrug was my only answer. “What do we do now?”

“We do whatever it takes. We talk as often as possible. We have to be honest with each other. This won’t be an easy road we’ll travel. Long distance relationships are hard. They rarely work out. Statistics are against us.”

“Fuck statistics. If anyone can make this work, it’s us.”

We finished dinner, and I took her back to her rental. Neither of us spoke as we made sweet, gentle love. Unspoken promises were made. We cherished this last night together, and we didn’t think about tomorrow.

The next morning, I woke first. I watched Callie sleep and listened to her soft breathing. In that moment, my heart swelled, and I wanted to spend all my mornings waking up to her. Lying back, I closed my eyes and envisioned our future. Soon, she began to stir next to me. A cat-like stretch arched her back, causing the covers to fall and expose her to my view. She opened her eyes and looked over at me. She smiled a sleepy smile.

“Good morning.”

“With you next to me, it’s a great morning.” I gave her a lingering kiss. “It’s almost time for you to leave.”

Regret weighed heavily on me that we couldn’t spend more time together, but Callie had to catch an early flight. Her thoughts must have echoed mine.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave already.”

We kissed again, but I broke it quickly because I knew there wasn’t time for us to indulge in more than that. I’d worn her out last night, and we’d slept later than planned.

“You get packed, and I’ll go get you some breakfast. I’ll be back in a bit.”

We both got out of bed and after donning my prosthesis, throwing on my pants, and a t-shirt, I left her to pack and get ready as I went down to the kitchen. I made us both an omelet, and after cleaning up my mess, I hurried back upstairs. Callie’d just stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body and her head, when I walked into the room. She quickly dressed, and we ate our meal.

“Call me when you get home. I want to know you made it home safely.”

She nodded, but didn’t reply. I reached out and tilted her chin up so she had to look at me.

“I told you last night, we’ll make this work.”

Finally, she smiled at me. My tone brooked no argument. I had confidence in us. We finished our meal and talked of inconsequential things. I cleaned up while she finished her packing. Once Callie was done, I carried her bags out to the cab as she said her goodbyes to her friends. Five minutes later, she was standing next to me.

“Call me the minute you get home.” It was an order.

“I promise.”

I closed the door behind her and gave a small wave as the car backed out of the drive. Shit, this was harder than I’d thought. I stood there, waiting, until I couldn’t see the vehicle anymore. My shoulders slumped in defeat as I headed over to the house next door.