Page 38 of Fade (Fighting Fate)

I grinned at her despite my heavy heart. “It’s just hard, you know? I just found her, and now I have to leave.”

“I know six months seems like a long time right now, sweetie, but I want you to trust me that it isn’t. Not in the long run. Even though it’ll most probably be a little painful for you both, I think you’ll find this time will be the best thing for your relationship.”

I groaned. “Please don’t tell me the old, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ crap, Mom.”

She smiled. “I guess that is one way to look at it, but I was thinking it’s more to do with reaffirming your feelings for one another. If at the end of it you both find that it was the most horrible thing you’ve had to endure, then you’ll both know it was worth it. If it comes to the end and one or both of you didn’t think it was so bad, then you know you’ve got a problem . . . ”

Worry instantly crept through me. What if that was Amy? What if, after a few weeks, she didn’t end up missing me as much as I knew I’d miss her? What if she decided it was too hard and thought it would be easier to just go back to her parents? What if she decided her life would be easier with Ryan?

“Daniel, don’t,” Mom said firmly.

I slumped a little. “I can’t help it. Her life’s gotten pretty damned hard since I’ve come into the picture. What if she finds it too much while I’m gone?”

“Firstly, she’s a lot stronger than you’re giving her credit for. And secondly, you have to trust her. If you don’t have trust, you’ve got nothing. If she says she’s going to wait for you, then you have to believe it. One hundred percent.”

“But what if she doesn’t?”

“Then you deal with it then.” She sighed. “Daniel, I know you’ve been taught to prepare for all outcomes, but the path love takes isn’t something you can, or should, prepare for. Love just . . . happens. Love is wild. It’s carefree and ever-changing. It’s something you have to feel, right there in that moment. It’s intangible. If you try to plan for it, you end up trying to control it, then it changes into something else entirely. It’s no longer love.”

I blinked, slowly turning over her words inside my head. I’d never thought about it like that before. I wondered if that was what happened with her and Dad.

Slowly, it all sank in. I had no idea how she did it. In the space of less than one minute, she’d managed to make the chaos that was choking me seem like it was just a smoke screen. It was all going to be okay. Whatever way it turned out.

Love was intangible. Like the air. I couldn’t physically feel the air, but I knew it was there. It was exactly how my love felt with Amy. I couldn’t touch it, and I couldn’t describe it.

It just was. And I had to trust that.

I heard Mom sigh and looked up to see her smiling reverently.

“What?” I asked, her grin contagious.

“You’ll make it work, sweetie. I know you, and I know your commitment. Amy needs this time to find herself, but I have faith in her. Spend these last two weeks just enjoying each other before life gets serious for a little while.”

I gave her a quick hug and a kiss. “Thanks, Ma. I’m sorry I haven’t spent that much time with you.”

She waved me away. “Don’t be silly. Just having you here and seeing you enjoy life is more than enough.”

I laughed. “It’s probably not, but thank you.”

Her tinkling laughter gave me a warm sense of comfort. “All right. You better get going, or you’re going to keep Amy waiting.”

Glancing at the clock, I realized she was right. I’d told Amy I’d be there at four, and it was already ten till.

Picking up my overnight bag, I said goodbye to Mom and made my way to Amber’s house. Amber’s parents were out of town for the next two days, so I was going to stay there with Amy. Amber would still be around, but she was a pretty cool chick and knew we didn’t have that much time left together.

Pulling into the drive, I was a little surprised to see a number of cars already parked there. I immediately recognized Noah’s black Impala and Corey’s green Fastback, and wondered what they were doing here. Amy hadn’t mentioned anything about the group getting together.

Trying to push down the disappointment, I grabbed up my bag and started toward the door. I hadn’t even made it as far as the first step before Amy burst out through the front door and launched herself into my arms, squealing with excitement.

My irritation immediately drained away. “Hey, beautiful.”

She pulled back, then kissed me, slow and deep, her hands coming to softly stroke the sides of my face. When she finally pulled away, her eyes remained closed and a soft smile touched her lips. She was honestly the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

I sighed. I wanted to just take her straight to her room and get lost in her for the rest of the night. I didn’t want to waste a single second of the time we had. “I didn’t know everyone was going to be here,” I said, trying to sound indifferent.

Worry crept into her gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know Amber had invited everyone over, either. We don’t have to hang out with them, though. We can just go up to my room . . . ”

I watched her bite her lip. “It’s okay, Princess. We can do whatever you want to do.”

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