A Protector's Second Chance (Unit Matched #2) by Mary Smith, Rebecca Cartee

straddle his lap, when his phone began to ring. I hadn’t heard that ring tone before. Oliver pulled back from me and reached for the cell that was on the table.
    “Graham.” He answered the phone. Oliver listened closely, before closing his eyes, and shaking his head. I couldn’t make out what was happening on the other end of the phone, but Oliver didn’t look happy.
    “Yeah, I’m on my way.” He hung up, rubbing his temple.
    “Duty calls?” I asked softly, sitting back against the couch.
    “I have to go.” I heard the pain in his voice.
    “I understand.” I tried to give him a smile, but it was forced. We’d been in our own little world for the past few days, and I didn’t want to think about the real world, yet.
    “For the first time, I don’t want to go.” Oliver confessed to me.
    “I don’t want you to go, either,” I professed to him.
    He kissed me again, before standing up, and heading upstairs. I watched him leave the room, and I already missed him.
    What the hell was wrong with me?
    I mean, I liked him. A lot. It was obvious. But my heart actually twisted, knowing that he was leaving, and I couldn’t go with him.
    I wondered how long he would be gone this time. I silently prayed to Mother Nature that it wouldn’t be long.
    “Hey.”
    I turned to see Oliver staring at me.
    “Are you okay?” He held out his hand and pulled me up from the couch.
    “Um,” I shake my head. Would I be able to tell him the feelings that were swarming around my head right now?
    “I’ll miss you, too.” He wrapped his arms around me, making me feel safe.
    I was shocked that he knew what I was feeling even though I didn’t know how to say it aloud.
    “How long this time?” my voice cracked.
    “I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
    Oliver lifted my chin so that my eyes looked into his. His green eyes weren’t shining like they had before. They looked sad.
    “I know,” I pouted.
    He softly kissed my lips and a shiver of elation ran through my veins. I caressed his face as he gripped my waist tightly.
    “I have to go.” He laid his forehead against mine.
    “Okay.” I closed my eyes as he released me and walked out the door. I didn’t open them back up until I heard the Escalade drive away.
    My plan for the day had been to sit and watch TV with Oliver and eat an obscene amount of junk food. At least I could still eat the junk food.
    I walked into the kitchen as Star Trek still played in the background. I reached for a pint of ice cream first and then the cookies.
    Oh, I was going to need to eat this now so I could work it off quickly. I curled up on the couch and enjoyed the company of Chris Pine’s smart mouth and Spock’s ears.
     
    Oliver had been gone for two days already and I ached for him. I missed him more than I’d ever thought possible. I wished that I could call him and, at least ask, how he was doing. I wanted to hear his voice.
    I rolled out of bed and got ready to start my day. There was nothing major on the agenda. Of course, there never was these days. I worked out, showered, made breakfast, and listened to the surrounding silence.
    This was like banishment.
    This was how it was going to feel like when my ninety days were up.
    I took a deep breath and hoped that I was strong enough to handle this for the rest of my life. I became anxious about what it would be like without Oliver. Even though our first three months of the original decision period had been a mess, the new one had been different. It had started the same, but we had come so far from there.
    I slowly picked at my eggs and toast, wishing that I knew what was happening in Unit. Was something bad going on? How were Xaviera and the baby? What about Gia?
    I thought about Oliver telling me about her ceremony with Graham. I wondered what she wore. I was sure that it was something pretty. Gia had a great figure, but she never showed it off. She was always hiding behind bulky sweaters and long skirts. Even though Unit girls were