Page 92 of Meant to be Mine

I shook my head. “Her job is important to her. She loves those kids. I can’t ask her to give that up.”

Hollis waved the statement away. “She gets new kids every year, and there’s plenty of teaching jobs right here at home.”

“True enough but I’m not going to pressure her into giving up the job she loves.” I let out a long breath. “I want her to have it all, even though I selfishly want to lock her in my house and never let her go.”

“Then why don’t you move to Jersey?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “And do what? Run the flagship store from my laptop? That’s not how it works. I have to be there, physically there, every day. The cousins are counting on me. Callum trusted me with this. I can’t just pack it up and leave because I fell in love with my best friend.”

Hollis went still. “You’re in love with her? Holy shit.”

“I mean, yeah,” I said. “I’ve loved her as a friend for years, and now, those feelings have deepened into something I’ve never felt before. It’s crazy.”

“Yeah, that sounds like the real deal,” my brother said, smiling. “Good for you, man.”

“Thanks, but it’s way to soon to congratulate me. Things are still in limbo. We don’t know how the chips are going to fall come August.”

“Does she know you love her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

Hollis groaned. “You haven’t told her? Communication is key, bro.”

“Are you kidding?” I rubbed my face with one hand. “We’ve only been hanging out for a few weeks and we haven’t been together that whole time. So, that’s way too fast to be saying things like that.”

“If you say so.” Hollis clearly disagreed.

“What’s the point?” I asked. “It won’t change anything. She still has to go. I still have to stay. So telling her will just make things more difficult.”

“Drew.” Hollis turned to face me fully, his expression more serious than I’d seen in a long time. “You two can figure out how to make this work. I mean it. Find a solution. Get creative. Do whatever you have to do.”

“There’s no solution that doesn’t involve one of us sacrificing something we can’t afford to give up. Not right now anyway.”

“Then maybe—” He paused, like he was weighing his words carefully. “Maybe it’s better to end things now. Before it gets any more serious. Before you’re both so deep you can’t climb out without destroying each other.”

The suggestion hit me like a fist to the gut. End it. Walk away from Kensey. Let her go back to New Jersey and pretend this summer never happened. Just thinking about it left a hollow feeling in my chest. Like my heart had been removed and I couldn’t take a deep breath.

“I can’t,” I said, my voice rough. “Hollis, I can’t. Walking away from her would be like chopping off a limb. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

“Then you better figure something out,” he said. “Because this half-in, half-out thing you’re doing? That’s going to destroy both of you.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” He wasn’t being harsh, just honest. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re trying to have your cake and eat it too. You want her but you’re not willing to fight for her. You’re just letting the clock run out.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” He took a drink of his beer. “Look, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying there’s a perfect answer. But if you love her like you say you do, then you need to actually deal with this. Have the hard conversation. Figure out what you’re both willing to sacrifice. Because right now, you’re just marching toward a disaster and hoping it magically resolves itself. You’re in denial. Head buried deep in the sand.”

I didn’t want to hear her say she was leaving. I didn’t want to ask her to stay because I knew what that would cost her.

“She’s coming back,” Hollis said quietly.

“If only it were that simple,” I said, sighing.

“No, she’s coming back from talking with Micah,” he said like I was an idiot.

I looked up. Kensey was walking toward us, smiling, her hair lifting in the breeze. Micah was beside her, talking animatedly about something. She looked happy. Relaxed. Beautiful.