She nods slowly. “Then… I guess I don’t have a reason to fight you.”
Relief crashes through me so hard it’s almost dizzying, but I don’t let it show. Not yet.
“Good,” I say quietly, a long breath easing out of me. Then, because I can’t put it off any longer, I add, “One more thing… I’m moving out.”
Cassie’s head jerks up. “What?”
“You heard me. This house is yours and Rosie’s now. I always wanted to give it to you eventually. And now, with Lo, I want a home. With my pack.”
Cassie stares at me, her lips pressed tight. For a second, I think she’s going to argue, but then her shoulders slump a little, and she sinks into the chair. The fight drains out of her.
“When?” she asks finally.
I swallow, throat tight. “Soon. I’ve already been looking at places. Somewhere close, so I can still come by and see you both all the time.”
Her eyes glisten, and that gets me right in the gut.
“Beck…” She shakes her head, half smiling, trying not to cry. “It’s going to feel so empty without you.”
I crouch down so I’m eye level with her and take her hand in mine. “I will always be here for you and Rosie. You know that.”
Then she lets out this shaky little laugh, watery and rough. “You always were the glue, you know that? The one holding us together after everything happened.”
I feel that in my chest, sharp and deep. “You don’t need me to hold you together anymore, Cass. You’re stronger than you think.”
She shakes her head, and then she just… folds into me. One second, she’s sitting there, blinking back tears, and the next she’s in my arms, clutching me like she’s still a child and I’m the only thing keeping her from drowning.
“I’m gonna miss you,” she whispers into my shirt.
I hold her tighter, bury my face in her hair, because hell if I’m letting her see what this is doing to me. “I’m not going anywhere. You hear me? I’ll be here whenever you need me. Always.”
She pulls back enough to look at me, her eyes shining. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Her mouth trembles, but she manages a smile. A real one this time, soft and sad and proud all at once.
“Go make her happy, Beck.”
I stand, squeezing her hand one last time before I let go. “That’s the plan.”
And when I walk out that door, keys in hand, I hold my head up high.
This is the start of something new for sure.
I sit in the truck for a long second after pulling the door shut, just breathing. The night air is cool against my face, but inside, everything feels hot and restless. My blood’s running faster than the engine.
This is it. The decision’s alive in me now. Loud, fierce, and impossible to ignore.
I fire up the engine and pull out of Cassie’s driveway, tires crunching over the gravel. The streets of Honeysuckle Groveslide past in a blur of porch lights and old oak trees, and for the first time in years, I’m not thinking about going home.
I’m thinking about building one.
As I hit the stretch of road that runs along the river, the air changes. Fresher, cleaner, filled with pine and damp earth. Out here, the town feels far away. A different world entirely. This side of Honeysuckle Grove has always spelledfreedomto me. The long winding roads, the open fields that roll out like green oceans in summer, and the woods that hold their secrets close.
I used to drive out here on bad nights, back when nothing made sense and I needed space to breathe. I’d park by the water, stare at the reflection of the moon, and wonder if I’d ever find something that was mine.
And now I have.
