“Got it.”
Mom hugs me again, longer this time.
“Send pictures,” she whispers. “Text often. Call when you can.”
“I will.”
I climb into the car and close the door, watching them cross the lot, slightly stooped, a little worn, a lot complicated. But mine.
My family.
The engine turns over, and I sit there for a second, my chest tight with a feeling I can’t name.
Peace, maybe.
Or something close.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Nash
The sunrise is too damn pretty for a day like this.
Soft coral spilling across the sky. Gold bleeding up the horizon. It’s the kind of morning that belongs to beach picnics or lazy coffee on the porch. Not dropping the woman I love off at the airport and pretending I’m okay with it.
That’s right.
Love.
Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with Lucy Calder. Her gentle tenacity. Her bright smile. The warmth and depth in how she cares. It’s impossible to know her and not love her. Ask Bennett. Ask my mom. Ask Aunt Violet and Uncle Simon. From the moment you meet her, you want more.
Today, she’s quiet in the passenger seat. Her handrests palm-up on her thigh, fingers twitching like she’s considering reaching for mine and then thinks better of it.
So I reach for hers instead.
I know she’s conflicted about leaving. Hell,I’mconflicted. I don’t want her to go. Not for a week. Not for a month. Definitely not for a year.
But Lucy was offered a second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Asking her not to take it would be selfish and shortsighted.
Yes, I’ll miss her. But no, I won’t stand in the way of her dreams.
This time, rather than wrapping my fist around love, I’m letting it go free.
Still, I drive slower than I need to. Just because I know I’m doing the right thing doesn’t automatically make it easy.
Her duffel’s in the backseat. So is her carry-on. We triple-checked everything before we left the house—passport, tickets, birth certificate. If there’s even a possibility she’ll need it, she has it. I made sure of that.
She’s dressed comfortably, leggings and an oversized sweatshirt that might’ve once belonged to me. Her hair’s up in a knot, sunglasses perched on her head. No makeup. No armor.
God, she’s beautiful.
And I’m about to let her walk away.
Lucy meets my eyes and I see echoes of my thoughts darting across her sweet face. She smiles and squeezes my hand. “The closer we get to the airport, the less sure I am that I’m making the right choice.”
“You know that awful cliché about getting to the end our life and regretting the things we didn’t do more than the things we did?”
“Yeah.” Lucy’s brows draw together and she rolls her eyes, already certain she knows what I’m going to say.
