His shoulders lift as he shrugs. “It is what it is.”
“Henley, please look at me.” With a heavy sigh, he slowly turns around, but the pain in his eyes almost slices me in two. “I don’t want this to…I’m not sure what to say, I just—”
“I need to call Carol and see if she can watch Remy tomorrow,” he says abruptly.
“Henley?”
“What, Elodie?”
“Why are you pulling away from me? We can—”
“This is how we knew this would end, right?” He darts his eyes away from me.
“End?”
He clears his throat. “We always knew this was temporary, El. At least now you’re getting everything you wanted.”
I place my hand on the center of his chest as he continues to avoid my gaze. “Maybe what I wanted has changed,” I whisper.
“No.” With both hands, he pushes mine away. “You’re going. End of discussion.”
The tone of his voice instantly makes me angry. “Last time I checked, you’re not the boss of me.”
He huffs out a laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong. I technically am your boss, or…I was.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that maybe this is the sign you’ve been looking for, and your time as Remy’s nanny is coming to an end.”
My bottom lip starts to tremble. “Henley…”
The corner of his mouth lifts as he shrugs, studying my face. “You have to go, Elodie.”
Shaking my head, I don’t give up, even if he doesn’t seem to care. “No, I don’t. What if that’s not what I want anymore?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not.” Closing the distance between us again, I put both hands on his chest and peer up at him, begging him when I say, “Give me a reason to stay.”
He closes his eyes and sighs. “I can’t. You have to go, Elodie. It’s your dream.” When his eyes open, the pain I see reflected in them makes the first tear of many fall. “This is what you’ve wanted, and you need to show your parents that you’ve made it happen. Trust me, as someone who would love nothing more than to rub in my parents’ faces what I’ve made of myself despite them, you owe it to yourself.”
“But what about us?”
He covers my hands with his. “My life is here.”
“I—” Another tear slides down my cheek. “I can’t believe you don’t want me to stay.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want, Elodie. I’ll be damned if I’m the person who stands in between you and your dreams, sweetheart.” My head falls to his chest as the tears flow freely now. “It’s okay.” His voice cracks. “Our time has come to an end. But just know that you’vechanged my life, Elodie Olsen—not just with your words, but also your heart.”
We stand there in the kitchen, holding one another as I sob, grieving the future that I thought we had while trying to focus on the future I always wanted.
But no matter how much the idea of going to this meeting in L.A. excites me, I can’t help but feel like I’m about to leave a piece of my heart in Blossom Peak, and it’s a piece I’ll never get back.
Chapter 22
Henley
I Need a Fucking Drink
