"Jake?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For letting me do this. For not making me choose between you and Paris."
"You don't have to thank me for that. This is what love is—supporting each other's growth even when it's hard."
Lucy hugged him one more time, breathing in his scent, memorizing the feeling of his arms around her.
"Six months," she whispered.
"Six months. Then you come home."
"Then I come home."
Lucy forced herself to step back, to let go, to walk toward security.
She looked back once. Jake was standing there, watching her, his hand raised in a wave.
Lucy waved back, then turned and walked through security.
She didn't look back again. If she did, she might not be able to leave.
On the plane, Lucy texted Jake.
Lucy:Made it through security. Boarding soon.
Jake:Good. Have a safe flight. I love you.
Lucy:I love you too. So much.
Lucy:I can do this, right?
Jake:You can do anything. You're the bravest person I know.
Lucy stared at her phone until the flight attendant made her put it in airplane mode.
Then she looked out the window as the plane took off, watching Timber Falls disappear beneath the clouds.
Six months. She could do six months.
She was choosing herself. Her dreams. Her future.
And Jake would be there when she got back.
She had to believe that.
Lucy closed her eyes and tried to imagine what came next—Paris, culinary school, adventures in a new country.
But all she could see was Jake's face. His smile. The way he'd looked at her this morning like she was the most important thing in the world.
Six months.
She could do this.
She had to.
Because this—Paris, growth, becoming who she was meant to be—this was the whole point.
