“I don’t.”
“Even a couple hundred would help get me through until?—”
“I said no.”
His expression hardened for a flash before sliding back into pleading. “Then maybe I could crash with you for a bit? Just a week or two.”
“Absolutely not.” I uncrossed my arms and stood straighter.
“Come on, Liz. After everything we’ve been through? You’re really going to leave me with nothing?”
“You left yourself with nothing. You leftmewith nothing too.” I was surprised by the steadiness of my voice.
“That’s not fair. I was sick. I had a problem.”
“Yes, you did. You still do, and I’m sorry you’re struggling with that, but it’s not my problem anymore.”
His face twisted. “So that’s it? Ten years together, and you just walk away?”
“You walked away first, Scott.”
Maybe he hadn’t physically walked away, but the second he stole from me, he’d abandoned everything we’d built together. The betrayal had felt like someone had hollowed me out with a spoon. That was the real goodbye, not this sidewalk confrontation with the ghost of the man I once loved.
A strange sense of calm settled over me. This was the closure I needed, and now it was done.
“There’s nothing here for you. No money. No place to stay. No more chances.”
Scott stared at me, seeming genuinely shocked that his pleas weren’t working. “Liz…”
“My break’s over. Goodbye, Scott.”
As I walked away, I expected an ache of worry to hit. It never came.
Chapter 27
Liz
Iwas emotionally drained. The encounter with Scott had taken more out of me than I wanted to admit, but there was a strange sense of lightness. I’d faced him without crumbling.
As I was about to turn toward my trailer, something pulled me toward the back of the RV park. I drove past Kade and Reese’s cabin and turned down another road.
I hadn’t seen Lucan’s cabin yet, but with the tug in my chest, I easily found it, even without spotting his truck parked on the side.
I pulled into the spot beside Lucan’s truck and cut the engine. For a moment, I sat there, hands still on the wheel, trying to process how much my life had changed in the past few weeks.
I’d sworn off men forever and had been embracing the single life, but now? I couldn’t see walking away from Lucan even if I tried. We were still learning about each other, but I knew deep down that he was my person. He always had been.
Before I could even reach for the door handle, the cabin door swung open. Lucan stood there, barefoot in nothing but a pair of shorts hanging low on his hips. The porch light caught the worried furrow of his brow.
My body responded instantly, a flush of warmth spreading through me that had nothing to do with the lingering summer heat.
I got out of the car and hadn’t even set foot on the first step when Lucan was already moving toward me.
“Is everything okay?” He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight against his chest like we hadn’t seen each other in years instead of hours.
I sank into the embrace, letting the solid warmth of him ground me. His heart thumped steadily beneath my ear.
“I’m fine.” The words were muffled against his skin.
