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My hands tense on the wheel as I nod. “They do.”

The words feel traitorous.

She looks down at her hands before continuing. "I keep trying to convince myself this is simple, but it isn't. I’ve built a career I love. I worked for years to get where I am. I have a home waiting for me, clients expecting me back, and a life that made sense before I got on that plane."

"Then three exceptionally charming, good-looking men complicated it."

She laughs again, shaking her head. "Exactly."

"Of course."

Her smile fades as she turns back to the window.

"I always knew what came next. I had a plan, and every decision moved me closer to it. Then I came here. And now..." She blows out a long breath like it costs her to say these things aloud. "Now every option feels like I'm giving up a version of my life I worked hard to build."

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel as a knot tightens in my stomach. "Because of us?"

She nods.

"Falling for you isn't the frightening part anymore, Ash. It's realizing that if I choose you, I'm choosing a completely different future than the one I've spent years building for myself."

I let that settle between us while the SUV follows the river through another bend.

She looks across at me.

"I can't tell whether I'd be making the best decision of my life..." She smiles without any real certainty behind it, "or the worst."

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Laurel

I make it exactly twelve seconds after brushing my teeth before I'm hanging over the toilet again.

At this stage, my body and I are in a long running feud, and I'm losing badly.

The nausea doesn't even catch me off guard anymore. It shows up every morning like it's paying rent. I wake up, convince myself today's going to be different, then spend the next five minutes regretting that optimism.

By the time I rinse my mouth and step into the hallway, Maggie's waiting for me.

She leans against the wall with her arms crossed, looking way too pleased with herself.

I stop.

She raises an eyebrow.

I already know where this is going.

That expression used to mean she'd caught me sneaking cookies before dinner. These days it means she's about to interfere in my life. "You need to see a doctor."

"No."

"Interesting. I don't remember offering multiple choice answers."

I brush past her. "I'm fine."

Maggie lets out a laugh that makes me want to shove her into a wall. "Laurel."

"It's stress."