Page 27 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

“How ballsy is this woman? First, she sleeps with her former love’s cousin, and now she’s marrying his biggest rival in his dad’s hotel? Oh, and if you didn’t know, she runs a podcast called Love, Marriage and Where to Find It. I think she should call it Love, Marriage and How to Hurt as Many People as Possible on Your Way to Your Happily Ever After.

“Welcome back to Lake Starlight, KG. Forgive us for not rolling out the welcome mat.”

* * *

He stares at the screen. “I thought small-town people were nice.”

I grab the phone, my cheeks hot. “They don’t even know the truth of what happened. I sound so evil.”

Blake takes my glass and sips it. “Do they have anything against gay people?”

“No. They’ll probably love you and wonder how you can stand being friends with me.”

“Did you really sleep with his cousin?” Blake whispers.

“We weren’t together…” I stop when I meet Blake’s disproving expression.

“Talk to me, Kenz. What’s the real story?” Blake asks.

I stare out the window at the clouds and my mind travels back to that day, right before Lance left for Columbia…

He took me to our secret spot. It was high on a hill where you could look out over the lake. It was just up the walking trail, but not many people knew about it because it wasn’t clearly marked. You had to go through heavy woods to get to the giant rock in the clearing.

I’d been crying all day because Lance was leaving and I was regretting not applying to Columbia, although I probably wouldn’t have gotten in. Even my parents were moving to New York once I left for college. My grandmother had become ill, and they needed to be closer to her.

I hated that on the breaks from school, I wouldn’t be returning to Lake Starlight to see Lance and Brinley.

He stared at our hands linked together, and all I could think was, Where had three years gone? All the dates, the pep rallies, the homecomings, proms, Christmases, and Founder’s Days ran through my mind. He was the only boy I’d ever kissed, and we’d lost our virginity to each other. We got into a big fight when he found out I’d be attending Mississippi State with Easton. It was a complete coincidence. Brinley had applied there too, which was the only reason I applied, but once I went to visit, I fell in love with the campus.

“I think we should end this before we leave for college,” he said.

I shook my head. “What?”

That was the first time he’d mentioned anything like that. We’d always said we’d try long distance and hopefully make it work, even if the statistics were against us. I’d come home to my parents and see him in New York before he went home to Lake Starlight. Christmas break, he’d return and spend it with his grandparents. We had our plans all worked out, so I had no idea where this was coming from, but his words ripped through me and stole the air from my lungs.

“I don’t want to you to resent me one day. This way, we’re each free.”

“I never said I wanted to be free. Do you?”

He had his typical cool and calm demeanor. “There isn’t anyone else, Kenzie. We both know lots of long-distance relationships fail because of cheating and I don’t want that to be us. That would kill me. But if we both go to college and come out the other side unattached, we can find our way back to one another without any anger or resentment toward the other.”

“That’s four years, Lance!”

“I’ll be so busy anyway. My grandparents are happy to pay my tuition, but they want results. I’ll have no choice but to work my ass off. Truthfully, I’m scared I don’t even have what it takes to succeed at Columbia. If I neglect you, you’ll resent me, and I don’t want that for you. For us.”

“But…” Tears streamed down my face, and I was sobbing so hard I couldn’t speak.

Lance had this way of making things make sense. I didn’t want to hate him, resent him, or be the reason he couldn’t succeed at Columbia because he was too worried about what I was doing at school.

“Don’t cry. You know I hate it when you cry.” He turned toward me and ran his thumbs over my cheeks, drying my tears. “I love you, Kenzie, and it hurts to do this, but I think we’ll be better off in the future.”

“And if I don’t?” I ripped my hands away from his and stood up from the rock. “Why doesn’t my opinion matter?”

“It does, of course it does, but I think this makes the most sense.”

“Well, I don’t!” My voice echoed and I wondered if anyone else had heard me.

“Kenz…” He stood and wrapped his arms around me from behind and buried his head in my neck. “I love you too much for us to go through one of those horrible breakups. I’ll be miserable without you, but knowing that in four years you’ll be mine again, hopefully… it makes it better.”

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