Page 19 of Heartfelt Goals

“Forlyingso you don’t have to kiss me.”

The words landed like a punch to the gut.

He faltered for a second, completely thrown. By the time his feet started working again, she had already taken several quick steps toward his car, putting distance between them like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

Sure, he hadn’t expected romance or fireworks, but he had thought—hoped, even—that they would at least smile at each other. That there would be some mutual understanding, some moment of recognition that they were doing this for the right reasons.

Instead, Laurel looked sick.

Shattered.

And the worst part?

He felt it, too.

For the first time in his life, Dustin wondered if he had made a terrible mistake—not because he regretted stepping up, not because he doubted his ability to take care of her and Kendall—but because he had never seen anyone look as heartbroken as Laurel did right now.

And that, more than anything, made him questioneverything.

Three days later, Malcolm’s words proved true.

Like clockwork, the moment news spread about his plans—along with Coeur and Boucher’s impending moves—Dustin was cut from the team. No fanfare, no second chances. Just an abrupt ending, leaving him standing on the outside, watching the only life he’d ever known slip through his fingers.

That night, as he stood at the sink brushing his teeth, his gaze lifted to the mirror. The harsh bathroom light cast shadows across his face, deepening the lines of exhaustion and uncertainty. But it wasn’t just fatigue staring back at him—it was something more hollow, something that twisted like a knife in his gut.

A haunted look. One he’d seen before.

Laurel.

The same expression had flickered across her face at the wedding, just for a second, before she’d masked it. He hadn’t understood it then, but now? Now, it hit him with the force of a freight train.

Heaven help him—he finally knew.

He had taken something from her. Something she loved. Something she’d built her world around. The same way he’d lost his team, his friends—his sense of belonging—she had lost hers. He could see it so clearly now. She felt untethered, lost in a sea of change she never asked for. And what had he done? He’d given her space, let her go, convinced himself it was what she needed.

But space wasn’t what she needed.

He gripped the edge of the sink, his knuckles turning white. The taste of mint lingered on his tongue, but all he could feel was regret.

"I'm such an idiot," he whispered, the words heavy with realization.

6

LAUREL

“Mrs. Lafreniére,there’s been a slight change of seating,” the woman at the airline counter said gently – and immediately, Laurel braced herself. So far, her life had been like the under-ring of a gas station toilet rim lately, so why not tack on another problem to the swirly ofpoothat her life had become.

Hmm.

Let’s see, withdrawing your sister from school and having to re-explain all over again how she was the guardian of Kendall, her parents had died, and they were moving to another country had been a level of joy that one should never have to achieve?

Wee…

Oh yes, not to mention that Laurel’s new husband had managed to remove every ounce of confidence she had with that shocked and disgusted look at the justice of the peace office when it had been time to kiss the bride – and combine that with the lack of communication?

Forget chef’s kiss.

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