Page 125 of The One for Me
“I want to have you both.”
My chest aches because I already know that my heart may want Sean, but my head will always choose Austin. I can’t move down here as some girlfriend who is going to mooch off him. There has to be stability financially for me, and that isn’t here, even with the assurances that he could help me find a job.
Not to mention, all of Austin’s family is in Sugarloaf. Hazel was an only child who lost both her parents to cancer, so all he has left is my parents and me.
“Dev, why is this one or the other?”
“Because I don’t know how to have both.”
“I still have a few days to show you how you can, please don’t choose yet.”
I lean my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “I hope you come up with a solution that works.”
His hand rubs against my back. “So do I.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sean
Tonight is our last night in Tampa. My absolute last opportunity to make her see what life could be like here. I’ve tried to think of everything that it would take, and I really have nothing else, nothing but my heart and the truth.
We are finishing a movie and then heading to Riverwalk.
The mood feels strained today. It’s as though we know that, tomorrow, reality returns. Austin will start back at school, Devney will go back to work, and I’ll be planning to head back here.
Time that I thought would drag on for eternity has passed in the blink of an eye.
Six months can’t be all I get.
It just can’t.
The movie ends and Devney shifts. “Did you still want to go out?”
I look to Austin. “What do you think?”
“I want to stay here.”
At this point, I’m fine either way. “Okay. We can stay in. Our flight isn’t until midafternoon, but maybe we need to rest a bit.”
He shakes his head. “No, I mean here. I want to stay in Florida.”
I keep my gratefulness at a five because I know Devney well enough to understand that this won’t help my case. However, I’m not going to dissuade him either. If he wants to move here, and I want them to move here, then she’s the only one holding us back.
Devney looks to me, but I just raise my brow. Not a chance. “Austin, we’ve had a great time here, but our home is in Sugarloaf.”
“No, my homewasin Sugarloaf. Right now, I don’t have a home.”
“That’s not true. We have the house you grew up in or we could go stay with Grandma and Grandpa once Sean leaves. Or I could get a new place for us. It’s hard and things are...difficult, but you have a home . . . with me.”
Austin crosses his arms over his chest and looks away. “I want to stay here. I like it here.”
I can practically feel the despair coming from her. She’s trying so hard to do the right thing, and no matter how much I want to win this one and have her move to Florida, I will never be the bad guy in her story. She needs a partner. Someone who will have her back, and that will always be me.
“I know you want to stay here, and I love having you, but we don’t have to make this choice now. Either way, we’d have to go back to Sugarloaf tomorrow.”
His lip trembles, and he scoots toward his wheelchair. “I wish I never had to go back to that stupid town.”
“Austin . . .”
