Page 31 of Joel
“Because she’s the one, isn’t she?” Jonas asks, his tone calmer than mine.
My gaze lands on the spot beside the couch where her bags should be but aren’t. “Doesn’t matter. I fucked up. She’s gone.”
“Not yet,” Jaxson says, holding up his phone. “Blakely found her at the airport.”
15
KYLIE
I bitedown on my bottom lip hard enough to keep the building tears in the corners of my eyes from falling. It was foolish to think I found my true love so easily. It would have been a great story to tell our grandkids someday, but that’s all it is. A story. A fantasy.
It’s not real.
None of this was real.
Joel is just another man who went behind my back to keep leverage over me. Why else would he have paid off Todd?
I’m done owing men a damn thing.
The only way to truly be free is to spread my wings and fly far, far away.
“Leaving so soon?” Blakely asks, falling into the seat beside me.
The North Haven airport is incredibly small. The bag check is the terminal. There is no security. No place to hide after checking in for your flight. I’m not surprised someone found me before the only flight out today arrives. But her sudden presence manages to startle me nonetheless.
“I can’t stay.” I want to say more, but every spoken word risks unleashing those fucking unshed tears.
“We know.”
Blakley offers me a kind smile I don’t deserve. I didn’t have to go along with this prank. If I had any idea how wonderful everyone was, I would’ve told Joel he was crazy. If I’d known he would go behind my back to make a secret arrangement with Todd?—
“We know the whole thing was a sham.”
“What?”
“Joel’s not exactly the impulsive type.”
“Oh.” Somehow, her saying this makes it feel worse, somehow.
“That’s how we know he really loves you.”
“I don’t believe in love.”
“I don’t think you really believe that.”
I snap my head in her direction, my eyebrows drawn in confusion.
“Love is scary. It requires the biggest leap of faith you’ll ever take. But you want to know something? It’sworthit.”
Last night, I believed that.
“He went behind my back,” I tell her.
“I did.” My head snaps in the opposite direction at the male voice I thought I’d never hear again. How the hell is everyone just sneaking into this one-room terminal undetected? I already blocked his number. I planned to rip Petty Officer Joel Pierson from my memory like a duct-taped band-aid.
“But I had a good reason for doing what I did,” he says, no apology in those words.
A renewed anger bubbles in my chest, and it gives me the strength to stand toe-to-toe with this coastguardsman. “You wanted to control me next?”
