"No." The helplessness of it makes me want to put my fist through a wall. "And now there's a baby coming, and I have to deal with that. But—" I wait until she looks at me. "That was a stupid decision made in a moment that's going to last a lifetime. But I don't have to make more stupid decisions."
Her eyes well up with tears. "What does that mean?"
"It means I'm not marrying Brittany. I'll take care of my responsibilities—I'll be there for that kid in every way that matters. But I'm not giving up on us."
"You have to." But her voice lacks conviction.
The words confirm what I suspected—shethinks has to step aside so I can save my family. Like her heart doesn't matter as much as land and legacy.
"I'm not going to concede that fight any more than I'm giving up on you."
She tries to pull away, but I hold on. I can feel her resolve cracking, can see the war in her eyes between what she wants and what she thinks is right.
My voice drops lower. "I love you, Kinsley. And I know you love me too."
Her eyes go bright with unshed tears. "Don't."
"Tell me I'm wrong. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me, and I'll walk away right now."
I hold my breath, waiting.
Say it. Please, just say it.
She opens her mouth, and I see the words forming. But they don't come. Instead, she just stares at me with those wounded eyes, and I press my advantage.
"You can't say it, can you? Because you love me just as much as I love you, and neither one of us can walk away from that.” I trace her cheek, wiping away a tear that's escaped. "I need you, Kinsley. Not just want you—need you. Like I need air. Like I need water. You're not optional for me anymore."
For a moment, something shifts in her expression. Her guard drops, and I see it—the longing, the love, the desperate want to believe that somehow this could work. My heart surges with hope.
Then her face closes off again. "I can't," she whispers. "I can't be the reason your child grows up in a broken home. I can't be the other woman. I can't—" Her voice breaks completely. "I can't do this."
She pulls away from me, and this time I let her go. She's already moving through the crowd, heading for the door with Brook and Hailey scrambling to follow.
I stand there on the dance floor while couples move around me.
She reaches the door. Pushes it open. The cold September air rushes in.
And something in me snaps.
I can't let her walk away. Not like this.
I chase after her, weaving through the crowd. I burst through the door just as she's reaching Brook's truck in the parking lot.
"I'm not giving up, Kinsley!"
The words echo across the gravel lot, loud enough that everyone still inside probably heard me through the open door. Loud enough that she stops walking, her hand on the truck door handle.
She doesn't turn around. Doesn't acknowledge that she heard me. Just stands there for a heartbeat, two, then climbs into the truck.
The engine starts. Taillights glow red in the darkness. Then she's gone.
I stand there in the doorway, breathing hard, watching until the truck disappears down Main Street.
Fifty
THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT YOUR HEART IS TO COMPLETELY WALL IT OFF.
KINSLEY