Page 117 of Wright Together

A tear came to my eye, and I brushed it off my cheek. I knew what I had to do.

“I’ll move back,” I told her.

“What?” she asked, hope blooming in her eyes.

“I’ll move back. You can live with me.”

“That’d be great!”

At her excited face, I couldn’t seem to contain my own despair. I wanted this for Bailey, but at what cost? The cost of everything I’d fought for in the last year. The life that I’d gained while she crumbled.

My new perfect job.

Gone.

My friends at the house.

Gone.

Whitt.

Gone.

And then the tears came, hard and fast.

“Eve, don’t cry. It’ll be okay.”

Bailey was comfortingme. As if she had any idea what torment was going on in my mind. I couldn’t hold it back. Not anymore. My shell had cracked. And from the crack came a torrential downpour.

“I’ll have to call Wright Construction. They offered me my dream job, and I can’t work it remote.” I hiccuped. “I haven’t been on the job that long. They can…they can find someone new.”

Bailey frowned. “What dream job?”

“Piper and Blaire will have to fill my spot in the house. They probably know someone who needs a room. They take in people like stray cats.” I sniffled, scrubbing at my eyes. “It was nice to have friends though.”

“Friends,” Bailey whispered.

I nodded. “Yeah. I was on their soccer team. We were probably going to win the whole thing this season.”

“Eve…”

But I kept going. I couldn’t stop. Like a runaway train.

“And Whitt…”

Oh God, I couldn’t even say it. I had to say it.

“Well…I’ll have to break up with him.”

“What?” Bailey gasped. “Why? You could…you could do long-distance.”

I laughed. It was a raw, hoarse thing. “You don’t know Whitt. You met him once,” I said with another hysterical sniffle. “But you don’t know him. He’s…all control. And I walked away yesterday, saying I needed space to find you.Spacenearly shattered his poor, precious heart. Moving away?” I shook my head. “He couldn’t take it, and he doesn’t deserve it. He deserves someone who will be there for him a hundred and ten percent, and how can I do that for him when I have to be here for you?”

And that was it, wasn’t it?

I had to be here.

Whitt had to be there.