And worse than that—it would be the beginning of the end.
We’d try. We’d both try so hard. But eventually, the distance would wear on us. The missed weekends would pile up. The resentment would build—not at each other, but at the situation. At the impossible choice we’d made.
One of us would have to cancel. Work emergencies. Client needs. Life getting in the way.
And then another cancellation. And another.
Until we were seeing each other once a month. Then once every two months.
Until the relationship became more obligation than joy. More work than pleasure.
Until we both started wondering if it was worth it.
Until the love we had, this bright, beautiful thing, would slowly fade under the weight of logistics and compromise and never being quite enough for each other.
“It would fall apart,” I said quietly. The realization settling over me like a heavy blanket. “Maybe not right away. Maybe not even in the first few months. But eventually, it would fall apart.”
Leigh sobbed, pressing her hand to her mouth. “I know.”
“Because we’d both be half-living. Half here, half there. Never fully committed to either place because we’d always be trying to get to the other one.” I pulled her into my arms, holding her while we both faced the truth we’d been avoiding. “And we’d both end up resenting it. Maybe even resenting each other.”
“So what do we do?” she whispered against my chest. “I can’t leave Blue Point Bay. Wren needs me. I’d move my studio here in a heartbeat, but I can’t leave Wren.”
That was the question, wasn’t it? What did we do?
Because now that I’d walked through the logistics, now that I’d seen how impossible long distance would be, I couldn’t just accept that we had to end things. Couldn’t just let her go without a fight.
There had to be another way.
One of us would have to move. That was the only real solution. But asking her to give up her studio, to walk away from her family who needed her—that wasn’t love. That was selfishness.
And me leaving Willowbrook... could I do that? Could I leave the garage? The house? The brothers who’d become my family?
The thought sent panic shooting through me. This was my home. My whole life. Everything my grandparents built. How could I just abandon it?
But then I looked down at Leigh, curled against me, trusting me to hold her while she cried.
And I thought about what Xander had said earlier this summer, about me always sacrificing what I wanted for everyone else.
I thought about spending the rest of my life in this house, running this garage, being part of this family and doing it all alone.
Never waking up next to Leigh again.
Never hearing her laugh at my terrible jokes.
Never watching her work, seeing the world through her eyes.
Never building a life with her. Never getting to love her the way she deserved to be loved.
The garage was my grandfather’s legacy. His dream. And when he passed it seemed like keeping it going was the obvious choice.
But maybe it was time I figured out whatmydream was.
“We need to tell them,” I said finally, my voice rough. “Booker, Xander and Gage. We need to tell them we’re together.”
Leigh pulled back to look at me. “And tell them we’re breaking up?”
“And ask them to help us figure this out.” I cupped her face, thumb stroking her cheek. “Because maybe they’ll see something we don’t. Maybe there’s a solution we’re not seeing because we’re too close to it.”
