I realised then that I couldn’t tell her that I was staying for her. I wasn’t going to put that on her shoulders. Wren was fragile, even if she didn’t like to admit that she was. I’d forget about Dex soon enough, but I’d never forget about her. We were a part of each other. And as much as I loved Dex, as much as it would hurt to leave him behind, it would hurt just as much to leave Wren. So I guess I had a decision to make. Which hurt could I live with the easiest?
“You don’t understand…”
“I understand that you’re terrified. I understand that you’ve spent your whole life being the responsible one, the practical one, never taking risks because someone had to be stable. Giving up more than you should just because you think you’re responsible for me.” Her voice softened. “But Leigh, you’re allowed to take a risk on yourself. On your own happiness. You’re allowed to choose something just because you want it, not because it makes sense on paper.”
I couldn’t speak past the lump in my throat.
“Just promise me something,” Wren said. “Promise me you’ll actually tell him how you feel. Tell the family. Don’t justannounce it’s ending without giving anyone a chance to help. Don’t make the decision alone.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “I promise.”
“Good. And Leigh? I love you. Whatever you decide, I love you and I support you. But please don’t give up on this before you’ve even really tried.”
After we hung up, I sat there holding my phone, staring at nothing.
Everyone kept saying the same thing in different ways. Don’t give up. Take a risk. Fight for this.
But they didn’t understand. They didn’t see the impossible situation Dex and I were in. They didn’t see how much we’d both be giving up, how much we’d both be losing, no matter which choice we made.
Or maybe they did see it.
Maybe they just thought love was worth the loss.
Chapter 23
DEX
The entire family was already at the farm when we arrived.
I could see them through the windows as I parked. Trace and Booker in the kitchen, Delaney setting the table, Blake chasing Amelia through the living room while Xander laughed. Gage’s truck was parked next to Booker’s, which meant Reece and the girls were here too.
Everyone.
All the people who mattered most to me in the world.
All the people who were about to find out I’d fallen in love with their sister.
And was planning to let her go.
If they weren’t upset about me being with her in the first place, they were definitely going to be pissed that it was all going to end in heartbreak.
“We can still back out,” Leigh said quietly from the passenger seat. She’d been silent most of the drive over, her hands twisted in her lap, and I knew she was terrified.
So was I.
“We could,” I agreed. “But we’d still have to tell them eventually. Xander knows. If he says that everyone else will be happy for us, then I believe him. And I...” I reached over, taking her hand. “I don’t want to hide you anymore. Even if this ends, I don’t want to pretend you didn’t matter.”
“Okay.” She squeezed my hand. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
We got out of the truck, and I met her at the front, taking her hand again. Her fingers were ice cold despite the summer heat.
“Together?” I asked.
“Together.”
We walked up to the farmhouse hand in hand, and I felt like I was walking toward my own execution. But Leigh was beside me, and that had to count for something.
I opened the door without knocking. Even back when Delaney’s dad had owned this place, we’d all practically lived here. It had been like a second home to all of us. I smiled as the noise of a happy home washed over us. Barrett shrieking baby giggles. Blake’s good-natured threats. Trace calling something to Delaney in the kitchen.
