Despite the tension, everyone laughed.
“Yeah, buddy,” I said, grateful for his innocent interruption. “I guess she is.”
Trace was still watching us, that analytical expression on his face that meant he was putting pieces together. “You said you were planning to tell us. Why now? What changed?”
This was it. The part where we had to tell them it was ending.
“Because we only have a few weeks left,” Leigh said quietly. “And we wanted you to know before... before it’s over.”
The room went completely silent.
“Over?” Reece spoke for the first time, her voice sharp. “What do you mean, over?”
“After the wedding,” I forced myself to say. “Leigh goes back to Blue Point Bay. I stay here. This ends.”
“Like hell it does,” Blake said immediately, standing up. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Blake…” Xander started, but she cut him off.
“No. Absolutely not. You two are clearly in love. You’re perfect for each other. And you’re just going to... what? Walk away? Pretend this never happened?”
“It’s not that simple,” Leigh said.
“Why not?” Gage asked. He looked genuinely confused. “If you love each other, figure it out.”
“I have a life in Blue Point Bay,” Leigh explained. “My studio, my clients, my whole career, the other side of my family. And Dex’s life is here. The garage, his house, you guys. Everything that matters to both of us is in different places.”
“So one of you moves,” Trace said, like it was obvious.
“It’s not that easy,” I said. “The garage was my grandfather’s. I’ve been running it since I was eighteen. It’s my whole life.”
“And my studio is my whole life,” Leigh added. “I’ve spent years building my business, my reputation. I can’t just abandon that.”
“So you’re abandoning each other instead?” Delaney’s voice was soft, but the words hit hard. They weren’t lined with judgment but they held so much sympathy that I felt a part of my heart crack open already.
“We’re being realistic,” I said, echoing what Leigh had said earlier.
“Realistic,” Xander repeated. He stood, walked over to face us directly. “Dex, man, I love you. You’re my brother. But this is bullshit.”
“Xander…”
“You’ve spent your entire adult life sacrificing what you want for everyone else. For your grandparents. For the garage. For us.” His voice was intense, urgent. “When are you going to do something for yourself? When are you going to choose what makes you happy?”
“It’s not that simple…”
“Itisthat simple!” He gestured between us. “You love her. She loves you. Everything else is just logistics. Logistics can be figured out. But love? Love like what you two have? That’s rare, man. That’s once in a lifetime. And you’re just going to let it go?”
“What am I supposed to do?” The frustration burst out of me. “Ask her to give up everything she’s worked for? Force her to leave her whole life behind?”
“You wouldn’t be forcing me,” Leigh said. “I make my own choices.”
“To leave,” I said bitterly. “To go back to Blue Point Bay and forget this ever happened.”
“I could never forget this.” Her voice broke. “I could never forget you.”
“Then stay.” The words came out before I could stop them. “Stay in Willowbrook. Build your business here. You could…”
“Dex, I can’t.” She was crying now. “I can’t just abandon everything. Wren is there. My mom…”
