"Yeah. I'm done." It felt good to say it out loud. Final. Right. "But Jake? Thank you. For everything. For being a good partner, a good friend. I hope you find someone else to travel with who's actually excited about being out there."
"Yeah. Me too." Jake sighed. "Take care of yourself, man. And Dustin? I hope she's worth it."
"She is. She really is."
After he hung up, Dustin called Bill back.
"That was fast," Bill said.
"I'm in. On the partnership, on the facility, on all of it. When can we look at the property?"
"I'll set something up for this weekend. And Dustin? I think you made the right choice."
"Yeah. Me too."
He spent the rest of the morning researching training programs, making lists of equipment he'd need, planning for a future that actually felt possible. When Vanessa's name flashed on his phone mid-morning, he answered on the first ring.
"How'd it go?"
"The consulting firm offered me the job." She sounded breathless, excited. "Good salary, flexible schedule, chance to grow with the company. It's perfect."
"That's incredible. Congratulations."
"There's one catch."
His stomach dropped. "What?"
"They want me to start Monday. Which means I need to give them an answer by tomorrow." She paused. "And Dustin? I want to say yes. This is exactly the kind of opportunity I've been looking for."
"Then say yes. Take the job. Build your career."
"Even if it means things get complicated with figuring out our living situation? With your new business being an hour away?"
"Especially then. We'll figure it out. That's what we do." He smiled. "Besides, an hour's not that far. And once the facility's up and running, I can probably work from anywhere some days."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. Take the job, Vanessa. You deserve it."
"Okay. Okay, I'm going to do it." She laughed, and it sounded like relief and joy mixed together. "I'm going to call them right now and accept."
"Good. And Vanessa?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
"I love you too. See you tonight?"
"See you tonight."
When she got home that evening, he had dinner waiting and champagne chilling. They celebrated her new job, celebrated his new partnership, celebrated the fact that they'd both been brave enough to choose each other.
And later, when they were tangled together in her bed, she looked at him with eyes full of love and wonder.
"We're really doing this," she said. "Building a life together."
"We really are."
