I grab the one thing that matters, then head to the bakery.
Pulling up out front, I kill the engine and see the door has been propped open with a brick.What the hell?I unbuckle and grab the frame, racing into the bakery where the conversation instantly dies the second I step inside.
Morgan is at the counter, still wearing her pajamas, swinging her legs as she devours a raspberry tart. She's clearly enjoying her free day off school, and Quinn Reyes is leaning on the other side, sipping a latte and telling a wildly inappropriate story.
"—and so Tommy Brecker had absolutely no idea what he was doing… he'd never kissed a girl before. But points for enthusiasm, right? Anyway, the general store owner comes outside, and I swear, Morgs, I have never run so fast in my—"
Quinn's eyes land on me first.
Morgan spins around on her stool.
"Buddy!"
The room goes quiet. All eyes turn to me.
Mason is loading a cardboard box behind the counter with an assortment of pastries, probably for the drive back to the airport. Beck is on his phone near the window, talking to what sounds like their coach.
And Declan… Declan is leaning against the wall by the kitchen door, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on me like he’s been waiting to watch the moment I fuck this all up.
Zoey comes out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. Her guarded expression is still there, but I see a flicker of something else beneath it. Hope? Fear?
“Colt?” She glances at the clock as I set the box in my arms on the counter. "You were… quick."
I take a breath, then blurt it out before I can't stop myself. “I turned down the trade.”
Morgan stops chewing, her eyes growing huge. Quinn’s mug hovers halfway to her lips. Mason freezes, a croissant falling from the tongs. Beck ends his call and Declan doesn’t move.
Zoey’s breath hitches. “That’s… you shouldn’t have—”
“But there’s something else, Zo.” My heart is still hammering against my ribs, but I open the box to reveal, resting on a bed of tissue paper, the framed drawing. The three of us, forever captured in crayon and childish love.
And beside it, a single set of keys.
Zoey stares as she slowly steps in front of me. “What is this?”
“Keys to my apartment.” I pick them up. “Well, myoldapartment. I’m terminating the lease.”
Her brow furrows. “Why?”
“Because you know what I realized this morning? After last night, after everything that's happened… I don’t want to be anywhere except wherever you are.”
I move in closer, holding her eyes.
“Zoey, I don’t care what that means. You had a whole damn notebook of dreams once upon a time. Pages and pages of what you wanted to build. And you know what I had?”
I have to swallow before I can continue.
“I had a heart that was desperate to be loved."
Zoey blinks around the room. "Colt—"
"It's true, Zoey. I had parents who taught me that affection was a reward to be earned. I had a childhood of practices and empty promises.” I look over at Morgan, who’s watching me with solemn, understanding eyes. I wink at her, and she gives me a tiny, wobbly smile.
“I never had what you guys had,” I say, glancing at her brothers too. “The chaos, the inside jokes, thecertaintythatsomeone would be there. But it's all I ever wanted, and you know what? With you… I’ve got it now."
"And if that means following you across the country just to see you achieve your dreams, then I’d give everything away. Every contract, every spotlight, every pay check. Just to see that gorgeous smile on your face every damn day.”
Her eyes start to well up.
