Built To Last

But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t keep her here if she wanted to leave. He loved her too much to make her feel obligated to stay somewhere she didn’t want to be.

Now that he knew what real love was with Erin, he could take his relationship with Lindsay for what it was… and what it wasn’t. That was why while it hurt when Lindsay rejected his proposal, he’d been able to get over it and move forward.

He didn’t expect the same when his relationship Erin ended.

But if he let her go, she would be able to realize her dreams and travel, like she had always wanted to. And all he ever wanted was for her to be happy. He just wished it could be with him. So, he’d set her free…. and stay in Laguna Beach with another broken heart.

This one, though, would never heal.

With a plan firmly in place, he headed back to town, dropped Bella at home, and drove to Zinc.

When he parked down the street from the restaurant, Erin was waiting on the sidewalk out front, pacing back and forth. He stood back in the shadows and stared at the woman he loved. She nodded at people passing by and smiled down at a little girl holding her mother’s hand. Erin would be a great mother, but it wouldn’t be to his children. Because she was meant for more than staying behind in Laguna Beach when she had the entire world at her fingertips.

It was time to let her go.

For her.

For her happiness.

He stepped out of the doorway and walked up to the café. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She forced a smile but it didn’t reach her eyes. What did she have to be unhappy about? She was about to have everything she wanted out of life.

“How about we sit? I’m not sure I’m hungry just yet.”

“Me either.”

He escorted her to a bench and sat beside her. He stretched his arm up and along the back of the bench and brushed against her shoulder. Her eyes darted to where he’d touched her, and he pulled his arm back. Tension arced between them.

Maybe she was nervous about telling him she was leaving. Whatever it was, she was as anxious as he was.

“Jake—”

“Erin, I—” they both spoke at once.

He closed his mouth and nodded to her. At least if she spoke first, he’d have some idea why she was upset when she was finally getting what she’d always dreamed of.

No such luck. She was quick to jump in. “After you.”

He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t let her see that his heart was breaking as he set her free. “I’m not sure this is working, Erin.”

She sighed.

He wished he could look into her eyes. Her eyes revealed everything she was feeling. But he couldn’t risk his doing the same. “I think we want different things out of life.”

He risked exposing the reality of his feelings to see she was thinking, but her head was down and her hair covered her face.

“I don’t understand.” Her words came out on a whisper, her voice trembling.

He sucked in a breath. This was for the best. It would make Erin happy. Give her everything she’d always wanted. He just had to be strong and get through this conversation. “Lindsay’s back.”

Erin’s head snapped up, moisture pooling in her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek

“She wants another chance with me. To have the family I’ve always wanted.”

Erin’s chin shook and her lower lip trembled. “But what about us? What about everything we have together. Does that mean nothing? We’ve never even discussed having a family together.”

Jake gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to set her free. She’d been tied down with responsibility for a long time. This was her opportunity to explore what she wanted for herself. “I told you about my dream, but yeah, there’s a lot we haven’t talked about. We haven’t really known each other that long. Lindsay and I have a lot of history. It’s probably better that it happened now, before we both got in too deep.”