Page 62 of Seeking Her Studs

“What the hell are you doing?” Reese says, and to my shock, starts taking my clothes and hanging them back in the closet.

“You’re joking, right?” I stare at him slack-jawed. “You saw them, Reese. I can’t expose you guys to this. Kaylee gets home tomorrow!”

He starts pacing. Colt slams his fist against the wall in frustration, obviously accepting the reality before Reese can. Briggs sits down on the bed with his head in his hands.

“You can’t leave, Blaire.” Reese stills, looking at me with a wild desperation. I fight the tears fogging my vision.

“Well, I can’t stay!” I throw my suitcase on the ground and begin throwing my clothes in haphazardly. “You think what you just saw is bad? It will only get worse.”

“It will die down, eventually. It has to.” Colt says through gritted teeth. I can tell the suggestion physically hurts him. Because he knows it’s the wrong thing for Kaylee. He has so steadfastly put her first in their life, and he’s done an amazing job. He knows that it’s the wrong choice to let me stay.

“It won’t.” I shake my head. “They’ll find out what’s going on between us and it will be another circus. Kaylee’s entire life will be chaos. They’ll harass her at school. They’ll interview her classmates. She’ll never have privacy again. I can’t live with myself if I’m the cause of that.”

“We’ll talk to her,” Briggs lifts his head. “We can figure something out together. She wants us to be happy. She loves you, Blaire.” He inhales sharply. “We love you.”

I can’t see a damn thing now. Tears flood my vision. I run to the bathroom to blow my nose.

I take a deep breath and collect myself. The more I think about it, the more I know I’m right. If there’s one thing I can do for them, it’s this. It’s saving them from the misery that has overcome my entire life. I pack my toiletries and steady myself before heading back out to the bedroom.

I’m no longer their Blaire. I’m playing a part now. Because the real Blaire would be in a puddle on the floor right now, sobbing.

“I’m really thankful for all you’ve done for me,” I say with a sharp inhale.

They all look back at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. But before they can say anything, the sound of tires on gravel sounds outside.

“Who the hell is that?” Colt says, going to the door.

“I texted Patricia the second we got to Rile Ranch. She’s here with a team of bodyguards. I’ll make sure that everyone outside the gates knows I’m leaving, so they’ll follow me. There might be a few reporters around town asking questions for a couple more days, but eventually, they’ll all leave you alone.”

“Blaire, if you walk out of our lives right now, then that’s it. We can’t keep losing you. We can’t.” Reese’s voice catches and my heart threatens to stop beating.

“I know,” I nod softly when I collect myself. My voice is barely a whisper.

I’ve known all along that I’ve already had my second chance and that I won’t get a third.

But it’s my turn to take care of them. Even if that means leaving their lives forever.

The chauffeur grabs my bags as soon as I’m out of the house. He opens the door to the large black SUV as identical cars on either side start their engines. It’s a three-car motorcade only to get me to the airport. And it’s a bitter reminder of how out of place my life really is here. I was always just pretending, but the difference was that I even fooled myself. It was never going to work. And wanting it more than anything else in the world doesn’t change that.

I thought I felt more like myself here, but it was just the opposite. Because whether I like it or not, this is the real me. A spectacle.

“You enjoy your vacation?” Patricia asks pleasantly as I slide into my seat. I want to scream at her. I want to tear my hair out and make her watch. I want to do anything to get that smug look of satisfaction off of her face.

But this isn’t about me. The sooner I leave, the better off everyone in this town is.

“Blaire,” Briggs’ voice catches my attention right before I close the door. “I think you’re making a huge mistake. But I’m not going to let you go without this, even though you didn’t finish your work here. Your Gram wouldn’t have wanted you leaving without it.”

I give him a sorrowful smile. “Thank you,” my voice is barely a whisper. Of course, I know what it is. And I’m glad he gave it to me now. Because this is probably my last time in Solace Springs.

He nods, his eyes growing desperate as I take a cream-colored envelope from him and close the door.

My stomach lurches with grief as we start moving.

The outline of the Rile Ranch sign creeps up along the view through my tinted window. As soon as we cross the barrier, I roll my window down and wave. I widen my eyes, an instinct I developed as a kid, to overcompensate for all the flashes that blind my vision.

My plan works. The motorcycles and cars parked outside the ranch have doubled since we arrived. They all start their engines when they see me. As we move, they swarm us like flies on a dead carcass.

As soon as I’m confident that I’ve done all I can do, I rip open the envelope Briggs handed me.

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