Page 58 of Blame It On the Lattes

“Who said it has to end?”

“You can’t tell me that you think a long-distance relationship is the answer here?” I questioned with an arched eyebrow.

“Long-distance could be better than nothing. If you love her like you say you do, why not make every effort to be with her?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a sigh, knowing full well what the answer was.

“Stop lying.”

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the towel to wipe down the counters again.

“It’s not that easy, okay?”

“Why not? You love her. She loves you. You love each other. What am I missing here?”

“That clearly she and I are not on the same page,” I nearly shouted, my emotions getting the best of me. “I love her so much, Piper. She and Kennedy mean more to me than anything in the world. But she didn’t even bat an eye or consider staying here. Once she found out about the job offer in Houston, she was excited and more focused on taking the job. Never once did she stop and ask how I felt about it or if I would even be interested in trying to do a long-distance relationship.”

“Oh. I see. It makes sense now.” Piper pulled her mouth into a straight line and lowered her head.

“You see what?”

“Your real fear isn’t that she’s leaving, Sam. It’s that she doesn’t love you as much as you love her. You’re angry because you fell hard for her without knowing if she felt the same way.”

“She said she loved me,” I countered, not wanting to admit that she was right.

“Yes, but deep down, you’re wondering if it’s enough.”

She was right. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how I loved Avery so much that I would do anything for her, including moving to Houston. But she never asked. She never once mentioned my name or how I would play into their new life once they moved. I wasn’t just losing her; I was losing the little girl I had come to love as my own.

Thirty-One

Avery

“Ithink this is a terribleidea,” I muttered to Cassidy as she continued on with her latest idea. “He is already pissed at me, Cass. He’s hardly talked to me ever since I told him about the job in Houston.”

“I know, but he will get over it.”

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