I gritted my teeth in silence as I went through my brother's things in his office. I’d always focused on our differences, but it was odd seeing how similar we were, even in the space we kept. Like me, he only had a few key possessions. His bookshelf mostly consisted of a few odd notebooks and pieces of paper printed out for shipping things. A list of possible baby names with Emma circled, and others crossed out.

He’d have wanted Emma with someone else--not me--I reasoned as the guilt began to creep in. My brother didn’t even like me, let alone love me.

Muttering to myself, I crumpled up the paper with the baby names and tossed it in the trash. I was here to clean the house, not take a trip down memory lane. I’d even made arrangements to have his ashes sent to Emma’s new family, so they could figure out what to do.

Then there was Jax’s house and what to do with it. I might be able to rent it out, but I’d rather just sell it and sever my connection with this town completely. Start something new, somewhere new.

Once I was gone, I would be totally cut off from my past. A new life beckoned.

The very top shelf of Jax’s bookcase was filled with a dozen or so books he liked.

The Beautiful and the Damned.

For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Damn. I didn’t realize he was such a reader. I picked up the Ernest Hemingway book, and a picture fell out with three smiling faces.

It was from when I was in seventh grade and Jax was in the ninth. We had shit-eating smirks on our faces, and damned if I almost didn’t recognize the girl who was next to me, resting her head on my shoulder.

Genny’s hair back then was almost golden-brown. While Jax and I stared straight at the camera, her eyes slanted toward me with a sideways grin plastered on her face. We were just neighborhood friends back then. It wasn’t until years later our friendship blossomed into a romance.

But damned if that look in her eyes didn’t tell me my seventh grade idiot ass had no idea how much that girl would come to love me. And I would throw it all away to get away from here.

I flipped the photo over a couple of times in my hand, letting my mind wander.

Maybe I still didn’t get it.

The sound of the doorknob jolted me from my train of thought, and I heard Genny let out a cough as the door rattled.

I headed out of the office to greet her. All of my thoughts about getting the hell out of dodge dissolved like sugar in water when she came into view.

For just a moment, before she turned and greeted me with her eyes, I felt like I was looking at a damn stranger. Just the way she filled out a pair of jeans had me thinking very dirty thoughts.

“Hey you,” I called to her, tipping my chin up.

“Hey,” she flashed a very fake-looking grin my way as I strode toward her.

She put her hand out and grabbed my forearm. “Bad news. Really bad news.”

“Oh?” I arched an eyebrow. It sure seemed like everything these days was bad news.

“Yeah. I’m totally fucked. I’ve got to sell Shepherd Soaps.”

I scrunched up my face, a little confused. “That seems sudden.”

“My sister…” she muttered, her expression tightening. “My damn sister. Look at this.”

Genny pulled out her phone and showed me a YouTube video her sister had made, revealing the new business behind Shepard Soaps.

My jaw dropped as I watched how much vitriol Amber spewed. And at her own damn family.

“What the fuck?! Why would she throw you under the bus like that?”

“For the fucking views!” Genny yelled, pacing away from me and throwing her hands up in the air. “I’m totally done. I’ve let down my parents. I deceived them to turn a profit, and now, they hate me, and it doesn’t even matter that I’ve agreed to this week of watching little baby Emma for a ridiculous amount of ten-thousand...hey where is Emma anyway? Is she sleeping?” Genny walked to the room where we’d set up a crib for Emma.

“Emma’s with her new family,” I informed her, dryly.

Genny laughed, rolling her eyes. “Funny. Seriously, where is she though?”

I took a few steps toward her, put my hands on my hips and rocked my weight back on one leg. I stared into her mahogany brown eyes and told her again.

“Like I said, she’s with her new family. It was a little sudden, but Jax’s wife’s cousin was able to take her. She and her husband were passing through town. They’re well off, they live in Austin, and--”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” she seethed.

“No,” I said, my voice ice cold. “I’m not kidding you at all. Emma needed a family, Gen. So I made the call. I gave her away to someone close enough to the family, someone who would be able to give her the loves she deserves.”

She lowered her eyes and her shoulders dropped. “What. The. Fuck. Kade.”

When she raised her eyes to mine again, I swear I saw fire in them. It was the same fire that made me love her way back when, but right now this was vengeful.

I clenched my jaw. “Don’t ‘what the fuck’ me, Genny. You act like this was a fucking easy decision for me! But a decision had to be made. Emma needed a home and a family. I couldn’t give that to her, so I decided--”

“Exactly,” she seethed, her tone venomous. “You decided. You didn’t even think to fucking tell me? I didn’t even get to say goodbye to her! Did you ever think that maybe I’d become a little attached since we’ve been with her. Maybe?!” She ran her fingers through her hair.

I raised my chin to her, keeping my expression steady. “Had to be done.”

“Yeah. Right. It had to be done. And you had to decide it. Just like you fucking decided eight years ago that you would run away from Douglas and join up with the SEALs. Whatever’s best for Kade, that’s what’s best for everyone, right!” Her tone oozed with sarcasm, and my blood boiled.

“Like I had a choice!” I fired back. I took a step toward her, and I could feel the heat of her body. She crossed her arms as she gazed up at me, her eyes narrow.

“You did have a choice. Instead, you made up your mind and never even asked for my input! You just left forever! And now I don’t even get to say goodbye to Emma!”

My nostrils flared and my breath became noisy. Genny trembled a little, but we didn’t unlock eyes. A tear formed in her right eye and ran down her cheek. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what the fuck to say. She was right, in a way.

“This doesn’t have much to do with Emma, does it,” I finally growled, taking her in my arms. She let out a sudden, surprised moan as I took hold of her hips. She collapsed onto me, landing her head on my chest and wrapping her arms around my torso.

“No. You damn well know what it’s got to do with. You just charge back into town and start flirting with me again like it’s no big deal. Like we didn’t just spend the last eight years apart.”

Her scent was intoxicating. I held her tight, and for one brief moment, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I saw us getting to the end of this saga, together. I saw myself staying in Douglas and feeling this way, waking up next to Genny every morning.

And that scared the shit out of me.

“I have to go,” I growled into her ear.

“Go? Where?” she asked, pulling back.

“Back to base,” I said simply.

“Kade, Stop. Just stay for a night, think it over. We can finally talk about things.”

Her lips, glossy and slightly parted, begged me to stay. I leaned in and kissed her one more time on the lips. When I pulled up from the kiss her eyes were wide, disbelieving.

“What was that for?”

Turning around, I headed for my brother’s office. Genny’s footsteps followed behind me as I went to grab my duffle bag full of the few items I’d brought with me.

“God dammit, Kade, say something.”

I noticed my brother’s golden watch on top of my duffle bag--the one that had been handed down by my grandfather. I slipped it on my wrist. It was one I’d always wanted, basically the last remaining family heirloom in the Houstons. Now that I had that--I was good to go. I turned to Genny. This wasn’t pretty, but it needed to be said.

“I have to go,” I said simply.

“Why?” she asked, shaking her head.

I shrugged. “You know why. I’m not meant to stay in this town.”