Butcher

Chapter 28

28

Kaylee

After leaving the office, I went straight to Austin’s instead of going home to change or get the gifts I’d bought them. As if I hadn’t already expected the night to be difficult when I told the guys everything going through my head, I now had to break the news about my job. Even though I loved them with all my heart, I knew what I needed to do.

I took a calming breath before knocking on the door. When it swung open, Levi had a huge smile on his face.

“Sweetheart.” He pulled me in for a hug and kiss. “I’ve missed you so much.”

My throat tightened, but I managed to say, “I missed you too.”

“Did you come here straight from the office?” Austin asked as he took Levi’s place and kissed me hello.

“Yeah,” I said as I pulled back from the kiss. “There’s something I need to talk to you two about.”

They both gave me questioning looks. “Do you want to have dinner first?” Austin asked. “Or should we go to the living room and chat?”

“Living room,” I replied. “This really can’t wait.”

“Okay. Why don’t you and Levi take a seat, and I’ll grab you a drink. Do you want a beer or a glass of wine?”

“Beer is fine.”

Levi sat on one end of the sectional and tilted his head when I took the seat in the corner instead of next to him. Austin handed me a bottle of Sam Adams and plopped down close to my side.

“So, what’s going on?” Levi questioned.

I took a large gulp of my beer, seeking some liquid courage before I began. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since St. Louis, and there was some stuff I wanted to talk about, but it might not matter now after I tell you what happened at work today.”

Austin reached for my hand when I didn’t continue. “You’re making me nervous, sweetness.”

I took a deep breath and blurted, “I’m moving to Paris.”

“What?” Levi asked at the same time Austin said, “You’re joking, right?”

I shook my head. “My boss told me before I left the office that they want me to help open our new office, and I’m supposed to be there in two weeks.”

“Two weeks!” Levi jumped up from the couch. “Please tell me you told him no.”

I picked at the label on the bottle as a tear slid down my cheek. “It’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

Austin brushed back a lock of my hair. “How long will you be there?”

“At least six months,” I sniffled, this was even harder than I expected. “But it’s possible it would be a permanent move.”

“Permanent?” Austin’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’ve been thinking over the last few days that things happen for a reason. Maybe I lost the baby and got offered this new job because the universe knew things weren’t going to work out between us.”

“What do you mean things weren’t going to work out? You’re not seriously talking about ending this, are you?” Levi began to pace.

“Maybe. I’m so confused right now.” More tears ran down my face.

Levi raked his hands through his hair. “Confused about what? I thought things were good between all of us. What’s changed?”

“Everything,” I cried. “Everything has changed. For as long as I can remember, I dreamed about becoming a mom one day, and even though I didn’t know I was pregnant, having that dream ripped away crushed me. But we never talked about the future, and I don’t even know how a family would work with the three of us. What if one of you didn’t want kids? Or what if you both felt that way?”

“I understand we never talked about kids before, but you didn’t ask us about it either,” Austin stated quietly.

That made me pause. “We didn’t really have time. You guys had to go to Chicago and then Tennessee, and we barely talked on the phone while you were gone.”

“You’re right, we didn’t,” he sighed. “We probably should have communicated better with you, but while I can’t speak for Levi, you should know finding out you were pregnant and that you’d had a miscarriage broke my heart too.”

Levi sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of me. “I feel the same way. And just because our relationship looks different from others, it doesn’t mean we can’t build the future we want.”

More tears slid down my cheek. “It doesn’t even matter now. I’ll be gone for at least six months, and during that time, you guys will be together and growing closer. Maybe it was always meant to be this way.”

Austin’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

I thought back to something Austin said the night we made things official. “Maybe fate brought me into your lives so you two would end up together.”

Levi’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I love you both so much, but even if I’m only gone for six months, that’s a really long time to be apart.”

Austin cupped the side of my face and gently turned my head toward him. “So what do you want to do?”

It crushed me to say the next words but I truly believed I was doing the right thing, “It’s probably best we just end things now.”

“No.” Levi shook his head. “I don’t want to break up.”

“Let’s put this conversation on hold and have some dinner,” Austin suggested. “Maybe after we eat, we’ll all be thinking a little clearer.”

“Nothing’s going to change tonight,” I replied. “And it’s just going to make it harder to say goodbye if we draw this out.”

“So that’s it? You’re going to leave just like that?” Levi began to pace again.

I slid off the couch and set my beer down. Telling myself it was like ripping off a Band-Aid, I said, “It will be easier this way.”

“Easier to just walk away?” Austin questioned as he followed me to the entryway.

“Out of sight, out of mind, right?” I was hurrying to the door so I could break down in my car and not in front of them.

“It seems this was an easy decision and your mind is already made up,” Levi stated.

I opened the door, not able to look back at either one of them. “Sometimes the hardest part is walking away.”